đź”— Share this article 'He brought laughter': Remembering the game's taken talent a score of years on. The snooker star secured The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was practice the game. A competitive passion, caught at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would result in a pro playing days that saw him secure half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years. This year marks a score of years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who were close to him persist as strong as ever. 'His passion was clear': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a lifetime our son would become a professional snooker player," his mother states. "Yet he just loved it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" besides snooker as a child. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He competed every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted 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 table top snooker with great skill. His natural ability would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully focus on carving out a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within five years, their young son had won his initial major win, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'Paul was fun': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina adds. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Facing Adversity: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have signaled the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple accounts from across the sporting world attest to the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in October 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its most popular brothers. "It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true impact would be felt not in high society but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly. "The aim remained for a program to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a huge coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." While he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is always remembered.
The snooker star secured The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All Paul Hunter truly desired to do was practice the game. A competitive passion, caught at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would result in a pro playing days that saw him secure half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years. This year marks a score of years since the adored Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his twenty-eighth birthday. But in spite of the passing of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who were close to him persist as strong as ever. 'His passion was clear': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a lifetime our son would become a professional snooker player," his mother states. "Yet he just loved it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "showed no interest in anything else" besides snooker as a child. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He competed every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted 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 table top snooker with great skill. His natural ability would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully focus on carving out a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within five years, their young son had won his initial major win, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'Paul was fun': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd like him," Kristina adds. "Paul was fun. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. Facing Adversity: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have signaled the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple accounts from across the sporting world attest to the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in October 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its most popular brothers. "It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true impact would be felt not in high society but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly. "The aim remained for a program to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a huge coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Historic matches of their son's matches on YouTube help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." While he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most associated, begins later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is always remembered.