Snooker: White proves dogged

JIMMY WHITE shrugged off the effects of an accident suffered last week when he began the defence of his Royal Liver Assurance UK Championship in Preston yesterday with a 6-2 session lead over David McDonell, of London.

The 31-year-old title holder had been cut and grazed when he collided with a tree while trying to control his Staffordshire bull terrier after it chased another dog. But he was more accomplished at controlling his opponent yesterday. Helped by breaks of 53, 43 and 103, White won six frames without reply.

McDonell, 22, and ranked No 105 in the world, eventually opened his account by winning the seventh frame 74-1. In the next, with White poised for a 7-1 opening session advantage, McDonell cleared the colours.

John Parrott, a UK finalist 12 months ago and champion in 1990, found it hard to subdue Garry Baldrey - the 24- year-old brother-in-law of the Skoda Grand Prix champion Peter Ebdon. Baldrey, 285th in the world, looked likely to share the first eight frames.

However, Parrott obtained a snooker on the final brown, clearing the last four balls to go 5-3 up. That left him requiring four of the remaining nine frames to reach the last 32 while White needed three.