🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Remembering snooker's taken talent two decades on. The talented player secured The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All the young snooker player ever wanted to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, caught at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would culminate in a professional career that saw him secure six significant titles in six years. This year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday. But despite the tragic departure of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who followed his career remain as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a million years our son would become a professional snooker player," his mother says. "Yet he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father recalls how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the age of three. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with aplomb. His natural ability would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Quick Success: From Teenager to Champion With his mother and father's requests to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully dedicate himself to carving out a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In the mid-2000s, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to honor obligations to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause 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 most popular brothers. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true impact would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs 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, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply. "The goal was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major 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. Forever in Memory: A Lasting Presence Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can access it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she adds. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Even though he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his achievements, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The talented player secured The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All the young snooker player ever wanted to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, caught at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would culminate in a professional career that saw him secure six significant titles in six years. This year marks 20 years since the popular Hunter succumbed to cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday. But despite the tragic departure of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who followed his career remain as strong as ever. 'He just loved it': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a million years our son would become a professional snooker player," his mother says. "Yet he just was passionate about it." Hunter's father recalls how his son "showed no interest in anything else" other than snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was introduced to snooker from the age of three. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the jump from home play with aplomb. His natural ability would be coached by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon. Quick Success: From Teenager to Champion With his mother and father's requests to do his homework regularly going unheeded as practice took priority, his parents took the "risk" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully dedicate himself to carving out a career in the game. It was a resounding success. Within half a decade, their still-teenage son had won his maior professional trophy, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never deserted him. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his effortless appeal, boyish good looks and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium. No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Beckham of the Baize'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In the mid-2000s, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to honor obligations to public appearances and promotional work, all while enduring treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a rapturous applause 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 most popular brothers. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true impact would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs 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, local youth crime rates in some areas fell sharply. "The goal was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said. The Foundation helped pave the way for a major 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. Forever in Memory: A Lasting Presence Archive videos of their son's matches online help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can access it and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We don't mind talking about Paul," she adds. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Even though he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's folklore. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, begins later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup. But for all his achievements, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.