Paul Hunter RIP

whatawaster

very, very sad news. RIP Paul. I'm sure all our hearts go out to his wife and baby.

Roddy23

Very sad day for snooker, and sport in general. The sadness is compounded by the fact that he leaves a very young family behind. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. RIP.

MAYPOP

RIP, terrible loss to snooker and sport in general. My thoughts are with his friends and family

Glenman

I got a huge shock when I heard the news this morning, I didn't know that he had taken a turn for the worse and thought that he was recovering quite well. As Willie Thorne said we all thought that he would make it through this.

gimmick

I echo everything here. I actually thought he had pulled through after seeing him on the telly in last years season.

Poor guy.

MrJoeSoap

Ken Doherty has led the tributes to Paul Hunter following the 27-year-old's tragic and untimely death from cancer on Monday night.

The two shared one of the World Championship's most memorable semi-finals in 2003 when Doherty stormed back from 15-9 down to beat the Yorkshireman 17-16 at The Crucible.

The Irishman was fulsome in his praise of Hunter both as a player and person and insists the sport has lost one of its true characters.

"It's a sad loss, not only for the snooker fraternity but also for the sporting world,” he told Sky Sports News.

”He was a great character, a great showman, he had the looks, the game, he was a Masters champion and above all that he was a genuinely nice guy that everybody really liked.

”No-one had a bad word to say about Paul and certainly Paul never had a bad word to say, he was magnanimous in defeat.

”He was just everything, he had the world at his feet and it's such a sad loss for his family - his wife Lindsay and little baby - but also for snooker as he was just the kind of flamboyant character the game needed and we're all really, really devastated.

”He had one of those characters, we called him the 'Beckham of the baize', but because he was so young we thought he was going to come through this illness.

”He was such a battler, I mean we saw him at the World Championship after he'd been through the mill and he just wanted to play and play - he loved playing and he fought all the way to the end.

”We all thought he was going to get over it, but even though he put up such a brave battle it got the better of him in the end and words can't describe just what a great loss he is to the game.

”He was loved by all the players and I don't say that too lightly, but he certainly was.

"He was very, very gracious in defeat, as he was in victory and I have no doubts he would have become world champion.

”He deserves all the tributes he gets because he was liked by each and every one of the players in the game.”

Steven Hendry:
"Paul was just a really nice guy and a great player. When he first emerged on the scene, he had the ability you always thought would eventually result in him becoming a world champion. Sadly he never got the chance to fulfil that goal. But his record, especially in the Masters at Wembley, spoke for itself. Before he took ill, Paul was in the top four in the world and maybe even had his best days to come. Every player on the circuit was pulling for Paul to come through because he was just a genuinely nice guy who never fell out with anyone. He just wanted to play the game. My thoughts are with his wife, daughter and family on what is a sad day and a day I've never experienced during my time in the game."

World Snooker chairman, Sir Rodney Walker:
"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 Lindsey, 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."

John Parrott:
"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."

Willie Thorne:
"He won three masters. Anyone who did that is a great player. Paul Hunter was a great player. I'm sure he would have been a future world champion. It's a sad loss to the game and his family. Deep down we all thought he would beat the disease. Two or three months ago we realised it was probably a lot more serious than we thought and I understand he was taken to a hospice and that's really the end, it's very near, when that happens. He was taken into the hospice and it has been a very sad couple of days for me. He had a heart like a lion, he battled till the end. He lit up the stage when he played. He was a very flamboyant player. He was one of the best-looking snooker players we ever had, one of the most successful snooker players we've ever had. He'll be sadly, sadly missed and there will be a big hole in everybody's hearts for the next year or so. It's such a sad loss to our game and his family."

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=421152&clid=&channel=&title=Paul+Hunter+tribute

Little-Devil

I was shocked to hear like most of this tragic loss. I remember when he first came on the scene, everyone thought he was just a pretty boy of snooker.

Two fingers to all who said that, what a talent he was and went on to prove that with 3 master titles. It should have been more.

Thougths are with his family, his wife and 10month baby girl

RIP...

gerire

I was shocked when I heard about this earlier. Was talking to a few of the pro's in Spawell this evening and all are in complete shock.

Thoughts are with his family, wife and child

RIP

Chucky the tree

Like everyone i was shocked. Such a shame. RIP

Setun

Anyone remember his match against Ken in the world championships about 4 years ago? As far as i can remember every match he played was a great one.

RIP

eirebhoy

When someone so young dies it's always a shock, cancer or no cancer. There'll always be ups and down with cancer and you can't predict anything until given the all clear.

RIP.

Big Ears

Heard about this earlier today , such a shock(although I think I remember a post on here several months ago saying treatment wasn't going that well) .

He will be sadly missed , RIP .

texanman

I heard the news the morning and like most people, didn’t realise that he was so ill.
A great talent and a fine example of both a player and person.
Will be greatly missed.
R.I.P

Kojak

I thought he had overcome his trouble cancer - I was shocked that he had developed another form of cancer, which ultimatly killed him.

R.I.P.

sofireland

RIP Paul, a great person, and great player.

I used to be a member in the snooker club he practiced in in Leeds, he was always chatting away to his fans, had a lot of time for him.

I was sad to hear, and my thoughts are with his wife, child and family.

Glenman

I think that the WPBSA should have offered to freeze Paul’s ranking last year when he was first diagnosed with the cancer in order to let him rest and fully concentrate on his illness and not have to worry about his snooker.
I remember the first round of the UK championship last where he won a really gruelling match 10-9, that was bound to have taken a lot out of him and he admitted playing in pain in the first round of the Word Championships this year.
It was even a struggle to get them to freeze his ranking of 34th for this season.

nacho libre

Fellow professional Mark Williams said "Heaven has a new champion."

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." Jimmy White

Gillie

Thought this was a lovely thing to do...

From WorldSnooker.com


SWA NAME AWARD AFTER HUNTER
17 Oct 2006 12:31:00

The Snooker Writers' Association has joined the tributes to Paul Hunter by re-naming its Newcomer of the Year award in his honour.

The re-naming reflects the huge respect and affection which Hunter enjoyed among snooker writers. He provided many great stories on and off the table over the years, and carried out his media responsibilities with grace and good humour in both victory and defeat.

The Yorkshireman lost his battle with cancer last week at the age of 27.

The first Wheels In Motion Paul Hunter Newcomer of the Year will be announced, together with the other SWA award winners for this year, during next week's Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Aberdeen.

deman

Great player. One of the few that brought a presense to the table. Courageous and witty.

Will be sadly missed.

frobisher

There are few things I enjoy as much as tournament snooker, I've really gotten into it over the last few years and was at the last Irish masters. Unfortunately following the grand prix now has been pretty difficult as I've been completely wrapped up in a big work project. I've just watched the final and they said Paul Hunter has died. My jaw hit the ground. I had no idea. I'm shocked. Snooker is something myself and my 13 year old son share closely and when we both loved Paul Hunter. It has been sad to know of the difficulties he has faced but inspiring to see him continuing to play. As I already said, I'm shocked. In fact, I don't think I've ever been as shocked by the passing of someone I've never actually met.

R.I.P Paul Hunter, thinking of you and your family.

vorbis

I must admit I did think he was a bit of a pretty boy initially. However, he showed great talent and always played the game in the right spirit. A great loss to the game.
R.I.P. Paul Hunter

There we were

disliked Paul when he beat Fergal in the Masters final but he gained a lot of my respect in his brave battle. R.I.P.

scojones

Just bought one of Paul's cues tonight. Cracking cue it has to be said. Made my highest break with it on the second frame of using it. I'll cherish this cue for a long time.

MrJoeSoap

sjones wrote:

Just bought one of Paul's cues tonight. Cracking cue it has to be said. Made my highest break with it on the second frame of using it. I'll cherish this cue for a long time.

Janey, fair play. How much did it set you back, if you don't mind me asking?