When Jimmy White came closest to winning the world snooker title

Monday, 2 May 1994. Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White are locked in a final-frame decider in the World Championship final. With White leading 37-24 and the table open, even the usually stoic Hendry is showing signs of concern. White bends down to tackle a black he would normally pot with his eyes closed.

It should have been his crowning glory, the moment White conquered his Everest. Instead it was the day the music died. A gasp echoed around the Crucible as White’s attempt at the black failed to threaten the pocket. All he could do was sit, wait and hope that Hendry would give him one more shot.

White’s miss would not have felt so final had it been against anyone other than Hendry. But here was a man who would grab any opportunity thrown his way. For those of us who were desperate for White to win, all hope was gone. The commentator Dennis Taylor rightly pointed out that Hendry had nerves of steel. There was still work to be done but secretly we all knew the score. The story concluded with Hendry making a break of 58 to win the frame and the match, but there was plenty of drama along the way.

The road to the final was littered with uncertainty, turmoil and pain. Both players arrived at the Crucible with doubts surrounding their games. Hendry had enjoyed a good start to the season but his form had dipped. A defeat at the Thailand Open to world amateur champion Tai Pichet was alarming and he failed to reach the final at the Irish Masters or British Open. “My confidence is shot to bits and I’m going through the worst spell of my career,” said Hendry. “The defeat to the guy in Thailand was the lowest point in my career.” Even so, Hendry was still the man to beat, a point emphasised by his odds of 11-8.

Hendry’s struggles were nothing in comparison to White’s. On and off the table, 1994 was a year to forget. A three-year drink-driving ban and marriage problems hardly helped his snooker: White was yet to reach a final in the 1993-94 season. Realistically, his odds of 13-2 had more to do with his popularity and record at the Crucible than his form. Nevertheless, he was talking a good game. “My game is coming back, there is no doubt about that. I feel confident about the way I’m playing,” he said. “It’s all behind me now and I am putting in seven hours of practice every day. I’m buzzing again.”

White’s early performances justified his confidence. A 10-6 win over Billy Snaddon in the first round featured two century breaks – one including 14 reds and blacks – as he worked through the gears. “After that performance I’ve got as much chance as anyone,” said White bullishly. Wins over Neal Foulds and Ken Doherty eased him into the last four.

Hendry’s path to the one-table format was not so smooth. After thrashing Surinder Gill 10-1, he took a 7-1 lead over Dave Harold in the second round. But that is where the comfort ended. In the week in which Brian Lara broke the record for the highest Test match innings, Hendry was about to break something himself.

Hendry slipped in his hotel bathroom, fracturing his arm and putting his participation in the tournament in doubt. “I put my left arm down to cushion the fall and that’s when the damage occurred,” he said. “I feared the worst for a couple of hours when I couldn’t straighten my arm. But I was relieved when the specialist said the fracture wasn’t that bad and that I could play on.”

A hairline fracture below his left elbow hampered Hendry in his 13-8 win over Nigel Bond in the quarter-finals. “The pain was definitely worse than in my previous match,” he said. “It’s OK when I’m bridging normally, but my bridge over balls is weak.” Hendry was struggling with the pain and there was a real possibility he would have to withdraw.

Hendry needed all of his ability and determination to win his semi-final against a rejuvenated Steve Davis. The 36-year-old was enjoying a fine season and had arrived at the Crucible as second favourite. Hendry overcame the pain in his arm and ended Davis’ dream of a seventh world crown, winning eight frames in a row to set up another final against White.

The main obstacles in White’s half of the draw appeared to be 18-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan and 1991 champion John Parrott. O’Sullivan had won the UK Championship, British Open and Benson & Hedges Championship, and was 6-1 to win his first world title. But Parrott ended his hopes, winning 13-3 in the second round.

Parrott then lost to Darren Morgan, although he fared slightly better than three former champions who exited immediately. Cliff Thorburn squandered a 9-2 lead to lose 10-9 to Nigel Bond; Alex Higgins lost 10-6 to Doherty, the Hurricane involved in a disagreement with referee John Williams during the match; and Dennis Taylor lost to O’Sullivan. None of them played at the Crucible again. White’s impressive form continued as he beat Morgan 16-8 to reach his fifth consecutive world final and his sixth in total.

“The world and his dog will be rooting for Jimmy, but that’s always the way,” said Hendry. When the Scot opened up a 5-1 lead, it appeared that White was once again going to suffer final despair. But White dug deep, winning eight of the next 10 frames to lead 9-7 going into the final day: Bank Holiday Monday, 2 May, White’s 32nd birthday. This was his chance to lose the tag of the best player to never have won the world championship.

It seemed inevitable that the final would go to a deciding frame. The players traded blows until the score reached 17-17. The players shook hands before the final frame, fittingly for a final in which both players had demonstrated sportsmanship throughout.

This was it. John Williams, who had refereed the classic 1985 final, asked for quiet before White started the decider. Sinking a red and black, White missed a decent chance to open up a healthy lead, before a safety error handed an opportunity to Hendry. However, after a break of 24, Hendry was unable to pot a difficult red. White had his chance.

This was agony for those of us wanting White to win. We watched every shot through the cracks of our fingers and, so far, it was all going to plan. White opened up the pack off a black and played a superb shot on the next red with the extended rest as the break reached 29. The hard work was done. Even Hendry thought his race was run. “When he got in, I was delighted for him. Anyone else and I would have hated it. I was ready to shake his hand and really congratulate him because he deserves the title,” said Hendry later.

But then it happened. He missed the simplest black ball and handed a second chance to a player you could ill afford to let back in. “Oh dear me, that was just a little bit of tension,” Taylor said in the commentary box as the crowd exhaled in horror. White, his face etched in anguish, glazed over as Hendry moved in for the kill.

Hendry did have one nervy moment, as a pink wobbled before dropping, but there was a chilling inevitability about a break that was made to look a lot easier than it was. “I’m delighted for Stephen Hendry, but I could cry for this gentleman sitting in the chair there,” said Taylor as the camera zoomed in on a devastated White. He was not alone.

Tragedy is an overused word in sport. On a weekend that had seen Ayrton Senna die at Imola, White’s defeat was put into perspective. “He’s beginning to annoy me,” White famously said of four-times champion Hendry as he spoke to David Vine, attempting to use humour to cope with his hurt.

“I didn’t compose myself on the black,” admitted White. “It was a rush of blood and it cost me dearly. I’ll keep coming back until I’m 100 if necessary until I win the title. This won’t stop me.” Hendry backed White to return and finally lift the trophy. But that classic final in 1994 was White’s last shot at glory. A missed black that would haunt him forever as Hendry pooped his party once more.