Jimmy White drops cue in frustration after agonising late World Championship miss ends his dream for another year - 'So near and yet so far'
Updated 06/04/2026 at 23:51 GMT+1
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Jimmy White, a six-times Crucible finalist, is still going strong at the age of 63, as he showed in an extraordinary World Championship qualifier against 21-year-old Gao Yang, However, White's long wait for a return to the Crucible goes on after Gao won nail-biting 19th frame in Sheffield. Bai Yulu was a 10-7 winner over Daniel Womersley in qualifying.
'Dejected' White drops cue, misses brown twice to lose final frame decider
Video credit: TNT Sports
Jimmy White, a six-time World Championship finalist, rolled back the years in Sheffield, but his performance was not enough to see off Gao Yang in the first round of qualifying.
White, who played a brilliant snooker to get himself back into the deciding frame, dropped his cue seemingly in disgust with himself after missing a crucial late shot on a brown which all but handed the match to his 21-year-old opponent.
From the TNT Sports commentary box, Phil Yates said: "So near and yet so far."
And Gao progressed to the second round of qualifying at the English Institute of Sport, where he will meet Mark Davis.
Yates went on: "It's a feeling in the World Championship that he's become accustomed to.
"White must feel very, very disappointed. He gave that everything he had, but it wasn't quite good enough. Gao Yang wins, and Jimmy White's 20-year wait to return to the Crucible continues."
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'Maybe they've moved behind the pocket' - White gestures angrily at crowd after missed red
Video credit: TNT Sports
White had taken a 5-1 lead against Gao, but lost six successive frames to trail 7-5 in the first-round qualifier.
At 3-1 up, White lined up a red which, at 52-9 up already, could have helped propel him to a frame win to move three clear of Gao. White missed the shot, and appeared to gesture towards someone in the crowd, seemingly suggesting that a spectator had put him off.
”What a miss, what a miss," said commentator Joe Johnson. "How important is it going to be?”
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White went on to win the fifth frame, but struggled later in the contest. He stopped the rot to get within a frame of Gao before a break.
And he levelled things up at 7-7 after Gao called a push shot on himself.
"He’s admitted to a push shot, there," said Johnson. "It’s something that Jimmy White has done over the years, called himself up for fouls. How costly is it going to be?”
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Watch as huge fluke helps White move into 5-1 lead
Video credit: TNT Sports
The foul cost Gao the frame. They both went on to win a frame each to take it to 8-8 before Gao edged ahead again in the best-of-19 match.
White came back again to take the game into a decisive 19th frame.
He had his chance in the decider, but missed the brown by a distance in attempting to develop the blue, and Gao stepped in a short while later to secure the win.
Qualifying for snooker's showpiece event runs from until Wednesday, April 15. The final round is known as Judgement Day, with a place at the Crucible at stake.
Women's world champion Bai Yulu progressed to the second round of qualifying thanks to a 10-7 win over Daniel Womersley. Michael Holt is up next for Bai.
Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the World Championship, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
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