WHIRWIND Jimmy White did not have it all his own way against Warrington's top potter Darren Shaw at the Parr Hall on Sunday night.

The Guardian Cup winner came within a whisker of pulling off a win against the snooker legend in the Warrington Guardian in association with Regal Classic Snooker Roadshow.

His challenge started terribly as he sank the white from the break but his nerves settled as he struck a 28 break to take control of the frame.

White hit back with a 23 break and after the pair exchanged minor pots the score was finely balanced at 56-44 in White's favour with Shaw agonising over whether to take on a tricky brown.

He bravely attempted the pot but the ball rattled out of the jaws of the pocket and his opponent had no problem in clearing the table to finish off a spirited challenge.

"The brown at the end was a tough shot but I thought that if I could make it then I would win the frame," said Shaw.

"Unfortunately I missed and Jimmy took the frame. I think I also had a chance to win when I was on my 28 break but I missed a vital red.

"It was a brilliant night and the reception I got from the crowd was absolutely fantastic. I was obviously would have liked to win but it was still great just to be there."

The 23-year-old was also delighted to have had the opportunity to meet the two stars of the evening, who later invited him back for drinks at the Daresbury Park Hotel where the pair were staying.

He said: "Both of them were great lads. Jimmy was talking about how I was playing and when I finished my frame John was asking for tips about how the table was playing ahead of his match."

The frequent World Championship finalist went on to thrill the 500-strong crowd in an exhibition match against John Virgo of BBC television's Big Break and narrowly missed out on a maximum 147 break with only five balls remaining.

Virgo, despite losing 6-1 in frames, added to the entertainment with a series of quickfire jokes and a comedy trick shot frame to finish the night in the arena.

Then it was a race to join the queue for autographs as White and Virgo spent around an hour putting their mark on posters, pictures, tickets and books. They posed for photographs too with their fans.

The snooker stars were just as popular away from the Parr Hall. They were turning heads at the Daresbury Park Hotel, which provided luxury overnight accommodation for the boys and the event organisers.

White, Virgo and company travelled in style to the Parr Hall. They were ferried from Daresbury in a chauffer-driven Chrysler Voyager which was kindly provided for the night by MTB, the Chrysler Jeep and Daihatsu franchises for Warrington which are based in Newton and Northwich.

Virgo and White, like the 18,000 Great Britain owners of the Voyager, gave the world's No.1 and the original multi-purpose people carrier their royal seal of approval.

The Chrysler Voyager can be five or seven seats and you can have it powered by 2 and 3.3 litre petrol engine or 2.5 turbo diesel engines.

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