🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Honoring the sport's taken talent two decades on. The snooker star secured The Masters three times during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his parents' coffee table in the city of Leeds, would result in a life on the tour that saw him secure six major trophies in six years. Now marks two decades since the adored Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the game he loved, his influence and memory on the game and those who knew him endure as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter states. "However he just was passionate about it." His dad recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he says. "He practiced every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club 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 "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their young son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter won on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "He brought joy. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave 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 leading figure for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Facing Adversity: His Final Years In the mid-2000s, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple stories from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary willingness to honor obligations to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The Crucible Theatre when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in October 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its cherished personalities. "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 contribution would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to youths all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas fell sharply. "The goal was for a scheme to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children all over the world. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk 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 ultimate trophy is a part of the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. 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 never forgotten.
The snooker star secured The Masters three times during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his parents' coffee table in the city of Leeds, would result in a life on the tour that saw him secure six major trophies in six years. Now marks two decades since the adored Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the game he loved, his influence and memory on the game and those who knew him endure as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter states. "However he just was passionate about it." His dad recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he says. "He practiced every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club 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 "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their young son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter won on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "He brought joy. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave 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 leading figure for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Facing Adversity: His Final Years In the mid-2000s, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple stories from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary willingness to honor obligations to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The Crucible Theatre when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in October 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its cherished personalities. "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 contribution would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to youths all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas fell sharply. "The goal was for a scheme to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children all over the world. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk 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 ultimate trophy is a part of the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. 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 never forgotten.