🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Remembering the game's taken talent 20 years on. The talented player secured The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. Everything Paul Hunter ever wanted to do was practice the game. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in the city of Leeds, would result in a professional career that saw him secure half a dozen major wins in a six-year span. The present year marks two decades since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the passing of a phenomenal skill that transcended the sport he adored, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career endure as powerful today. 'He just loved it': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum says. "But he just loved it." Hunter's father recalls 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." A prodigy: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from table top snooker with aplomb. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Quick Success: From Teenager to Champion With his mother and father's requests to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully dedicate himself to building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their young son had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter won on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his easy charm, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: His Final Years In that year, a year that should have marked the peak of his powers, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete 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 tight community lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to youths all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a major coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she concludes. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have secured snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his accomplishments, two decades 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 secured The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. Everything Paul Hunter ever wanted to do was practice the game. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in the city of Leeds, would result in a professional career that saw him secure half a dozen major wins in a six-year span. The present year marks two decades since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the passing of a phenomenal skill that transcended the sport he adored, his influence and memory on snooker and those who followed his career endure as powerful today. 'He just loved it': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a career sportsman," Hunter's mum says. "But he just loved it." Hunter's father recalls 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." A prodigy: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from table top snooker with aplomb. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now defunct club in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Quick Success: From Teenager to Champion With his mother and father's requests to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully dedicate himself to building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their young son had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter won on three occasions, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his easy charm, boyish good looks and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: His Final Years In that year, a year that should have marked the peak of his powers, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter continued to compete 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 tight community lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to youths all over the country. The program was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a major coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she concludes. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have secured snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his accomplishments, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.