🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Remembering the game's taken talent 20 years on. The talented player won The Masters three times during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything Paul Hunter truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his home's central table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure six major trophies in a six-year span. This year marks a score of years since the adored Hunter died from cancer, just days before to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the game he loved, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who followed his career remain as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years Paul would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter states. "Yet he just was passionate about it." His dad recalls how his son "showed no interest in anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he notes. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the age of three. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Quick Success: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as the game dominated, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed a trio of times, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "typically the final guest at 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 pin-up for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In that year, a year that should have signaled the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he died in October 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles 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 initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The aim remained for a platform to help get kids off the street," one organizer said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The talented player won The Masters three times during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything Paul Hunter truly desired to do was compete on the baize. A love for the game, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his home's central table in his Leeds home, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure six major trophies in a six-year span. This year marks a score of years since the adored Hunter died from cancer, just days before to his birthday marking 28 years. But despite the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that transcended the game he loved, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who followed his career remain as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years Paul would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter states. "Yet he just was passionate about it." His dad recalls how his son "showed no interest in anything else" besides snooker as a youth. "He was relentless," he notes. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the age of three. After persistently asking his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from home play with remarkable ease. His natural ability would be coached by the former world title holder Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Quick Success: The Path to Glory With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as the game dominated, his parents took the "gamble" of taking Hunter out of school at the mid-teens to fully focus on forging a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring only the top competitors, Hunter triumphed a trio of times, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': His Enduring Personality But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "When encountering him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "typically the final guest at 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 pin-up for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In that year, a year that should have signaled the zenith of his talent, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary commitment to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he died in October 2006, snooker's close-knit fraternity lost one of its cherished personalities. "It's awful," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles 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 initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas plummeted. "The aim remained for a platform to help get kids off the street," one organizer said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children internationally. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a senior official in the sport stated. Never Forgotten: 20 Years Later Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can access it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she concludes. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have eventually won snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.