🔗 Share this article 'Paul was fun': Remembering the game's departed star two decades on. The snooker star claimed The Masters on three occasions during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in half a dozen years. The present year marks two decades since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years. But in spite of the tragic departure of a generational talent that rose above the pastime he cherished, his enduring mark on the game and those who were close to him endure as powerful today. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a lifetime our son would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just was passionate about it." His dad remembers how his son "cared little for anything else" other than snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he notes. "He would play every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the age of three. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a community venue to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the leap from miniature games with great skill. His mercurial talent would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, 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 proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': His Enduring Personality But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "humorous, caring" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and straight-talking media manner, 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'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In that year, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple accounts from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while undergoing treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The World Championship arena when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to go through that pain." A Lasting Impact: Giving Back Hunter's true impact would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK. The charity in his name, 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, local youth crime rates in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a platform to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a huge coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she adds. "Initially it was painful, 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 greatest prize is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his accomplishments, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The snooker star claimed The Masters on three occasions during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in half a dozen years. The present year marks two decades since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years. But in spite of the tragic departure of a generational talent that rose above the pastime he cherished, his enduring mark on the game and those who were close to him endure as powerful today. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a lifetime our son would become a professional snooker player," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just was passionate about it." His dad remembers how his son "cared little for anything else" other than snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he notes. "He would play every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the age of three. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a community venue to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the leap from miniature games with great skill. His mercurial talent would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: A Star is Born With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, 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 proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his initial major win, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': His Enduring Personality But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "humorous, caring" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and straight-talking media manner, 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'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In that year, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple accounts from across the snooker circuit attest to the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while undergoing treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The World Championship arena when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to go through that pain." A Lasting Impact: Giving Back Hunter's true impact would be felt not in royal circles but in local sports centers across the UK. The charity in his name, 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, local youth crime rates in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a platform to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a huge coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she adds. "Initially it was painful, 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 greatest prize is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his accomplishments, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is never forgotten.