Jimmy White conceded he was “sickened” after being knocked out of the Masters first round by Mark King last night.

The 47-year-old wildcard was determined to make a big impression following his stint in the Australian jungle for the ITV1 show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, but must have wished he’d stayed in Oz after his abject performance.

The likes of Rolling Stones superstar Ronnie Wood and King of the Jungle Gino D’Acampo had travelled to Wembley Arena to cheer on the Whirlwind; but the event itself proved a huge anti-climax for White’s supporters as he was comprehensively beaten 6-2.

The 1984 Masters champion entered the arena to Money for Nothing by Dire Straits (a reference to the £65,000 to £100,000 he reportedly picked up for entering the Australian jungle, perhaps) in front of a vocal crowd of 1,368 – the majority of whom were fully behind the snooker idol. However, it was his opponent who made the biggest impression on the night – if not for his performance, then certainly for his hugely entertaining, but slightly cringe worthy, entrance.

King’s chosen track, hip-hop anthem You Can Do It by Ice Cube, might not have gone down too well with one or two of the more old-fashioned spectators inside Wembley; but it appeared to rouse the 35-year-old, who came out dancing as if he were the Californian rapper himself – or rather, an embarrassing uncle at a wedding.

Once the laughter had died down, King soon began to believe Ice Cube’s words, and started the first frame strongly.

Despite the backing of the crowd, White never truly got going and struggled to keep control of the cue ball. Once King had racked up breaks of 56, 64 and 85 to seal five of the six frames needed to take victory, his opponent appeared to know his fate was all but sealed.

The current World No. 16, King, duly took the eighth frame to secure a comfortable 6-2 win, and White couldn’t hide his disappointment at the outcome once the match had ended.

“It was woeful. It was sickening to play like that,” a frustrated White told BBC Radio 5 live.

“It’s not like I didn’t have any chances – I had loads of chances, I had chances every game. But it was a great atmosphere, I think Barry Hearn will do great for the game.

“It’s just a bit frustrating to play like that with the way I’m playing in practice.”

A disappointing and premature exit from the prestigious tournament for White and his local supporters, then, but a great start in terms of entertainment value for a sport that is undergoing somewhat of an overhaul at present.

Rob Swan