🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Remembering the game's departed star a score of years on. The snooker star won The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game. A love for the game, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in the city of Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. Now marks a score of years since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But notwithstanding the tragic departure of a once-in-a-generation player that rose above the sport he adored, his enduring mark on the sport and those who were close to him remain as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum says. "But he just was passionate about it." His dad recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He would play every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the toddler years. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the transition from home play with aplomb. His raw skill would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: From Teenager to Champion With his mother and father's requests to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on building a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within half a decade, their adolescent had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the presence of elite players only, Hunter triumphed on three occasions, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. 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 "humorous, caring" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, 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 the mid-2000s, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide accessible training 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 goal was for a platform to help provide a positive outlet," one coach said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a significant coaching programme, which has extended 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. Forever in Memory: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his accomplishments, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The snooker star won The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game. A love for the game, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in the city of Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. Now marks a score of years since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But notwithstanding the tragic departure of a once-in-a-generation player that rose above the sport he adored, his enduring mark on the sport and those who were close to him remain as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum says. "But he just was passionate about it." His dad recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He would play every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the toddler years. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the transition from home play with aplomb. His raw skill would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: From Teenager to Champion With his mother and father's requests to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on building a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within half a decade, their adolescent had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the presence of elite players only, Hunter triumphed on three occasions, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. 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 "humorous, caring" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, 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 the mid-2000s, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide accessible training 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 goal was for a platform to help provide a positive outlet," one coach said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a significant coaching programme, which has extended 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. Forever in Memory: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his accomplishments, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.