🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Reflecting on the sport's taken talent 20 years on. The talented player won The Masters on three occasions during a short but glittering career. All the young snooker player ever wanted to do was compete on the baize. A sporting bug, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six significant titles in six years. Now marks a score of years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the passing of a phenomenal skill that went beyond the game he loved, his enduring mark on the sport and those who were close to him persist as vibrant now. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a lifetime the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "But he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a youth. "He never stopped," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the age of three. 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 jump from table top snooker with aplomb. His natural ability would be nurtured by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully concentrate on 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 Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter triumphed three times, in consecutive years. 'A Gracious Competitor': A Legacy of Character But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "funny, kind" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: His Final Years In 2005, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple accounts from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a standing ovation at The World Championship arena 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 cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Giving Back Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in high society 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 initiative was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a program to help provide a positive outlet," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "close to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is ingrained in the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his achievements, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is always remembered.
The talented player won The Masters on three occasions during a short but glittering career. All the young snooker player ever wanted to do was compete on the baize. A sporting bug, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six significant titles in six years. Now marks a score of years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the passing of a phenomenal skill that went beyond the game he loved, his enduring mark on the sport and those who were close to him persist as vibrant now. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a lifetime the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "But he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a youth. "He never stopped," he says. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the age of three. 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 jump from table top snooker with aplomb. His natural ability would be nurtured by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully concentrate on 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 Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter triumphed three times, in consecutive years. 'A Gracious Competitor': A Legacy of Character But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "funny, kind" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: His Final Years In 2005, a year that should have been the height of his career, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple accounts from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on through the illness and received a standing ovation at The World Championship arena 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 cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Giving Back Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in high society 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 initiative was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a program to help provide a positive outlet," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "close to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is ingrained in the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his achievements, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is always remembered.