Paul
Hunter died six years ago today. He was only 27. Next week he would have turned
34, still easily young enough to have been competing at the highest level.
We
all know about his career. He remains the youngest player to reach a ranking
event semi-final at just 16. He beat five top 16 players to win the Welsh Open
in 1998 at the age of 19.
He
won the Masters three times, all in deciding frame finishes after unlikely
comebacks.
He
won a total of three ranking titles, reached a high of fourth in the world
rankings and came within a frame of reaching the 2003 World Championship final.
These
facts should not be forgotten because they sum up a career which was already
successful and would surely have hit greater heights.
But
Paul was a player about whom people thought not of statistics but his more
human characteristics: he was always smiling, he was always determined to have
fun. When he won he did so without triumphalism. When he lost he did so
graciously without any bitterness.
He
was, in every sense, a personality, someone who drew people to snooker. Those
Masters finals were remarkable matches, not just through his recoveries but
because of how well he played to win them, centuries flying in, pressure balls
being dispatched, his nerve remaining firm to the end.
If
Ray Reardon, who I wrote about yesterday, was one of those who lit the snooker
fuse in the public mind, Paul was one of the main reasons it kept burning amid
gross mismanagement and lost opportunities.
His
cancer diagnosis came shortly before the 2005 China Open, a tournament now
remembered for sparking the current snooker boom in China, due to Ding Junhui
winning it at the age of 18.
Paul
still travelled to Beijing to play, obviously deeply concerned about his
future. The press knew he was ill but did not know the severity of his
condition at this point.
After
he won his first match we requested him for an interview. This can take quite a
long time in China because various people want a piece of the player but a good
20-30 minutes passed with no sign of Paul.
We
assumed he had left the building, and quite possibly cursed him for it. Someone
went off to see what had happened and found him still in the arena, patiently signing
autographs for fans.
Paul
wasn’t a saint but he had a genuine goodness, recognised by snooker fans the
world over.
He
loved the game and the game loved him.
9 comments:
Sadly missed..R.I.P.
I doubt if I would ever have become a snooker fan if it wasn't for Paul Hunter.
Paul will always be remembered for his stylish play, his reading of the game was second to none, as was his fluent breakbuilding. Had he lived he would surely have become world champion. Always remembered.
RIP The Beckham of the Baize...
Sadly missed.
Great piece again Dave and as you say very sadly missed.
My abiding memory of Paul Hunter was the 2004 Player's Championship where he lost a close final to Jimmy White. He was still smiling in defeat and Jimmy's dad put his arms round both players and hugged them. 2 great sportsmen;3 genuine blokes - there couldn't have been a better advert for snooker.That's what sport should be about.
RIP Paul Hunter. True legend.
I agree Paul wasn't a saint as you put it, but I don't remember anyone ever telling me they didn't like him.
Also what sticks in my mind is the way he took defeat to Ken Doherty after being a mile in front in the world semi finals.
A crushing blow taken graciously which proved to me, that snooker was just a game to Paul.
Something others could learn from.
Agree with Ray's comments. I was lucky to have been given a player's lounge invitation for the 2004 Player's final. After Jimmy won, both players went back to the lounge and socialised for hours with family, friends and guests. Paul was a true gentleman and it was impossible to know if he'd won or lost.
A credit to the game and a very sad loss.
God Bless you son
Always so tragic when one dies so young
RIP and may you walk in the light
Post a Comment