🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Honoring snooker's taken talent a score of years on. The snooker star won The Masters three times during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything Paul Hunter always wished to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, sparked at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his home's central table in Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the sport and those who knew him persist as strong as ever. 'The game was his life': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years our son would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "However he just adored it." His dad recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the age of three. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from table top snooker with remarkable ease. His mercurial talent would be coached by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his mother and father's requests to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on building 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 late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his easy charm, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In 2005, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour attest to the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to go through that pain." A Foundation for the Future: Giving Back Hunter's true impact would be felt not in royal circles 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 program was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is etched into the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences 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 spirit, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The snooker star won The Masters three times during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything Paul Hunter always wished to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, sparked at the age of three with the help of a miniature snooker set on his home's central table in Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him claim six major trophies in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the pastime he cherished, his influence and memory on the sport and those who knew him persist as strong as ever. 'The game was his life': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years our son would become a pro on the circuit," Hunter's mum states. "However he just adored it." His dad recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "His dedication was constant," he says. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the age of three. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from table top snooker with remarkable ease. His mercurial talent would be coached by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now defunct club in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his mother and father's requests to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully concentrate on building 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 late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his easy charm, youthful appearance and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In 2005, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour attest to the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter played on through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The famous Sheffield venue when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its most popular brothers. "It is tragic," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to go through that pain." A Foundation for the Future: Giving Back Hunter's true impact would be felt not in royal circles 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 program was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The idea was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is etched into the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, commences 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 spirit, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is never forgotten.