John Parrott reveals the secret to beating Jimmy White

EXCLUSIVE: Having shared an incredible rivalry with Jimmy White, John Parrott knows exactly what it takes to triumph over ‘The Whirlwind’.

Ahead of the UK Snooker Championship, the legend has opened up about the brilliant encounters the pair shared.

John Parrott and Jimmy White shared an epic rivalry

On November 23, the UK Snooker Championship will officially begin, with John Parrott sitting front and centre to analyse the tournament he won back in 1991.

After beating Jimmy White to win the world championships in the same year, the Liverpudlian went toe-to-toe with the icon once again, in a final for the ages.

The pair of snooker greats delivered a classic match, at the Guild Hall in Preston, where 13 years prior, Parrott had sat in the stands with his father, watching the action unfold.

Aiming to fulfil a childhood dream, with the support of his dad, who was in the very same seat from all those years before, ‘The Entertainer’ gave everything in his power to pull off the victory, eventually winning 16-13 in an all-time classic.

However, the following year, White swung the pendulum in his favour, winning the UK Championship himself. Suffice it to say, those two matches aren’t the only crackers the pair have created, with Parrott having gone head-to-head with the icon many times, winning and losing along the way.

Therefore, it goes without saying, that the Scouser knows the one mistake you can’t afford to make against the 2x major winner.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, Parrott said: “We always had great matches. Someone told me that we played that many matches that we ended up almost level in matches and frames. It was ridiculous how close we were. It was always a great rivalry. Any man who’s reached six world finals is obviously a player, and the amount of tournaments he’s won, he’s a tremendous competitor. But you had to show that you were there to fight and play properly, if you went behind early on, you could get bullied. So, it was important to have a good start.”

Can Ronnie O’Sullivan win the UK Snooker Championship? — John Parrott gives his take

Since retiring from snooker, Parrott has become one of the best analysts in the game, regularly giving his views on the sport in which he left such a remarkable legacy.

Ahead of the UK Snooker Championship, he’s given a breakdown of whether Ronnie O’Sullivan has what it takes to win the competition for the ninth time.

The 60-year-old claimed: “I don’t expect him to win it. I think he’s got a chance. I know he’s been tinkering a bit with his cue action. I’m not about to tell Ronnie how to win a major championship, he’s won 23 of them. So, he goes in there, and you never really know. This is a man who took 12 months off from snooker completely, turned up at the Crucible and won the World Championship in his first tournament back. Anything is possible. He’s got questions to answer, but I’d never count him out.”

Featured Image Credit: Stephen Hendry / Snooker Legends