He's no longer a player, get him out of here!

A rather svelte-looking Jimmy White entered the Wembley Arena to a hero’s welcome for his Masters clash with Mark King. Sadly that was as good as it got for The Whirlwind as his opponent showed no mercy in a 6-2 drubbing.

White may have lost a pound or two in the jungle of Australia, but it clearly did little for his game as once again inconsistency dogged arguably the greatest player never to win a world title. A stunning long red was followed by a missed black off its spot, summing up White’s game in a microcosm.

The Londoner, roared on by a fervent local crowd, secured his wildcard entry on the back of his exploits on I’m A Celebrity. He is a crowd puller and the Masters bigwigs will be thrilled with the capacity crowd, but whether White will be so fortunate in 12 months’ time remains to be seen.

A couple of lesser tournaments came his way last year, he has made the right noises about being ready to fight his way back up the rankings, but whether he will feel quite the same when coming up against some hungry youngsters at the qualifiers in Prestatyn remains to be seen.