đź”— Share this article 'Paul was fun': Remembering snooker's lost great 20 years on. The talented player secured The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. Everything the Leeds-born talent truly desired to do was play snooker. A love for the game, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure six major trophies in a six-year span. Now marks two decades since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday. But despite the tragic departure of a generational talent that went beyond the sport he adored, his enduring mark on the game and those who were close to him persist as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter says. "However he just adored it." His dad recounts how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a young boy. "He never stopped," he adds. "He practiced every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the very young age. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the jump from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory With his parents' pleas 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 forging a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within five years, their still-teenage son had won his first ranking title, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious 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 humble charm never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: Illness and Resilience In the mid-2000s, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its most popular brothers. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in high society but in local sports centers across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths 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 scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a significant coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be recalled." While he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is ingrained in the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, commences later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The talented player secured The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. Everything the Leeds-born talent truly desired to do was play snooker. A love for the game, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure six major trophies in a six-year span. Now marks two decades since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday. But despite the tragic departure of a generational talent that went beyond the sport he adored, his enduring mark on the game and those who were close to him persist as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': A Childhood Obsession "It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter says. "However he just adored it." His dad recounts how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a young boy. "He never stopped," he adds. "He practiced every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the very young age. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the jump from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory With his parents' pleas 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 forging a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within five years, their still-teenage son had won his first ranking title, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious 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 humble charm never left him. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He got on with everybody." "When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Facing Adversity: Illness and Resilience In the mid-2000s, a year that should have signaled the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple anecdotes from across the snooker circuit speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its most popular brothers. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in high society but in local sports centers across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths 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 scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a significant coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be recalled." While he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is ingrained in the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, commences later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his successes, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.