đź”— Share this article 'He was a joy': Remembering snooker's departed star a score of years on. Paul Hunter won The Masters on three occasions during a short but glittering career. All the young snooker player always wished to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would result in a life on the tour that saw him claim six significant titles in half a dozen years. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that transcended the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who were close to him remain as vibrant now. 'The game was his life': The Formative Years "We could not have predicted in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum says. "However he just was passionate about it." Alan Hunter recalls how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "He never stopped," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the transition from table top snooker with great skill. His natural ability would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Quick Success: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as the game dominated, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully concentrate on forging a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within five years, their adolescent had won his first ranking title, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter triumphed a trio of times, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his effortless appeal, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Beckham of the Baize'. A Brave Battle: His Final Years In 2005, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The famous Sheffield venue when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in the mid-2000s, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to children all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a program to help get kids off the street," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children internationally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Forever in Memory: A Lasting Presence Historic matches of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
Paul Hunter won The Masters on three occasions during a short but glittering career. All the young snooker player always wished to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would result in a life on the tour that saw him claim six significant titles in half a dozen years. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that transcended the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who were close to him remain as vibrant now. 'The game was his life': The Formative Years "We could not have predicted in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum says. "However he just was passionate about it." Alan Hunter recalls how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "He never stopped," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the transition from table top snooker with great skill. His natural ability would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Quick Success: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as the game dominated, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully concentrate on forging a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within five years, their adolescent had won his first ranking title, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter triumphed a trio of times, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his effortless appeal, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Beckham of the Baize'. A Brave Battle: His Final Years In 2005, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The famous Sheffield venue when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in the mid-2000s, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to children all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a program to help get kids off the street," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children internationally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Forever in Memory: A Lasting Presence Historic matches of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.