Ronnie O’Sullivan pays tribute to the ‘David Beckham of snooker’ who died of cancer at 27 | Other | Sport
Ronnie O’Sullivan pays tribute to the ‘David Beckham of snooker’ who died of cancer at 27 | Other | Sport
Ronnie O’Sullivan has paid a touching tribute to the late Paul Hunter on the 20-year anniversary of his third and final Masters triumph.
Hunter, who sadly died of cancer aged just 27 in 2006, famously won three Masters titles in four years between 2001-2004. The hat-trick of memorable wins at snooker’s most illustrious invitational event all came in dramatic 10-9 deciders, with the Rocket the beaten finalist in the 2004 showpiece dubbed the ‘Battle of the Hair Styles’.
Hunter was nicknamed the ‘Beckham of the Baize’ for his golden locks and charismatic personality and has been sorely missed since his tragic passing 18 years ago. The famous waterfront crystal Masters trophy was rightfully named in Hunter’s honour in 2017.
And world No.1 O’Sullivan, who begins his bid for a record-extending eighth Masters title against Ding Junhui today, said: “Paul was an unbelievable talent. “He definitely had that star power and transcended the game. 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 times and some good memories with Paul. He will never be forgotten, all the players loved him. He will always be in the hearts of the snooker players and everybody who knew him.”
Hunter was widely regarded as a future world champion and a face of the sport. That victory against O’Sullivan two decades ago from 6-1 behind was deemed one of the highest-quality snooker matches ever witnessed.
And O’Sullivan believes the mid-noughties top six of himself, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, Hunter, John Higgins and Matthew Stevens was the ultimate age of the game. « 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, » added O’Sullivan.
Former champion Alan McManus is celebrating the 30-year anniversary of his sole Masters triumph when he ended Stephen Hendry’s five-year dominance at the event. He says one of his best memories of winning the event was being invited to a champion’s evening held by then-sponsors Benson and Hedges.
But he expressed deep sorrow that if another such event was staged Hunter would sadly be missing. McManus reflected: “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 amazing to be among those players. Because you have to be a special player to win the Masters. I wasn’t, but the rest were all special players. 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 would be there in spirit with the trophy. These things are important to snooker people if the game’s inside you like it is for me.”
Cet article est apparu en premier en ANGLAIS sur https://www.express.co.uk/sport/othersport/1853032/Ronnie-O-Sullivan-David-Beckham-Masters-snooker-news-Paul-Hunter