🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Honoring the sport's lost great 20 years on. The snooker star claimed The Masters three times during a short but glittering career. All the Leeds-born talent truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, sparked at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in Leeds, would result in a pro playing days that saw him secure six significant titles in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his enduring mark on the game and those who were close to him persist as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a career sportsman," his mother says. "But he just was passionate about it." Alan Hunter remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the age of three. 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 leap from miniature games with remarkable ease. His raw skill would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: From Teenager to Champion With his family's urging to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as the game dominated, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within a short period, their still-teenage son had won his initial major win, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his effortless appeal, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer In 2005, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit highlight the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a standing ovation at The World Championship arena when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he passed away in the mid-2000s, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its cherished personalities. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to lose a child." A Foundation for the Future: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to children 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 platform to help get kids off the street," one coach said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has opened up 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: A Lasting Presence Archive videos of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him". "I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's ultimate trophy is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The snooker star claimed The Masters three times during a short but glittering career. All the Leeds-born talent truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, sparked at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in Leeds, would result in a pro playing days that saw him secure six significant titles in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, days short to his birthday marking 28 years. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his enduring mark on the game and those who were close to him persist as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a career sportsman," his mother says. "But he just was passionate about it." Alan Hunter remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" except for snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the age of three. 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 leap from miniature games with remarkable ease. His raw skill would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: From Teenager to Champion With his family's urging to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as the game dominated, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within a short period, their still-teenage son had won his initial major win, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his effortless appeal, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer In 2005, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit highlight the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while going through treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a standing ovation at The World Championship arena when he turned out for the World Championships that year. When he passed away in the mid-2000s, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its cherished personalities. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to lose a child." A Foundation for the Future: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide accessible training to children 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 platform to help get kids off the street," one coach said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major coaching programme, which has opened up 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: A Lasting Presence Archive videos of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him". "I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's ultimate trophy is a part of the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, two decades after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.