World Snooker Championship: Jimmy White keeps dream alive with tense win over Michael Georgiou

The six-times world finalist – runner-up in 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994 – used all his matchplay skills to progress to the third qualifying round despite struggling for any fluency in a nervy and often scrappy encounter at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

At the age of 58, White, the oldest player on the professional tour who competes via an invitational tour card, dominated the final frame of the match to secure a meeting with Robert Milkins in the penultimate round of qualifying, but will know he will have to score heavier with a 54 in the fifth frame his best contribution of the day.

"I was in out and out of focus. At 3-1 behind, I was dead and buried the way I played," said White.

"In the fifth frame, Michael let me off a couple of times. I thought, 'I'm going to have to make him win this' and when it went to 3-3 I really fancied the job.

"During lockdown, it's been really strange times, but about 10 weeks ago I was lucky enough to get into my club and I just practised solid.

"The last two weeks, I've played some good players and was competing against them so my game is there.

"Hopefully, I can gain a bit of confidence and get out the traps quickly against Rob Milkins because the standard is getting better and you have to win a lot more frames at one visit.

"I'm very confident in my game. I know it's there, it is just finding it. When you are younger, it is easy to switch into the zone. I've got through today so I'll kick on from there."

'The Whirlwind' is only two wins away from his first visit to the Crucible Theatre for the first round of the sport's biggest tournament since 2006 in what is astonishingly his 40th appearance at the World Championship.

It is a bitter pill to swallow for former Shoot Out winner Georgiou, who enjoyed breaks of 70, 53 and 121 yet still fell to defeat as he faces up returning to qualifying school to win back his tour card a year after himself reaching the Crucible.

Amateur Allan Taylor – who has earned his place back on the World Snooker Tour next season a year after dropping off – could be in line for a £15,000 high break prize after knocking in a sparking 145 during a 6-1 demolition of Lee Walker.

Walker won the first frame with a 65 before Taylor suddenly exploded with runs of 78, 145 – the highest competitive break of his career – 134, 58, 98 and 112 seeing him ease into the third qualifying round and a meeting with Matthew Selt.