2013 World Snooker Championship Part II

Azzy Mahmood wrote:Naturally not, but it's fun to discuss it

I have no problem with people backing Hendry, dissing Ronnie, dumping on Carter, bigging up the world's biggest loser (Jimmy), anything. Snooker is a really great sport, and I love the passion that fans have for it. My favourite player ever is Alain Robidoux, part of me truly hates Ronnie for what he did to him

The 10 greatest chokes in the history of sport: 7 - Jimmy White
World snooker final, Sheffield, 1994

This would surely be Jimmy White's year. The Whirlwind had lost in five world finals - including the first four of the 1990s - but now, in the tightest of showdowns against his nemesis Stephen Hendry, victory was just a few pots away. A 75 clearance by White had taken the score to 17-17 and in the deciding frame he had a straightforward black off the spot to put the championship beyond Hendry's reach. 'It was a bread-and-butter pot for someone of Jimmy's class,' said one veteran observer, 'but he missed it by so much that it could only have been a choke.'

Jimmy White, World snooker final, 1994
The Whirlwind had the country cheering him on in every one of his six unsuccessful final appearances at the Crucible, where he put himself in the driving seat more than once. In 92 he led Stephen Hendry 14-8 before freezing and losing ten frames on the bounce to go down 18-14, but two years later he had glory in his grasp at 17-17 and in the balls, before missing a routine black off the spot by miles to throw away another Crucible dream.