A TERMINALLY-ILL former Blackburn pub landlord said it was a dream come true when he got to play snooker with legend Jimmy White.
Terry Donnelly, 61, beat the 'Whirlwind' during a fundraiser in his honour at St Paul’s Working Men’s club in Blackburn which raised £2,640 for the East Lancashire Hospice.
Mr Donnelly, who ran the former Royal Duke in Johnson Street for six years, said it was an incredibly emotional night and said he was almost in tears when the 270-strong crowd sang 'there's only only on Terry Donnelly'.
Mr Donnelly, who is also a former sheet metal worker and welder, said: "It was a dream come true.
"It was absolutely brilliant. I really enjoyed it.
"It was a great feeling to beat him but I think he took it a bit easy on me and wasn't playing on his top form.
"I filled up quite a few times during the night, especially with all the people singing my name.
"Jimmy White was brilliant.
"During the break when we had the raffle he came to talk to me and was asking what happened with me and I explained the situation and when I had found out I had cancer.
"He was a genuinely nice person to talk to.
"Some of my friends were outside when he was leaving and he said he had never known so much love in one room for one person."
Mr Donnelly, of Shaw Close in Blackburn, was diagnosed with severe lung cancer and heart failure in July and received two sessions of chemotherapy before deciding to end the treatment.
Members of the St Paul’s Working Men’s Club committee wanted to pay tribute to the dad-of-three, who has been a member of the club since he was 18, and organised a fundraiser, with Jimmy White as the star attraction.
As well as the snooker there was also a raffle, with prizes including three snooker cues signed by Jimmy White, bottles of spirits, and restaurant meals.
The grandfather-of-six, was due to play Mr White twice but the whirlwind said he would donate £100 to the hospice if Mr Donnelly would play Iranian amateur Hossein Vafaei in the second match.
One of the organisers Alan Griffin, 69, who is secretary of the club in Montague Street, Blackburn, thanked everyone who attended said St Paul's would look to host more events with professional snooker players next year.
He said: “Terry was really made up.
"It was an absolute brilliant night.
"I would like to thank everyone who turned up and supported the event."