đź”— Share this article 'He was a joy': Reflecting on snooker's departed star 20 years on. The talented player secured The Masters on three occasions during a compact but stellar career. All the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure six major trophies in six years. Now marks 20 years since the popular Hunter died from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But despite the passing of a generational talent that rose above the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who followed his career persist as strong as ever. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a million years Paul would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter recalls. "However he just loved it." Alan Hunter recounts how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a young boy. "He never stopped," he says. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the age of three. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born 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 focus on carving out a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their young son had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never faded. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his effortless appeal, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Courage in Crisis: His Final Years In that year, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple stories from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to children all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children globally. "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: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be spoken of." Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion 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, begins later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.
The talented player secured The Masters on three occasions during a compact but stellar career. All the young snooker player ever wanted to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in Leeds, would culminate in a pro playing days that saw him secure six major trophies in six years. Now marks 20 years since the popular Hunter died from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But despite the passing of a generational talent that rose above the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the sport and those who followed his career persist as strong as ever. 'The game was his life': A Childhood Obsession "We could not have predicted in a million years Paul would become a career sportsman," Kristina Hunter recalls. "However he just loved it." Alan Hunter recounts how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a young boy. "He never stopped," he says. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the age of three. After repeatedly pleading with his dad to take him to a community venue to play on professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with great skill. His raw skill would be nurtured by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: A Star is Born 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 focus on carving out a career in the game. It proved a masterstroke. Within half a decade, their young son had won his maior professional trophy, the late-nineties Welsh championship. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never faded. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina states. "Paul was fun. He'd make you feel at ease." Hunter's widow Lindsey, with whom he had a child, describes him as an "wonderful, youthful, and fun personality" who was "funny, kind" and "always the last to leave the party". With his effortless appeal, handsome features and candid way with the press, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'The Beckham of the Baize'. Courage in Crisis: His Final Years In that year, a year that should have signaled the peak of his powers, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy. Multiple stories from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary dedication to honor obligations to public appearances and promotional work, all while going through treatment. Despite harsh reactions, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a tumultuous reception at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide no-cost coaching to children all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas fell sharply. "The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a huge coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children globally. "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: Two Decades On Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "connected to him". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul anytime," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she concludes. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be spoken of." Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion 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, begins later this month. The winner will lift the Paul Hunter Trophy. But for all his achievements, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is never forgotten.