It is 17 years since Jimmy White won his Benson and Hedges Masters title - but it is many a year since he played as well at the Wembley Conference Centre as he did in his 6-2 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan.

O'Sullivan's 101 clearance gave him the opening frame but thereafter he seemed poorly focused and made several unforced errors.

White took every chance that came his way and sank a few great long pots.

He made breaks of 80,66, 67 and 117 and on this form could beat Stephen Hendry on Friday afternoon.

Full house

One thing is for certain - the 38-year-old Londoner's legion of supporters will be roaring him on.

A total of 2,374 spectators, virtually a full house, acclaimed his performance, and William Hill, the on-site bookmakers, cut his odds on winning the tournament from 66-1 to 10-1.

White is the oldest player in the field, but at 36 John Parrott is the second-oldest.

Ranked in the top 16 for the past 14 seasons but starting the season 10th, he has fallen to 20th at this stage.

Dimming light

He hovers on the brink of �3m career earnings; he is a popular resident team captain on BBC's A Question of Sport; and he will no doubt be successful long after he says goodbye to snooker.

But at heart he remains a snooker player, determined to resist the dimming of the light of a career which brought him the 1991 World and UK titles.

Having won only one match all season he was determined to give a good account of himself at the Masters to prove he is still competitive at the top level.

He needed a win to get him some momentum for the second half of the season, and he found it in a surprising 6-5 win over Stephen Lee, world number five.