🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Honoring the sport's lost great 20 years on. The snooker star secured The Masters on three occasions during a short but glittering career. All Paul Hunter always wished to do was compete on the baize. A sporting bug, caught at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his home's central table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six significant titles in a six-year span. This year marks 20 years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, just days before to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the loss of a phenomenal skill that rose above the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who knew him endure as vibrant now. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a career sportsman," his mother says. "But he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the toddler years. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from miniature games with great skill. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their adolescent had won his initial major win, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the presence of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in the early 2000s. 'A Gracious Competitor': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina continues. "Paul was fun. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Courage in Crisis: His Final Years In that year, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple stories from across the sporting world speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in October 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in community venues across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to children all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a program to help get kids off the street," one coach said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The snooker star secured The Masters on three occasions during a short but glittering career. All Paul Hunter always wished to do was compete on the baize. A sporting bug, caught at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his home's central table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six significant titles in a six-year span. This year marks 20 years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, just days before to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the loss of a phenomenal skill that rose above the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who knew him endure as vibrant now. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a career sportsman," his mother says. "But he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the toddler years. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from miniature games with great skill. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their adolescent had won his initial major win, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the presence of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in the early 2000s. 'A Gracious Competitor': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina continues. "Paul was fun. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Courage in Crisis: His Final Years In that year, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple stories from across the sporting world speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in October 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in community venues across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to children all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a program to help get kids off the street," one coach said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.