Jimmy White warms up for Crucible qualifiers with Pluto Snooker 900 Champions Week title win

Taking place at the Crucible Sports and Social Club in Reading - the home of Pluto TV Snooker 900 - White was joined by five other players for the unique three-day competition.

In celebration of International Women’s Month, tournament organisers invited 12-time world women’s snooker champion Reanne Evans, Asia’s first women’s tour world number one Ng On-Yee from Hong Kong, and ex-professional Rebecca Kenna.

Adding to the eclectic flavour was reigning World Billiards Champion Dave Causier - who was swapping cuesports codes - and former World and UK Snooker Champion John Parrott who was making a brief return to competitive action.

Evans’ 100% group record, but White tops the table and wins final

All six players faced each other once during the group stage, with matches being the best of five frames under timed ‘Snooker 900’ rules.

Ten-time ranking event winner White began his pursuit with a 3-0 win over Causier, but was then ousted by Evans 3-2 despite making a break of 120.

The 63-year-old - who is still plying his trade on the professional circuit - bounced back with 3-1 victories over Parrott and Kenna. In the opening frame of the latter match, though, Kenna created history by fashioning a run of 106 - becoming the first woman to make a century break on the Pluto TV network.

Going into the final session of matches, White and Evans were sitting pretty at the top of the pool and looking likely to qualify for the final.

Both players won their final fixtures against On Yee and Causier, respectively. For Evans, she finished the round robin phase with a 100% record having won five matches out of five.

However, in a format where players earn a point for every frame they win, and an additional point for every century they compile, White won the group, ending up on 15 points - the same as Evans - although he got the tiebreaker by having made a higher break.

The two met again for the final, and White avenged his defeat to Evans in the group by defeating her 5-3 to claim the title.

Earlier this month, White was at the Berkshire-based venue watching the junior qualifying event for the inaugural Global Pluto TV Snooker 900 Championship which is scheduled for May.

White aiming to end twenty-year Crucible wait

Next up for White, and fellow professionals Evans and On Yee, is 2026 World Snooker Championship qualifying which takes place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, beginning on Monday 6th April. The draw for this has yet to be made.

On the first year of a two-year World Snooker Tour card, White is currently ranked 123rd in the world and will therefore have to win four qualifying matches to reach the 32-player main draw, televised stages at the Crucible Theatre which start on Saturday 18th April.

Six-time world finalist White - who constructed the Crucible’s second maximum 147 break in 1992 - has not played at the iconic arena in snooker’s blue riband event since losing in the opening round of the 2006 edition.

Falling out of the top 16 the following season, White has attempted to qualify every year since, but not yet managed to make it back.

However, he has competed on the Crucible stage several times in recent years during the World Seniors Snooker Championship, winning his second, third and fourth titles in that event in 2019, 2020 and 2023.

White is also in the line-up for this year’s flagship seniors tournament (May 6-10) which has expanded to feature two tables at the Crucible. Ronnie O’Sullivan will be making his seniors debut, whilst former winner Mark Williams returns.