It came down to the wire, but following Michael Wasley’s defeat to Dominic Dale at the 2014 World Championship earlier today, Jimmy White will now definitely remain on tour for at least another season.
As detailed within my tour survival blog, Michael Wasley was the last man in the draw this week who was able to knock Jimmy out of the crucial top 64 places on the latest provisional money list, but his 13-4 defeat to Welshman Dale means that Jimmy is now safe at last.
While Jimmy may have been eligible for ranking event tournaments next season under the recent plans announced by Barry Hearn, remaining inside the world’s top 64 he does at least ensure that he retains his prize money earned during the past two seasons and initially next season at least, will remain among the top 64 for full ranking events.
This will no doubt come as a huge relief for Jimmy, who despite now having been a professional for 34 years, loves snooker as much as ever and has every wish to remain on tour for as long as possible.