🔗 Share this article 'He brought laughter': Reflecting on the game's taken talent 20 years on. The talented player won The Masters thrice during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything Paul Hunter always wished to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in Leeds, would culminate in a professional career that saw him claim six major trophies in half a dozen years. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the loss of a generational talent that went beyond the sport he adored, his enduring mark on snooker and those who knew him endure as powerful today. 'The game was his life': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a lifetime the boy would become a career sportsman," his mother says. "Yet he just adored it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" other than snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he notes. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: 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 professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with great skill. His mercurial talent would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory With his family's urging 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 mid-teens to fully focus on building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their young son had won his initial major win, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter won a trio of times, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his easy charm, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. A Brave Battle: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre 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 best-loved members. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in high society but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly. "The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children all over the world. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, begins later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is always remembered.
The talented player won The Masters thrice during a brief yet brilliant career. Everything Paul Hunter always wished to do was practice the game. A sporting bug, sparked at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his family's living room table in Leeds, would culminate in a professional career that saw him claim six major trophies in half a dozen years. The present year marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his 28th birthday. But in spite of the loss of a generational talent that went beyond the sport he adored, his enduring mark on snooker and those who knew him endure as powerful today. 'The game was his life': Early Beginnings "We could not have predicted in a lifetime the boy would become a career sportsman," his mother says. "Yet he just adored it." Hunter's father remembers how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" other than snooker as a young boy. "His dedication was constant," he notes. "He competed every night after school." Beginning young: 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 professional-standard tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with great skill. His mercurial talent would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the north Leeds suburb of Yeadon. Rapid Rise: The Path to Glory With his family's urging 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 mid-teens to fully focus on building a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within a short period, their young son had won his initial major win, the 1998 Welsh Open. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter won a trio of times, in consecutive years. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's approachable nature never left him. "His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody." "If you met him you'd take to him," Kristina continues. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable." Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "funny, kind" and "typically the final guest at the party". With his easy charm, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. A Brave Battle: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have marked the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment. Multiple stories from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to keep promises to exhibitions, events and press interviews, all while enduring treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre 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 best-loved members. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "I wouldn't wish any mum and dad to lose a child." A Lasting Impact: The Paul Hunter Foundation Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in high society but in community venues across the UK. The Paul Hunter Foundation, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to youths all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly. "The idea was for a scheme to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children all over the world. "Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated. Always Remembered: 20 Years Later Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "in touch with his memory". "I can bring it up and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's wonderful!" "We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "Initially it was painful, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be recalled." Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's top honor is ingrained in the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, begins later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor. But for all his accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is always remembered.