Brilliant, blond and a bit bonkers: sports world mourns fallen Hunter

IN A snooker world in which most of the characters have retired to the commentary booth, Paul Hunter stood out like the pink in a rack full of reds.

His blond mane of hair, often wrenched back into a pony tail, braided or held by a hair-slide, helped. So did his mischievous smile, his down-to-earth Yorkshire demeanour and his nicknames which ranged from ‘Beckham of the Baize’ to ‘Snooker Spice’ to ‘The Man with the Golden Cue’.

Hunter had just about everything, the looks, the fame, the money, a beautiful family and a talent which many believed would have brought him the world title in the near future.