SNOOKER JIMMY WHITE AT UCD: Johnny Wattersonsat in as the People's Champion accepted his honorary membership of the college Law Society

NOT SO much a hushed silence as a raucous welcome. The People's Champion, fashionably late, strolled into the Astra Hall in UCD yesterday. A grin, two top buttons of his dress shirt open and a cheery wave won over the audience before he had sat down.

Jimmy White, Jack-the-lad, snooker player, followed a long line of notables into honorary life membership of the UCD Law Society. Some accept the recognition, some don't. But yesterday the veteran of six World Championship finals walked in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon Strachan and, well, Bill Clinton.

These events are nervy enough for the Law Society. When John C McGinley (who he?) turned up to accept the accolade, around 1,700 students converged on the lecture theatre. Dr Cox, from the television series Scrubs, certainly rang their bell.

Nobody asked the 46-year-old White if he was going to give up playing. And why should they when he remains one of the biggest draws of the green baize despite his world ranking of 65.

His friend Ronnie Wood was not in Belfield, but former World champion Ken Doherty was a front-seat supporter as White raced through a miscellany of questions set by a modest but willing audience of 100 or so.

"Jimmy, is it true that Republic of Ireland soccer player Jason McAteer once met you in a pub and shouted: 'Hey Jimmy, 180'?"

"Yeah, he did," answered White with his Cheshire cat smile.

"It was in Lilly's Bordello. We were all there," added Doherty helpfully filling in some detail.

This was not a night for tough questions for the 16-year-old winner of the English Amateur Championship, the 18-year-old winner of the World Amateur Championship. When asked what he liked about Ireland, and he replied "Guinness", the crowd absolutely believed him.

But White's hell-raising days are more measured these times, and he acknowledged one of the greatest regrets of his past career was "not preparing better for tournaments".

Most in the audience took this as a cracking understatement as he went on to paint a picture of gym-monkey snooker players, who treat each professional tournament like an Olympic Games washed down with drinks that are more isotonic than gin and tonic.

"They say there's no characters in the game anymore like Alex Higgins, who was borderline crazy," said the People's Champion, again in a tone of understatement. "Now they are all athletes, all super fit. They practise more too. It's all far more serious."

So serious that in past weeks there have been reports that the World Championship, held annually at the traditional altar in Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, could be moved to China for bigger television and bigger bucks.

"It's all rubbish," said White dismissively. "There'll be a couple of ranking tournaments there and the World Championship will be in the Crucible for the next 10 years. It's not all about the money. I wouldn't go to China for the World Championships and I intend to qualify this year. I don't think it's the home. It's not the Ryder Cup. It's just one tournament. Everyone who has ever watched the game has watched it from Sheffield."

Doherty agreed the Crucible Theatre should continue to host the biggest tournament of the year. But the Dubliner was more circumspect.

"They have shown interest," said Doherty. "But I'm like Jimmy and I think it would be sad if the World Championship went to China. If they wanted one, they could come up with a World Matchplay or a World Masters. Sheffield is the home of snooker.

"It would be like taking Wimbledon out of tennis. It just wouldn't have the same resonance for anyone.

"The flip side is that beggars can't be choosers, and if they come in with two or three million pounds prize-money every year, it will go to the players for a vote on whether they want to move or not. So we'll have to wait and see."

With that Doherty and the Law Society's latest honorary member vanished, White on his way to the Clane home of his mate, the Rolling Stones guitarist, he told us, for a game of pool and a few civilised beers.