Ronnie O’Sullivan lauds ‘David Beckham of snooker’ who died from most cancers aged 27

Snooker‘s high participant Ronnie O’Sullivan has praised “the David Beckham of snooker”, Paul Hunter, on the anniversary of his third Masters win.

Hunter had bagged three titles in 4 years between 2001-04 earlier than passing away because of most cancers at solely 27. O’Sullivan, having misplaced out to Hunter in a 2004 showdown, has since skilled staggering success on the inexperienced baize.

Gearing up for his eighth title try towards Ding Junhui, O’Sullivan paid homage to the ‘Beckham of the Baize’. He stated (through the Mirror): “Paul was an unbelievable expertise. He undoubtedly had that star energy and transcended the sport.

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“He was the Beckham of the snooker, wasn’t he. He was a good looking boy. He always had a smile on his face and was a good lad. He was brilliant for the game, he was a lovely lad and had a lovely family.

“I had some good occasions and a few good reminiscences with Paul. He won’t ever be forgotten, all of the gamers beloved him. He will all the time be within the hearts of the snooker gamers and all people who knew him.”

Hunter’s impact on snooker is huge. The Masters trophy was even named after him in 2017. His epic comeback against O’Sullivan is still talked about as one of the best games ever.

What’s your favourite memory of Hunter? Let us know in the feedback part.

The snooker legend reckons the mid-2000s, with gamers like Hunter, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, and Matthew Stevens, was the game’s golden age.

He stated: “I’ve always said that snooker enjoyed a golden era when Hendry, Higgins, Williams, Stevens, the great Paul Hunter and myself were battling it out. I truly believe that was the best top six ever.”

O’Sullivan is not the one one remembering Hunter. Alan McManus, who received the Masters 30 years in the past, additionally paid his respects. McManus beloved going to a particular occasion for previous winners and desires there may very well be one other one, however he misses Hunter.

He shared: “I remember one year there was an evening for all the former winners and they invited Kirk Stevens because he made the first ever Masters 147.

“It was superb to be amongst these gamers. Because you must be a particular participant to win the Masters. I wasn’t, however the remainder had been all particular gamers.

“It would be great if they did another one. But one regret I would have would be that Paul Hunter wouldn’t be there. He’s an icon of the game. He was some player.

“He could be there in spirit with the trophy. These issues are essential to snooker folks, if the sport’s inside you want it’s for me.”

This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up Daily Star’s editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]