🔗 Share this article 'Paul was fun': Remembering the sport's taken talent 20 years on. The snooker star claimed The Masters thrice during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter always wished to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in the city of Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years. Now marks 20 years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the loss of a phenomenal skill that rose above the sport he adored, his enduring mark on snooker and those who followed his career remain as powerful today. 'The game was his life': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter recalls. "However he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he adds. "He would play every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a community venue to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from home play with aplomb. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: From Teenager to Champion With his parents' pleas to do his homework often being ignored as the game dominated, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their still-teenage 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 triumphed a trio of times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Courage in Crisis: Illness and Resilience In that year, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on 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 close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain." An Enduring Legacy: 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 young people all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly. "The goal was for a platform to help provide a positive outlet," one coach said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended 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. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." While he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The snooker star claimed The Masters thrice during a brief yet brilliant career. All Paul Hunter always wished to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in the city of Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years. Now marks 20 years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the loss of a phenomenal skill that rose above the sport he adored, his enduring mark on snooker and those who followed his career remain as powerful today. 'The game was his life': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter recalls. "However he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he adds. "He would play every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a community venue to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the jump from home play with aplomb. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: From Teenager to Champion With his parents' pleas to do his homework often being ignored as the game dominated, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their still-teenage 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 triumphed a trio of times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Courage in Crisis: Illness and Resilience In that year, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter played on 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 close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain." An Enduring Legacy: 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 young people all over the country. The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly. "The goal was for a platform to help provide a positive outlet," one coach said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has extended 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. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be mentioned at all." While he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's legend. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is never forgotten.