Paul Hunter

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Paul Hunter
Born 14 October 1978
Leeds
Died 9 October 2006
Huddersfield
Nationality English
Nickname(s) Beckham of the Baize,
The Man with the Golden Cue
Professional 1995–2006
Highest ranking 4 (2004/05)
2006/07 ranking 34
Career prize money £1,525,050[1]
Highest break 146 (2005)
Tournament wins
Ranking events 3
Non-ranking events 3

Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player.

Contents

[edit] Early career

Paul was educated at Cardinal Heenan High School in Leeds. Encouraged by family and friends, Hunter spent many hours at the practice table, and by the age of 12, had become an outstanding junior talent. Under the careful guidance of experienced professionals Jimmy Michie and former World Champion Joe Johnson, the Leeds youngster made his debut amongst the professional ranks in July 1995, at the age of 16.

Four months later, Hunter caused a major sensation at the UK Championship by beating world number six Alan McManus 9-4 in the first round. He followed up that achievement by becoming the youngest player to reach the last four of a ranking event when he reached the semi-finals of the 1996 Regal Welsh Open at mere age of 17 and three months.

Also in 1996, he reached the quarter-finals of the UK Championship where he beat Willie Thorne 9-0, James Wattana 9-5 and Terry Murphy 9-7 before bowing out 9-5 to eventual champion Stephen Hendry. Hunter's achievements earned him high accolades throughout the game and was awarded a wildcard to play at the 1997 Benson & Hedges Masters. Although he was beaten 5-1 by Mark Williams in the first round, it was to be the start of a great love affair that he would have with Wembley.

[edit] Ranking title

His first ranking tournament victory came at the 1998 Regal Welsh Open, where he defeated no fewer than seven players to lift the title. Paul Wykes, Neal Foulds, Steve Davis, Nigel Bond, Alan McManus and Peter Ebdon all fell at the hands of the 19-year-old, before he overcame World Champion-elect John Higgins 9-5 in the final. He followed up that success by reaching the semi-finals of the 1998 Liverpool Victoria UK Championship in Bournemouth and was named the Snooker Writers Association's Young Player of the Year for that year.

Hunter's first appearance at the Crucible came in 1999, where he lost 10-8 in the first round to the eventual champion Stephen Hendry. His form that season elevated him to number 12 in the 1999/2000 world rankings resulting in automatic qualification into the final stages of ranking tournaments for the first time.

After a below par 1999/2000 campaign, demoting him to number 14 in the 2000/2001 world rankings, he announced his arrival as a genuine force at the top of the professional game by reaching the quarter-final stage or better of six tournaments the following season. He was a runner-up at the Regal Welsh Open, a semi-finalist at the British Open and Regal Scottish Open and a quarter-finalist at the Grand Prix and China Open - but he saved his best form for the Benson & Hedges Masters.

[edit] Masters champion

In the 2001 Benson & Hedges Masters, Hunter beat his close friend and defending champion Matthew Stevens 6-5 in the last 16, Peter Ebdon 6-3 in the quarter-finals and Stephen Hendry 6-4 in the semi-finals before recovering from a 7-3 deficit against Fergal O'Brien to win the final 10-9. The match turned on the pivotal eleventh frame, where Hunter looked like trailing 8-3 but recovered to reduce his deficit to 7-4, before knocking in four centuries in six frames on his way to a famous 10-9 victory.

Twelve months on in 2002, He retained his title but it didn't get any less exciting along the way. After a relatively straight-forward 6-3 victory at the round of 16 stage over Stephen Lee, Hunter triumphed in final frame shoot-outs against Peter Ebdon in the last eight, Alan McManus in the semi-finals and most memorably coming from 5-0 down to beat Mark Williams 10-9 in the final. In doing so, he became only the third player in history to retain the Masters trophy.

It represented a fantastic start to the year for Hunter, who only two weeks earlier had lifted his second Regal Welsh Open title, gaining revenge over the man who beat him 9-2 in the previous year's final, Ken Doherty. Two months on, he was defeated in the first round at the Crucible for the third time in four years but nothing could deny the 23-year-old of a trophy-filled 2002.

His success was to continue at the 2002 British Open, staged in Telford, where he captured his third ranking title by beating Ian McCulloch 9-4 in the final. A third successive Masters title, however, was a bridge too far for him in 2003, as he bowed out 6-3 in the semi-finals to the previous year's runner-up and eventual champion Mark Williams. His greatest success that campaign, though, was only a few months away.

[edit] World championship success

After his best ever season, in which he had been a contender in virtually every tournament he played, it was time for the Yorkshireman to perform in the biggest tournament of all, and that he most certainly did. In the 2003 Embassy World Championship, he beat Allister Carter 10-5, Matthew Stevens 13-6 and defending champion Peter Ebdon 13-12 in an epic encounter to reach the semi-finals.

In the last four, he established a 15-9 overnight lead over Ken Doherty by playing some of the best snooker of the tournament. It was only an inspired Doherty comeback, winning eight of the remaining nine frames, that would deny him a place in his first Crucible final. The 2002/2003 campaign was still his most consistent, winning one title, reaching a further four semi-finals and three quarter-finals. It earned him a place in the world's top eight in the 2003/2004 world rankings for the first time in his career, having been ranked number nine for the previous two seasons.

In 2003/2004, his biggest achievement of another successful season was winning the Masters for the third time in four years, yet again by 10-9. The final was arguably the most dramatic of all his Masters triumphs, trailing Ronnie O'Sullivan throughout the entire match before pipping him to the trophy in the final frame. In fact, Hunter trailed 2-0, 6-1, 7-2, 8-6 and 9-7 before reeling off the final three frames to seal the sixth title of his professional career. He made five century breaks in that match as well, whereas Ronnie did not make a single one.

[edit] The great sportsman

Not even Hunter could deny Jimmy White a first ranking title in nearly 12 years at the 2004 Daily Record Players Championship, although it looked as if one of his trademark comebacks was on the cards. Trailing fellow-crowd favourite White 8-5, he reduced his deficit to 8-7 before White sealed victory in the next frame. It may not have been a victory for Hunter on the table, but the genuine humility and affection he showed his boyhood hero after the match underlined his impeccable sportsmanship, displayed towards all his opponents on and off the table throughout his career.

His season ended at the hands of his best friend, Matthew Stevens in the second round at the 2004 in the Crucible, losing an epic 13-12, having led 10-6 and 12-10. Hunter had chances to clinch the match in each of the final three frames but was on the wrong end of a Crucible comeback for the second successive year. He was, nevertheless, magnanimous once again in defeat as he embraced his close friend after the match.

Hunter was quick out of the blocks the following season, reaching the semi-finals of the 2004 Totesport Grand Prix but it was to be the last time that the Yorkshireman would reach that stage in a ranking event. He did, however, reach the last eight of the China Open in March-April 2005, just days after discovering that he was suffering from cancer. His career-high ranking was number four in the world during the 2004/2005 season, which dropped to number five in 2005/2006.

[edit] Later years and illness

Hunter and Lyndsey Fell, a beauty therapist, married in the summer of 2004 in Jamaica. On 26 December 2005, Lyndsey gave birth to their first and only child, daughter Evie Rose, who weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz.

On 6 April 2005, Hunter announced that he was suffering from malignant neuroendocrine tumours, a rare form of stomach cancer. A spokesman for the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said at the time: "Paul will undergo treatment to cure himself of this illness. He would like to reassure his fans and supporters that, as with his snooker career, he is tenacious and positive in his fight against the disease."

He returned to the circuit for the start of the following season, but lost to Rory McLeod in the opening round of the Grand Prix tournament, having only returned to practice 2 weeks earlier, and not confirming his participation until three days before the match.

Hunter, a smoker, had been receiving chemotherapy for his illness and had been struggling to find form since beginning treatment. He dropped out of the World's top 32 in the rankings after losing 10-5 to Neil Robertson at the World Championship.

It is believed that Hunter's treatment was of limited success and that he was often in some pain. On 27 July 2006, the WPBSA confirmed that, following a members' vote, the organisation's rules would be changed to allow Hunter to sit out the entire 06/07 season with his world ranking frozen at 34. He intended to devote the year to treatment for his cancer.

[edit] Death

Hunter died on October 9, 2006 - just five days short of his 28th birthday - at the Kirkwood Hospice in Huddersfield. His funeral took place on October 19 2006.

Following his death, thousands of tributes poured in from some of the most famous names in snooker:

World Snooker chairman Sir Rodney Walker said: "I'm sure that everyone who met Paul, as well as his millions of fans and the sporting public as a whole, will join me in sending most sincere sympathies to Lyndsey, Paul's parents, his family and friends. Paul was a man who had everything going for him – an outstanding talent, good looks, fame, riches, charm and a beautiful wife. This shows us just how quickly life can change. It’s a bitter blow for snooker but most importantly for his family and our thoughts are with them."[2]

Stephen Hendry said: "I'm absolutely devastated by the news. He’s got a young family and he had a fantastic future in front of him. It’s everyone’s worst nightmare and puts everything into perspective."[2]

John Parrott, the 1991 world champion and a member of the BBC TV snooker team, said: "It's a great loss to the sport but more importantly than that, it's a great loss to his family. Paul played the game with a smile on his face. He was a bright and bubbly character and I never heard him complain. He was always such a happy person. We’re all going to miss him, very much."[2]

Jimmy White, six times World Championship finalist, revealed he was playing for Hunter's charity when he heard of the news: "I was halfway through the exhibition and a guy gave £10,000 to the charity, and then we got the news", he said. "He was a tiger on the snooker table, but off the table you couldn't have met a nicer fellow. As soon as he got beaten, or he won, he was back to Paul Hunter, and that's a very hard quality to have. I can't tell you how special he was. He was a credit to life."[3]

Ken Doherty, the 1997 World Champion, paid tribute to Hunter calling him a 'great character': "It's a very sad day, not only for snooker but also for the sporting world", said Doherty. "We've lost a great character and champion and a great friend. It's a shocking loss." He added: "Everybody was dumbfounded when he was diagnosed with the disease. In someone so young we all thought he would come through it after chemotherapy. Words can't explain what his family must be going through and they are all in our minds and our prayers."[4]

Fellow professional Mark Williams said "Heaven has a new champion."[citation needed]

Prior to the Premier League Snooker matches on October 12, 2006, players Jimmy White, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ken Doherty and Ding Junhui, along with referee Alan Chamberlain and commentators Willie Thorne and Phil Yates, all stood for a moment of silence to remember Hunter. There was also a short video tribute.

Fellow professionals Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty have led calls for The Masters trophy to be named in Hunter's memory.[5]

Hunter's funeral took place at Leeds Parish Church on 19 October, 2006. Many players attended the ceremony, and his best friend, Matthew Stevens, was a coffin-bearer at the service.

[edit] Trivia

In his post-match interview following his 2001 Masters title win, Hunter caused a media sensation by admitting he resorted to "Plan B" with Lyndsey, then his girlfriend, during the interval while 6-2 down. The 'B' in "Plan B" purportedly refers to the word "bonk", a British slang term for sexual intercourse. Hunter and Fell retired to their hotel room and he recalls[6] "Sex was the last thing on my mind. I just wasn't in the mood. But I had to do something to break the tension. It was a quick session - around 10 minutes or so - but I felt great afterwards. She jumped in the bath, I had a kip and then played like a dream. I reeled off four centuries in six frames. I won easily."

[edit] Tournament wins

[edit] BBC Sports Personality of the Year

[edit] Ranking wins

[edit] Other wins

[edit] Best performances

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ World Snooker profile
  2. ^ a b c Cancer Victim Paul Hunter, dies aged 27
  3. ^ White pays tribute to Hunter
  4. ^ Doherty tribute to 'great character'
  5. ^ Fitting tribute to tragic Hunter
  6. ^ Interview in The Guardian

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../p/a/u/Paul_Hunter_7f3f.html"