🔗 Share this article 'Paul was fun': Reflecting on the game's taken talent 20 years on. The snooker star secured The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All the Leeds-born talent always wished to do was practice the game. A love for the game, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would result in a life on the tour that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. The present year marks a score of years since the beloved Hunter died from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But despite the loss of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the game and those who followed his career persist as vibrant now. 'He just loved it': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just loved it." His dad recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" except for snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he notes. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the leap from home play with remarkable ease. His raw skill would be developed by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now defunct club in the area of Yeadon. Quick Success: A Star is Born 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 fourteen years old to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within five years, their young son had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the presence of elite players only, Hunter triumphed three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. 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 "never the first to depart from the party". With his effortless appeal, handsome features and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'A Sporting Icon'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy 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 accessible training to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas plummeted. "The goal was for a platform to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Forever in Memory: 20 Years Later Historic matches 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 anytime," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts 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 personality, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is always remembered.
The snooker star secured The Masters thrice during a compact but stellar career. All the Leeds-born talent always wished to do was practice the game. A love for the game, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in his Leeds home, would result in a life on the tour that saw him claim six major trophies in six years. The present year marks a score of years since the beloved Hunter died from cancer, days short to his twenty-eighth birthday. But despite the loss of a generational talent that went beyond the pastime he cherished, his legacy and impact on the game and those who followed his career persist as vibrant now. 'He just loved it': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just loved it." His dad recalls how his son "cared little for anything else" except for snooker as a child. "He was relentless," he notes. "He practiced every night after school." A prodigy: Hunter was acquainted with snooker from the very young age. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the aspiring talent made the leap from home play with remarkable ease. His raw skill would be developed by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from neighbouring Bradford, at a now defunct club in the area of Yeadon. Quick Success: A Star is Born 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 fourteen years old to fully concentrate on carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within five years, their young son had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the presence of elite players only, Hunter triumphed three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004. 'A Gracious Competitor': The Man Behind the Cue But for all his achievements in competition, away from the game Hunter's humble charm never faded. "He was incredibly composed did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. 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 "never the first to depart from the party". With his effortless appeal, handsome features and honest interview style, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's pin-up for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was dubbed 'A Sporting Icon'. A Brave Battle: Illness and Resilience In 2005, a year that should have been the zenith of his talent, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple accounts from across the professional tour speak of the man's extraordinary willingness to fulfill commitments to public appearances and promotional work, all while undergoing treatment. Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "The pain is immense," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to lose a child." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true legacy 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 accessible training to young people all over the country. The scheme was so successful that, according to reports, local youth crime rates in some areas plummeted. "The goal was for a platform to help offer a constructive activity," one official said. The Foundation helped establish the basis for a significant coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children globally. "He would have embraced what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Forever in Memory: 20 Years Later Historic matches 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 anytime," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all." Although he never won the World Championship, the widespread belief that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's top honor is a part of the sport's history. The Masters, the competition with which he is forever linked, starts 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 personality, as much his dazzling snooker ability, that will ensure he is always remembered.