🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Honoring snooker's taken talent 20 years on. The snooker star secured The Masters thrice during a short but glittering career. All the young snooker player truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A competitive passion, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would lead to a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in six years. The present year marks two decades since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career endure as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "However he just was passionate about it." Alan Hunter recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a child. "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 nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with great skill. His natural ability would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: A Star is Born With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears 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 adolescent 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 exclusively the best, Hunter triumphed three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'Paul was fun': A Legacy of Character But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina adds. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his natural likability, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Courage in Crisis: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple accounts from across the sporting world speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply. "The aim remained for a program to help provide a positive outlet," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a significant 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 Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled." Even though 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 most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his successes, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is always remembered.
The snooker star secured The Masters thrice during a short but glittering career. All the young snooker player truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A competitive passion, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would lead to a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in six years. The present year marks two decades since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career endure as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "However he just was passionate about it." Alan Hunter recounts how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a child. "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 nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with great skill. His natural ability would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: A Star is Born With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears 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 adolescent 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 exclusively the best, Hunter triumphed three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'Paul was fun': A Legacy of Character But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina adds. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his natural likability, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Courage in Crisis: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple accounts from across the sporting world speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas fell sharply. "The aim remained for a program to help provide a positive outlet," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a significant 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 Historic matches of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be recalled." Even though 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 most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his successes, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is always remembered.