🔗 Share this article 'He was a joy': Remembering the game's taken talent a score of years on. The snooker star won The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in the city of Leeds, would lead to a professional career that saw him win half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years. Now marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, just days before to his twenty-eighth birthday. But notwithstanding the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that went beyond the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on the game and those who were close to him remain as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just loved it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" except for snooker as a child. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the age of three. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the leap from miniature games with great skill. His natural ability would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now former establishment in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: From Teenager to Champion With his parents' pleas to do his homework regularly going unheeded as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully dedicate himself to carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their adolescent had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter won on three occasions, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never faded. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner 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, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have been the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple stories from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in the mid-2000s, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, 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, issues with young people in some areas plummeted. "The aim remained for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a huge coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children all over the world. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is ingrained in the sport's legend. 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 accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.
The snooker star won The Masters three times during a compact but stellar career. Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was play snooker. A competitive passion, developed at the age of three with the help of a small snooker set on his family's living room table in the city of Leeds, would lead to a professional career that saw him win half a dozen major wins in half a dozen years. Now marks 20 years since the beloved Hunter succumbed to cancer, just days before to his twenty-eighth birthday. But notwithstanding the loss of a once-in-a-generation player that went beyond the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on the game and those who were close to him remain as vibrant now. 'His passion was clear': Early Beginnings "It was impossible to foresee in a billion years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls. "Yet he just loved it." Hunter's father recounts how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" except for snooker as a child. "His dedication was constant," he adds. "He competed every night after school." Early starter: Hunter was familiar with snooker from the age of three. After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a nearby hall to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the leap from miniature games with great skill. His natural ability would be developed by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from the adjacent city, at a now former establishment in the area of Yeadon. Metoric Ascent: From Teenager to Champion With his parents' pleas to do his homework regularly going unheeded as training came first, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully dedicate himself to carving out a career in the game. It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their adolescent had won his first ranking title, the Welsh Open of 1998. Considered one of snooker's hardest tournaments to win because of the involvement of elite players only, Hunter won on three occasions, in the early 2000s. 'A Cheeky Charm': A Legacy of Character But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never faded. "He had a great temperament did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody." "Upon meeting him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina adds. "He brought joy. He'd make you relaxed." Hunter's partner 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, boyish good looks and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his prodigious ability, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the modern era. No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'. Facing Adversity: A Fight Against Cancer In that year, a year that should have been the peak of his powers, Hunter was diagnosed with cancer and would later undergo chemotherapy. Multiple stories from across the sporting world highlight the man's extraordinary commitment to keep promises to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while enduring treatment. Despite gruelling side effects, Hunter kept playing through the illness and received a standing ovation at The Crucible Theatre when he played at the World Championships that year. When he succumbed in the mid-2000s, snooker's tight community lost one of its best-loved members. "It's awful," Kristina says. "No parent should experience any mum and dad to go through that pain." An Enduring Legacy: Inspiring Youth Hunter's true contribution would be felt not in royal circles but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK. The foundation he inspired, 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, issues with young people in some areas plummeted. "The aim remained for a scheme to help provide a positive outlet," one official said. The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a huge coaching programme, which has extended playing opportunities to children all over the world. "It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated. Always Remembered: A Lasting Presence Classic footage of their son's matches via the internet help his parents stay "close to him". "I can watch it and I can watch Paul whenever I wish," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!" "We like to reminisce about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be spoken of." While he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is ingrained in the sport's legend. 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 accomplishments, 20 years after his death it is Paul Hunter's character, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.