Whirlwind

Jimmy "Whirlwind" White is Britain's best-loved snooker player. A one-time ragamuffin straight out of the pages of Charles Dickens, he has enthralled audiences the world over for three decades with his electrifying brilliance, winning ten world ranking events, although famously he lost six heartbreaking Crucible World Championship finals. In this in-depth, warts 'n' all biography, die-hard fan Aubrey Malone examines scarlet pimpernel White's background, illiteracy, drinking, tempestuous relationship with his wife Maureen and his incredible rise to the top of snooker's pantheon of heroes in its halcyon era, the 1980s. There are also the tales of Jimmy using a walking stick to make a century break at his local snooker hall, his battles with the twin demons of drink and "the yips" and how he nearly lost the World trophy, despite never having won it! But in the end it is White's astonishing ability on the baize, often against all the odds, that shines through. The book also adds an extra dimension to the White legend as this is as much the story of a sporting obsession as a sporting star. Aubrey Malone once nearly lost his life when he crashed his car after a failed rendezvous with his hero and his obsession has also caused problems in his marriage. A snooker player himself, Malone always felt that if Jimmy heeded his advice about his technique (and attitude) he could break his Sheffield duck and land the Big One. Jimmy, of course, never listened, but that's why thousands love him, isn't it?