🔗 Share this article 'Paul was fun': Remembering snooker's taken talent a score of years on. The talented player claimed The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All the Leeds-born talent always wished to do was compete on the baize. A competitive passion, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would lead to a life on the tour that saw him claim six significant titles in a six-year span. This year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the loss of a phenomenal skill that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career persist as vibrant now. 'He just loved it': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a lifetime the boy would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter says. "However he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" except for snooker as a child. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He practiced 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 local club to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: A Star is Born With his mother and father's requests to do his homework regularly going unheeded as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their young son had won his first ranking title, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the presence of only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed three times, in the early 2000s. 'Paul was fun': His Enduring Personality But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'A Sporting Icon'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with 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 charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its cherished personalities. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true impact would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to children all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one organizer said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has provided 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 chairman in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be spoken of." While he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The talented player claimed The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All the Leeds-born talent always wished to do was compete on the baize. A competitive passion, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would lead to a life on the tour that saw him claim six significant titles in a six-year span. This year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the loss of a phenomenal skill that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career persist as vibrant now. 'He just loved it': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a lifetime the boy would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter says. "However he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" except for snooker as a child. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He practiced 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 local club to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: A Star is Born With his mother and father's requests to do his homework regularly going unheeded as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their young son had won his first ranking title, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the presence of only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed three times, in the early 2000s. 'Paul was fun': His Enduring Personality But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'A Sporting Icon'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with 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 charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its cherished personalities. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true impact would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to children all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one organizer said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has provided 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 chairman in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be spoken of." While he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.