Following the widely rumoured announcement that world number 56 Jimmy White will be taking part in series nine of the reality TV show “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!”, it has also been confirmed that he has withdrawn from the UK Championship qualifiers later this month…
Many did not believe it but yes it is true, Jimmy White really is going to be in Australia for the next few weeks on the ITV1 show and will no doubt receive a considerable amount of cash for doing so (I’ve heard figures of £65,000 banded around), not to mention the knock-on effect of the boost to his image that will no doubt come from the show.
As many of you will have seen from various sites on the internet, there are various opinions on Jimmy’s decision to take part on the show, not all positive. Personally I feel that at this stage of his career with Jimmy’s main tour place looking fairly secure following an excellent 2008/9 season and with him not a realistic contender for the title, given the amount of money involved than I cannot blame him for making the decision he has made. His earnings from this TV appearance are going to be far in excess of what he would take from a last 48 exit in the UK qualifiers at Prestatyn for example.
But what does this mean for his ranking? Removing the minimum 520 points that I had previously allocated to him for the UK Championship on my provisional rankings page (I will make this amendment soon), drops him down a couple of places to 58th, but the true damage will only be known once the qualifiers have been completed later this month. I do not think that it will ultimately cost him his pro status, but it could well prevent him from regaining a place in the top 48 and will undoubtedly set him back next season on the one-year list in comparison to some of those around him.
Still, what this does mean is that the first round match between Leicester’s Ben Woollaston and Welshman Ian Preece takes on even greater significance as the winner will now receive a bye to a third round tie against Jimmy Michie. Given the increased amount of ranking points on offer for what is the second-biggest tournament on the calendar, this is a real opportunity for the pair of them…
Jimmy needs to earn a few quid. Snooker doesnt provide that opportunity as it is very much a part time sport!! Quite a coup to be on that program and IM sure he will do well. For me UK qualifiers or major ITV event is a no brainer! Once upon a time the snooker event would have been the big TV event and Im a celebrity get me out of here would have been a small time event! How times have changed!!