Jimmy White’s name change by deed poll only lasted for one week before changing back

Snooker icon Jimmy White made headlines when he legally changed his name to James Brown as part of a quirky sponsorship deal for the 2005 Masters.

Known as 'The Whirlwind', White, who is now 64, has been a household name among snooker fans for decades and sought to spice up the Masters through a unique agreement with HP Sauce. The food brand had already signed up to sponsor the brown ball at the event but decided to up the ante by convincing White to change his surname to Brown by deed poll.

This unusual stunt did not go down well with the BBC for sponsorship reasons. World Snooker also raised objections, claiming that White was registered under his original name for the competition. Despite their refusal to recognise his new moniker 'James Brown', the snooker ace stood firm in his choice, believing it would add more fun to the week-long event.

"With a bit of luck, the name James Brown will be engraved on the Masters trophy at the end of next week," he said ahead of the tournament in Wembley.

"The sponsorship of the brown ball really puts the fun back into snooker and, given my previous surname, I wanted to follow that lead.

"I think it is also up to the players to help liven up snooker's image and raise its profile, and I feel good to do my bit with the help of HP."

Ditching his traditional black tuxedo for something a bit more on-brand, White wore a brown suit, which seemed to work wonders for his performances at the Masters. In his opening-round game against Matt Stevens, the legendary player staged an impressive comeback from 5-2 down to snatch a 6-5 win.

In the quarter-finals, he faced off against Mark Williams and pulled off another thrilling victory after trailing 5-4. However, his winning streak came to an end in the semi-final when he was defeated by Ronnie O'Sullivan.

White, who won his only Masters title back in 1984 and had last reached the final in 1986, saw his hopes of breaking that dry spell dashed by reigning world champion O'Sullivan, who beat him 6-1. 'The Rocket' went on to clinch the 2005 Masters with a 10-3 win over John Higgins.

Despite having 10 ranking titles to his name, White is perhaps most remembered for his six losses in World Championship finals between 1984 and 1994. However, he finally won his first of four world titles at the World Seniors Championship in 2010, triumphing 4-1 over his old adversary Steve Davis in the final.