🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Reflecting on the sport's lost great two decades on. The snooker star claimed The Masters thrice during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything the young snooker player always wished to do was compete on the baize. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a life on the tour that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. The present year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that transcended the game he loved, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who knew him remain as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a million years Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "However he just adored it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" other than snooker as a youth. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He would play every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the toddler years. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a local club to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from miniature games with aplomb. His mercurial talent would be coached by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now former establishment in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as the game dominated, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully concentrate on building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within five years, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In the mid-2000s, a year that should have marked the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the snooker circuit speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter continued to compete 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 passed away in autumn 2006, 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: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in high society but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to young people all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas dropped significantly. "The idea was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children all over the world. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Although he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's greatest prize is ingrained in the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins 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 character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The snooker star claimed The Masters thrice during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything the young snooker player always wished to do was compete on the baize. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a life on the tour that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. The present year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that transcended the game he loved, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who knew him remain as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a million years Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "However he just adored it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" other than snooker as a youth. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He would play every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the toddler years. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a local club to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from miniature games with aplomb. His mercurial talent would be coached by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now former establishment in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as the game dominated, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully concentrate on building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within five years, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In the mid-2000s, a year that should have marked the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the snooker circuit speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter continued to compete 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 passed away in autumn 2006, 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: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in high society but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to young people all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas dropped significantly. "The idea was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children all over the world. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Although he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's greatest prize is ingrained in the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins 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 character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.