🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Remembering the sport's departed star 20 years on. The talented player won The Masters on three occasions during a compact but stellar career. Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game. A love for the game, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his home's central table in the city of Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. The present year marks two decades since the beloved Hunter died from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the tragic departure of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who followed his career endure as powerful today. 'The game was his life': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter says. "But he just adored it." Hunter's father recalls how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed 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 aspiring talent made the leap from miniature games with great skill. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: From Teenager to Champion With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded 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 proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the presence of elite players only, Hunter triumphed three times, in the early 2000s. 'A Gracious Competitor': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, youthful appearance and honest interview style, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter kept playing 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 is tragic," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: Giving Back Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas plummeted. "The aim remained 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 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. Always Remembered: A Lasting Presence 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 wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she adds. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, starts later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his achievements, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The talented player won The Masters on three occasions during a compact but stellar career. Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game. A love for the game, sparked at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his home's central table in the city of Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. The present year marks two decades since the beloved Hunter died from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the tragic departure of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the game and those who followed his career endure as powerful today. 'The game was his life': The Formative Years "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years our son would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter says. "But he just adored it." Hunter's father recalls how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he says. "He competed 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 aspiring talent made the leap from miniature games with great skill. His mercurial talent would be nurtured by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: From Teenager to Champion With his family's urging to do his homework regularly going unheeded 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 proved a masterstroke. Within a short period, their adolescent had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the presence of elite players only, Hunter triumphed three times, in the early 2000s. 'A Gracious Competitor': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave the party". With his natural likability, youthful appearance and honest interview style, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary dedication to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter kept playing 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 is tragic," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: Giving Back Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The charity in his name, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas plummeted. "The aim remained 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 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. Always Remembered: A Lasting Presence 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 wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she adds. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Even though he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, starts later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his achievements, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.