World Championship snooker 2021 - '10 grams of cocaine' - Jimmy White on defeats to Stephen Hendry

Updated 01/04/2021 at 09:34 GMT

Jimmy White continues to play professional snooker into his fifties and will welcome fellow veteran Stephen Hendry back to the table when the pair meet in the World Championship next week. White gave an interview detailing his drink and drug use at the height of his fame, something he believes held him back against Hendry.

Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White in 2017

Image credit: Getty Images

Jimmy White has discussed his drug and drink use - "10 grams of cocaine and four bottles of Jack" - which he believes gave his rival Stephen Hendry an advantage during the heyday of their famous snooker rivalry.

The pair are due to play on Monday, April 5 in the first round of qualifying for the World Championship as they renew hostilities, though the pair remain friends away from the table.

White faced Henry four times in World Championship finals in the years 1990-94, and won none of them, losing one from 17-17 in the best-of-35 showdown and another when 14-8 ahead. His struggles against the Scot were partly to blame for his failure to land a single world title, with the Whirlwind making six finals in total at the Crucible.

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The Whirlwind has often discussed his use of cocaine and alcohol at the height of his career, but in an interview with The Telegraph he explained the extent of his addiction problems.

White said: “I have beaten Stephen in the World Championship a couple of times, but unfortunately they aren’t the ones everyone talks about.

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“I lost the four finals to him…but in those [early 1990s] days I was giving him a head start of about 10 grams of cocaine and four bottles of Jack Daniels.

“I came very close in winning two of the finals against him. In 1992 I was 14-8 up and getting my winning speech ready, but lost the next 10 frames.

“And then in 1994 I twitched a black in the decider at 17-17. But it is what it is, and I might not have been here if I had won the World Championship the way I was.”

The duo have been practising together as they look to stay sharp on the professional circuit, but that has now been brought to a temporary stop, at least.

“We have had so many battles not only at the World Championship but throughout our careers. And to draw each other at this stage of our careers is very bizarre,” White observed.

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“I didn’t even see the draw announced on TV this week, or see it in any email,” he said. “I had just finished practising, turned my phone on and I saw that I had two missed calls from Stephen.

“That on its own wasn’t too strange because we had been practising together recently. But I started thinking he wouldn’t call me twice so quickly like that to arrange a session.

“So I started to suspect what might have happened. I called him back, he said ‘Can you believe that’, and then I knew.

“It is absolutely bizarre, something from the snooker gods for sure. It is one that a lot of people might enjoy and look forward to.

“My closing line to him was that we wouldn’t be having a practice together before that match. But for me, I have found a bit of form and whoever I played, that is what I would be taking into it.

“I know that I will be playing him Tuesday week, and it is all about being ready for that. I haven’t stopped practising for about two or three years now. I'm much more disciplined than I used to be.”