🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Honoring the sport's taken talent a score of years on. The talented player claimed The Masters on three occasions during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything the young snooker player truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A sporting bug, 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 life on the tour that saw him claim six major trophies in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But notwithstanding the tragic departure of a generational talent that transcended the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who knew him persist as powerful today. 'He just loved it': The Formative Years "We'd never have known in a billion years the boy would become a career sportsman," his mother recalls. "But he just adored it." Hunter's father recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" except for snooker as a youth. "His dedication was constant," he notes. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a local club to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the leap from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his mother and father's requests to do his homework often being ignored as training came first, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the involvement of only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never left him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "humorous, caring" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, youthful appearance and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. A Brave Battle: His Final Years In 2005, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple stories from across the professional tour highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The World Championship arena when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in the mid-2000s, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in community venues across the UK. The charity in his name, 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 dropped significantly. "The goal was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major 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 senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be recalled." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's top honor is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts 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 personality, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The talented player claimed The Masters on three occasions during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything the young snooker player truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A sporting bug, 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 life on the tour that saw him claim six major trophies in a six-year span. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But notwithstanding the tragic departure of a generational talent that transcended the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on snooker and those who knew him persist as powerful today. 'He just loved it': The Formative Years "We'd never have known in a billion years the boy would become a career sportsman," his mother recalls. "But he just adored it." Hunter's father recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" except for snooker as a youth. "His dedication was constant," he notes. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the very young age. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a local club to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the leap from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now former establishment in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: The Path to Glory With his mother and father's requests to do his homework often being ignored as training came first, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully focus on building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the involvement of only the top competitors, Hunter was victorious on three occasions, in consecutive years. 'Paul was fun': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never left him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd like him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "humorous, caring" and "never the first to depart from the party". With his easy charm, youthful appearance and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new 21st Century. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'. A Brave Battle: His Final Years In 2005, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple stories from across the professional tour highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The World Championship arena when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he passed away in the mid-2000s, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in royal circles but in community venues across the UK. The charity in his name, 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 dropped significantly. "The goal was for a platform to help get kids off the street," one organizer said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major 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 senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody mention him than him not be recalled." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's top honor is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts 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 personality, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is never forgotten.