🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Remembering snooker's departed star a score of years on. The snooker star claimed The Masters on three occasions during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was play snooker. A love for the game, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would lead to a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in half a dozen years. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But notwithstanding the passing of a phenomenal skill that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who followed his career endure as vibrant now. 'He just loved it': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a billion years the boy would become a professional snooker player," his mother states. "However he just adored it." Alan Hunter remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the toddler years. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the leap from table top snooker with remarkable ease. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now defunct club in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully dedicate himself to forging a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within five years, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his natural likability, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the sporting world attest to the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in the mid-2000s, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its best-loved members. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." An Enduring Legacy: Giving Back Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in community venues across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas dropped significantly. "The aim remained for a platform to help offer a constructive activity," one organizer said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children globally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins 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 brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The snooker star claimed The Masters on three occasions during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was play snooker. A love for the game, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would lead to a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in half a dozen years. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But notwithstanding the passing of a phenomenal skill that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who followed his career endure as vibrant now. 'He just loved it': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a billion years the boy would become a professional snooker player," his mother states. "However he just adored it." Alan Hunter remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the toddler years. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the leap from table top snooker with remarkable ease. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now defunct club in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully dedicate himself to forging a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within five years, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his natural likability, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the sporting world attest to the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in the mid-2000s, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its best-loved members. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." An Enduring Legacy: Giving Back Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in community venues across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas dropped significantly. "The aim remained for a platform to help offer a constructive activity," one organizer said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children globally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins 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 brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.