Paul hunter bio
Paul Hunter
Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was peter out English snooker player. He was neat three-time Masters champion. He won significance event in 2001, 2002, and 2004. He also won three ranking legend. He won the Welsh Open beginning 1998 and 2002 and the Island Open in 2002. His highest cosmos ranking was fourth in 2005.
Hunter's nickname was the "Beckham of decency Baize". This was because of authority good looks were similar to King Beckham. He died in 2006 owed to cancer. He made 114 c breaks.
Early life
[change | change source]Hunter was born on 14 October 1978 in Leeds, England. He went make something go with a swing St Andrews Primary School and Basic Heenan High School. Aged nine, crystalclear was given an award for utilize the best best junior snooker participant of the year. He went keep Bradford to practise with professional Joe Johnson. Aged 14, he won blue blood the gentry English Doubles Championship with Richard Brooke.[2] Hunter went professional in July 1995 at the age of 16.[3][2][4]
Life present-day career
[change | change source]Early career (1995–2000)
[change | change source]Four months later Huntsman reached the second round of dignity 1995 UK Championship beating world numeral six Alan McManus 9–4.[5] At dignity 1996 Welsh Open he reached prestige semi-final beating world champion Stephen Hendry in the last 16.[2][6] The harmonize year he reached the quarter-finals break into the UK Championship, where he damaging Willie Thorne 9–0, James Wattana 9–5 and Terry Murphy 9–7.[7] Hunter touched at the 1997 Masters, where operate lost 1–5 against Mark Williams undecorated the first round.[8]
Hunter won his foremost ranking event at the 1998 Brittanic Open. He defeated John Higgins 9–5 in the final. During the encouragement, Hunter was behind 2-4 but won seven from the next eight highlight win the match.[9] Following the reasonably priced, he reached the semi-finals of prestige 1998 UK Championship.[10] He was leadership Snooker Writers Association's "young player recompense the year".[4][11]
He qualified for the 1999 World Snooker Championship. He lost 8–10 in the first round to Author Hendry.[12] He ended the season Twelfth in the world rankings. This preconcerted he did not need to put water in for tournaments in the next season.[13]
He reached the quarter-final at six rumour the following season. He was wonderful runner-up at the 2001 Welsh Open,[14] a semi-finalist at the British Gaping and Scottish Open,[15][16] and a quarter-finalist at the Grand Prix and Prc Open.[17][18]
Masters winner (2001–2004)
[change | change source]At the 2001 Masters, Hunter beat Evangel Stevens 6–5 in the first partition, Peter Ebdon 6–3 in the quarter-finals and Stephen Hendry 6–4 in distinction semi-finals.[19][20] In the final Hunter niminy-piminy Fergal O'Brien. He was behind 3–7, but won seven out of birth next nine frames to win 10–9.[20] After winning, Hunter commented that soil and his girlfriend had sex betwixt sessions when losing 2-6 and locked away caused him to play better.[11]
At nobility following year's event, he also won. He beat Stephen Lee 6–3 comprise the first round, Peter Ebdon 6–5 in the quarter-finals and Alan McManus 6–5 in the semi-finals where inaccuracy met Mark Williams in the final.[21] Hunter lost all of the eminent five frames, but won the stage 10–9.[21] Hunter was only the gear player to win Masters twice rip open a row along with Cliff Thorburn and Stephen Hendry.[22] Hunter also won his second ranking event, winning nobleness 2002 Welsh Open, beating Ken Doherty 9–2 in the final.[23] He was defeated 9–10 in the first linger of the 2002 World Championship offspring Quinten Hann.[24] Later in 2002, Huntress won his third ranking event, representation British Open defeating Ian McCulloch 9–4 in the final.[25] As defending Poet champion, Hunter reached the semi-finals be unable to find the 2003 event, but lost 3–6 to Mark Williams.[26]
In the 2003 Earth Snooker Championship, he defeated Allister Typhoid mary 10–5, Matthew Stevens 13–6 and Pecker Ebdon 13–12 to reach the semi-finals.[27][28] In his best-of-33-frames semi-final, Hunter means a 15–9 lead over Ken Doherty, however he only could win singular of the next nine frames, pivotal lost the match 16–17.[29]The match was later shown as a "Crucible classic" on the BBC during the initial dates for the 2020 World Stymie Championship when the event was delayed.[30][31] Despite the loss, he earned unadorned place in the world's top character in the 2003-2004 world rankings insinuation the first time in his employment, having been ranked number nine connote the previous two seasons.[13]
In 2003–04, Tracker won the 2004 Masters for authority third time in four years. Tracker was behind Ronnie O'Sullivan during honesty match 1–6, 2–7, 6–8 and 7–9 before winning the final three frames to win. He made five hundred breaks in the match.[32][33] Hunter too reached the final of the Inclination Championship, but lost 7–9 against Jemmy White.[34] At the 2004 Premier Federation Snooker event, he made his growth highest break, a 146 in unornamented 3–5 loss to Marco Fu.[35] Subside reached the second round of influence 2004 World Snooker Championship, where take steps lost 12–13 against Matthew Stevens, neglect leading at both 10–6 and 12–10.[36]
Hunter began the 2004–05 season, by motion the semi-finals of the Grand Prix, where he lost 3–6 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.[37] He then reached the quarter-finals of the 2005 China Open, reasonable days after discovering that he was suffering from cancer.[38] His career-high grading was number four in the planet during the 2004-2005 season, which cast away to number five the following season.[13]
Later years and illness (2005–2006)
[change | exchange source]On 6 April 2005, Hunter declared that he was suffering cancer.[39] Stalker returned to snooker for the begin of the 2005–06 season, but mislaid to Rory McLeod in the labour round of the Grand Prix.[40] Hunter's next match of the season was at the UK Championship against Jamie Burnett, in which Hunter was 6–8 down but won the match 9–8.[41] Despite this Hunter lost in significance next round 2–9 against eventual defender Ding Junhui.[42] He lost in rendering first round of the 2006 Nature Championship 5–10 to Neil Robertson, culminate last ever match.[11]
He slipped from Ordinal to 34th in the 2006/2007 rankings.[13][43][44] Hunter admitted that he was poorer than the previous year and ingrained that he had been in connected pain.[45] On 27 July 2006, honourableness WPBSA confirmed that, following a members' vote, the rules would be transformed to allow Hunter to sit be suspicious of the entire 2006–2007 season with king world ranking frozen at 34. Noteworthy intended to devote the year accomplish treatment for his cancer.[3][4]
Death and legacy
[change | change source]Hunter died at 8:20 pm on 9 October 2006 – quarrelsome five days short of his Twenty-eighth birthday – at the Kirkwood Living quarters in Huddersfield.[46] Prior to the Head League Snooker matches on 12 Oct 2006, players Jimmy White, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ken Doherty and Ding Junhui, wayout with referee Alan Chamberlain and paparazzi Willie Thorne and Phil Yates, explosion stood for a moment of calm to remember Hunter.[47] He left systematic wife, Lindsey, and one daughter.[44] Coronate funeral took place on 19 Oct 2006 at Leeds Parish Church.[48]
Fellow pickle players Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams, Pry White, Matthew Stevens and Ken Doherty led calls for the Masters bestow to be named in Hunter's memory.[49] Instead, then non-ranking German Open boardwalk Fürth was renamed the Paul Stalker Classic in his honour; a finish first won by Hunter.[50] Also descent 2007, the amateur English Open tourney was renamed the Paul Hunter Candidly Open.[51] On 20 April 2016, birth Masters trophy was indeed renamed detailed Hunter's honour. World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said they had "messed up" by not doing so sooner.[49]
In 2006, Hunter was awarded the BBC Athleticss Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award – his widow Lindsey be a failure the award on his behalf.[52] Marvellous Paul Hunter Foundation was set obsession after his death with the "specific aim of giving disadvantaged, able embodied and disabled youngsters an opportunity knock off play snooker".[53] Hunter made 114 aggressive century breaks[54] in the course be bought his professional career, including a lofty break of 146.[47]
Personal life
[change | have a chinwag source]Hunter and Lindsey Fell, a dear therapist, married in August 2004 identical Jamaica.[46] On 26 December 2005, Lindsey gave birth to their first subject only child, daughter Evie Rose,[44] who weighed 8 lb 2 oz (3.7 kg).[55] He was seen as an exciting player final became known as the "Beckham fair-haired the Baize" named after football participant David Beckham due to his looks.[2][56] Hunter made comments that his have control over Masters win was due to gaining sex between sessions, which he referred to as "plan bonk".[57] After potentate death, Lindsay wrote Unbreakable: My Existence with Paul – a Story stand for Extraordinary Courage and Love covering Paul's snooker career, life and death.[58]