Typhoons are terrorising America at the moment but there was a Whirlwind making its own presence felt at Eastleigh's Fleming Park Leisure Centre last night.

Whirlwind "Jimmy" not only had amateur Andy Kane running for cover but also proved too strong for six-times world champion Steve Davis.

This was payback time. Having just got back in the world's top 16 for the first time in two years, Jimmy White breezed into the Embassy Classic and thrilled the 600 spectators with a vintage performance.

First on his hit-list was Echo Amateur champion Kane for a one-frame shootout.

The 34-year-old Eastleigh Conservatives player must have had hopes of emulating Winchester's Dave Mumford, who beat White in this event in 1996. But even with a record showing 38 centuries and a top break of 132, Kane held no fears forT Whirlwind, who put together runs of 68 and 56 to ease to a 128-11 victory.

Kane, kitted out by The Suit Company Southampton on behalf of Moss Bros, was given a rousing introduction by MC Alan Hughes - only to go in-off from his break.

White decided to open the balls and was fortunate not to see the white drop himself as Kane was left with a tricky shot under the jaws of the baulk pocket.

He decided attack was the best form of defence but missed a long red and then sat down as White got to work.

The first couple of balls were by no means easy but White soon manufactured good position and the frame was safe by the time he broke down on 68. Kane replied with 11, including a well-taken yellow, but a missed red to the middle was the signal for White to clean up with a break of 56.

In true exhibition fashion, White finished by sending the the black all around the table, off four cushions, walking away as it slowly dropped in the corner.

And so to Davis, who also did enough this season to retain his place in the world's top 16, extending his record to 20 successive years in the elite.

Records he might have but Davis was no match for White in this form and was soundly beaten 5-2. So well was White playing that the two frames Davis did win both came courtesy of magnificent centuries, a 104 in frame two and 115 in frame six.

White punished an early Davis mistake in the opener and made 83 before polishing off the colours in a run of 34 for a 117-9 win.

Davis won the second 105-9, three times producing excellent pots to make sure of his century. An epic battle looked on the cards with White being gifted the next 55-54 when Davis missed a fairly straightforward black.

But breaks of 57, 44 and 39 were good enough for White to race into a 4-1 lead, taking the fourth frame 73-34 and the fifth 103-25.

Being the true champion Davis is, he still managed to produce the best snooker of the night in rattling up his second century for a 129-0 sixth-frame success.

The standard was exceptional but the last word went to White with a typically-fluent run of 46 to claim the final frame 73-5.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.