Snooker Scene Podcast - Paul Hunter Remembered

这个播客是体育社交播客网络的一部分。

This podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network.

大家好。

Hello.

欢迎收听《斯诺克现场》播客。

Welcome to the Snooker Scene Podcast.

我是戴夫·亨顿。

I'm Dave Hendon.

二十年前的这周，保罗·亨特去世了。

Twenty years ago this week, Paul Hunter passed away.

保罗最出名的是三次赢得大师赛冠军。

Paul was best known for winning the masters three times.

他是二十年前这项运动的领军人物之一，也是顶尖选手，前途无量，可惜在年仅27岁时不幸离世。

He was one of the leading figures, the leading players of the sport two decades ago, and he had huge potential before he was tragically taken from us at the age of just 27.

现在巡回赛上还经常有人提起他，但我也很清楚，有些年轻球迷或者刚接触这项运动的人，根本不记得他作为球员的样子。

And he's still much talked about on the circuit, but I'm well aware that there are fans who are younger or who are new to the sport who simply don't remember him as a player.

他们当然听说过他，因为大师赛的奖杯就是以他的名字命名的，但他们不记得他作为球员的样子。

They've heard of him, of course, because the Masters trophy is named in his honor, but they don't remember him as a player.

我想花点时间聊聊保罗作为球员和作为人的一面，回忆一下他的一些往事、他的职业生涯以及他在巡回赛上的时光。

And I thought I would take some time to just talk about Paul as a player, as a person with some memories of him, of his career, and of his time on the circuit.

他是一颗闪耀的明星，尽管他的职业生涯最终非常短暂。

He was a star who shone very brightly, albeit, of course, his career in the end was very brief.

他于2006年10月9日去世。

He passed away on 10/09/2006.

所以，正如我所说，这周正好是二十年前。

So it is, as I say, twenty years ago this week.

他出生于1978年。

He was born in 1978.

他出生在利兹，在北方斯诺克中心附近长大，该中心当时和现在一样，是英国这项运动中最好、最有活力的俱乐部之一，由吉姆·威廉森在七十年代开放，早于英国斯诺克热潮。

He was born in Leeds and grew up near the Northern Snooker Centre, which then, as now, is one of the the best and most vibrant clubs in the sport in Britain, opened in the nineteen seventies before The UK snooker boom started by Jim Williamson.

但当然，保罗·亨特在八十年代长大，那时热潮正盛。

But of course, ball hunter grew up as a boy in the eighties while that boom was on.

那时候，感觉每个孩子家里都有个小台球桌。

It seemed every child at home had a small snooker table.

那时候这就像家里有浴缸一样普遍。

It was like as commonplace as having a bathtub in those days.

他爸爸艾伦是个超级台球爱好者，所以是他带保罗入门的。

And his dad, Alan, was a big snooker fan player, so he introduced Paul to the sport.

很快大家就发现，他天赋异禀。

And very quickly, it was apparent he was a great talent.

我记得乔·约翰逊说过，保罗十岁的时候他教过他，那时候就能看出他的天赋了。

I remember Joe Johnson saying he coached him when he was 10 and could see then the the talent.

他说那是他当时见过的最棒的年轻选手。

He said he was the best young player I'd ever seen at that time.

保罗确实很投入，也很专注。

Paul actually, you know, did take to it and did dedicate himself.

他14岁就辍学了，这显然不太值得推荐，而且他也没有后备计划，全身心扑在了这项运动上。

He left school at 14, which, you know, was obviously not not to be recommended maybe, didn't have a backup plan, poured himself into the sport.

而且很快就有了回报，因为就在16岁时，他打进了英格兰业余锦标赛的决赛。

And it paid off pretty quickly because at just 16, he reached the final of the English amateur championship.

那时候，这真的是件大事。

And and in those days, that really was a big deal.

那个赛事是最古老的斯诺克比赛，1916年首次举办，但它为许多未来的冠军铺平了道路。

That tournament, the oldest snooker tournament, first held 1916, but it was a pathway for so many future champions.

他当时才16岁。

He was just 16.

他在决胜局中以8比7输给了另一位年轻天才大卫·格雷。

He lost in a decider to another great young talent, David Gray, eight seven.

那时候，只要交报名费就能转为职业选手。

Now in those days, you could turn professional by paying the entry fees.

所以有几百名职业选手，保罗那年夏天也成为了其中之一。

So there were hundreds of professionals, and Paul became one of them that summer.

所以我们说的是1995年，就像我说的，他16岁，然后他去了布莱克浦的诺布雷思城堡酒店，另一个经常被没去过的人提到的斯诺克场地，当然，那里也是'92一代开始的地方，罗尼·奥沙利文、约翰·希金斯和马克·威廉姆斯三年前就在那里起步，而他有点像……

So we're talking 1995, as I say, he was 16, and he was off to the Norbreath Castle Hotel in Blackpool, another sort of snooker venue that's often talked about by people who've never been there, but of course, it's where the class of '92 started, Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins, and Mark Williams three years earlier, and he was kind of...

他是什么样的人，第一季就一目了然了，因为毫无疑问，在那些老职业选手的怂恿下，他居然光着身子在酒店里跑了一圈。

It was apparent what sort of character he was because in his first season, egged on no doubt by older professionals, he actually did a naked streak through the hotel.

这是第一个迹象，表明他有点个性。

That was the first sign that he was a bit of a character.

斯诺克常常被内向的人主导，这些人一生中花了无数个小时、无数天、无数周，在昏暗的房间里把球打进洞里。

Snooker so often has been dominated by introverts, people who have spent long hours, long days, long weeks of their lives in darkened rooms knocking balls into holes.

保罗·亨特自己也做了很多这样的练习，但他也是个调皮的小伙子。

Now Paul Hunter did plenty of that himself, but he also he was a cheeky lad.

他很有魅力。

He had charm.

他很有个人魅力。

He had charisma.

他显然很热爱生活。

He clearly loved life.

他更像吉米·怀特，而不是像史蒂夫·戴维斯或斯蒂芬·亨德利那样，那些人完全专注于斯诺克，其他事情一概不关心。

He was more like Jimmy White than, for example, Steve Davis or Stephen Hendry, who were totally dedicated to snooker, had nothing else really going on.

吉米当然是个特别爱玩、特别会享受生活的人，保罗·亨特也是这种类型。不过这也让他付出了几年的代价，之后他在一次比赛中药检呈阳性，是大麻，为此受到了处罚。

Jimmy, of course, was a great fun seeker, a great fun lover, and Paul Hunter was in that vein, and it did cost him a couple of years after that, he tested positive for cannabis during a tournament, was fine for that.

当时有人怀疑，当然他那时才18岁，有人担心他的不成熟可能会阻碍他的发展，但他年轻，而且没有恶意。你知道，几年后他在一次采访中自己说，我就是个来自利兹公屋区的普通小伙子。

There was suspicion, and of course, he was still at this point, well, only 18 years of age, there was a suspicion that his immaturity could actually hold him back, but he was young and there was no malice in him, you know, as he said himself a few years later in an interview, I'm just a normal lad from a Leeds council estate.

他第一次体验生活，你知道，就是那种新鲜的生活。好吧，他可能被带偏了，但他也卷入了这些不太推荐的事情，不过这些并没有对他造成太大的影响。

And he was experiencing life, you know, as old life for the first time, and okay, he may have been led astray, but, you know, he got involved in in in these sort of things that are not recommended, but they didn't take any great toll.

到了19岁，我是说，这……

And at 19, I mean, it's...

其实，在他17岁的第一个赛季，他就打进了威尔士公开赛的半决赛。

Actually, in his first season at 17, he reached the semifinals of the Welsh Open.

他是当时最年轻的排名赛半决赛选手。

He was the youngest player at that time to reach a ranking event semifinals.

所以迹象已经很明显了。

So the signs were there.

别忘了，这还是从资格赛打起的。

Bear in mind, it started in the qualifiers.

他赢了很多场比赛，我们说的是在锦标赛中打了10到11场比赛才进入半决赛。

He'd won a load of matches, and we're talking 10, 11 matches in the tournament to get to the semifinals.

所以那是个信号，表明他将来会是个值得关注的人物。

So that was a clue that he was gonna be someone to watch.

果然，两年后，他赢得了同一项赛事——威尔士公开赛。

And sure enough, two years later, he won the same tournament, the Welsh Open.

他击败了排名前16的选手中的五位。

He beat five members of the top 16.

这并不是因为签运对他有利。

It wasn't a case that the draw opened up for him.

他击败了史蒂夫·戴维斯、奈杰尔·邦德、艾伦·麦克马纳斯、彼得·艾普顿，并在决赛中击败了约翰·希金斯，在19岁时成为排名赛冠军。

He beat Steve Davis, Nigel Bond, Alan McManus, Peter Epton, and in the final, John Higgins to become at 19, the winner of a ranking event.

而且事实上，当时他是继斯蒂芬·亨德利、罗尼·奥沙利文和约翰·希金斯之后，第四位赢得排名赛冠军的青少年。

And in fact, at the time, he was only the fourth teenager to win a ranking title after Stephen Endry, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and John Higgins.

所以，他以赛事冠军的身份正式登场了。

So he'd arrived as a tournament winner.

我觉得他自己也承认，你知道，那笔冠军奖金数目不小，一开始确实有点冲昏头脑，因为如果你从来没拥有过什么钱，那有这种反应也很正常。

I think he admitted, you know, it was a big first prize, I think he admitted at first it kind of went to his head a bit, because if you've never had any money, there's no reason why it shouldn't.

突然之间你手里有了点钱，如果你本来就是个热爱生活的人，在那个年纪，这确实可能会产生影响，可能让他消沉了一两年，但不会太久。

Suddenly you've got a few quid, and if you're already someone who loves life, it's gonna, at that age, potentially have an effect, and it may be knocked him back for a year or so, but not for long.

很明显，他的声望在上升。

It was clear that his stock was rising.

他有那种……

He had this...

保罗是个挺有意思的人，你知道，他长着一张天使般的脸，那时候看起来比实际年龄小很多，金发碧眼，看起来很单纯，但这其实掩盖了他骨子里有点狂野的一面。

He was interesting sort of character Paul, know, he had this sort of cherubic appearance, he he looked kind of quite young for his age at that time, you know, the blonde hair, he looked quite innocent, but that sort of hid a bit of a wild streak.

我觉得斯诺克球迷两方面都喜欢，他们当然喜欢他的天赋，因为任何运动里的年轻天才都让人兴奋。

And I think Snooker fans took to both, they took to the talent certainly because young talent in any sport is exciting.

他们喜欢他的个性，而且斯诺克球迷一直喜欢那些有点调皮捣蛋的选手，他们把保罗当成自己人。

They took to the personality, but also the sort of snooker fans have always liked the mischievous characters, think recognize Paul as one of their own.

总之，他在大众面前真正大放异彩的时刻，当然是在2001年的大师赛上。

Anyway, his big breakout moment really for the general public, of course, came at the Masters in 2001.

他进了决赛。

He was in the final.

半场时他以六比二落后于弗图尔·奥布莱恩。

He was six two down at the halfway stage to Fertull O'Brien.

当晚的晚间时段，他一度以七比三落后，但最终以十比九逆转获胜。

He was seven three down in the evening session later that night, but he came back to win ten nine.

这本身就足以让他成为明星，但关键是，我在新闻发布会上。

Now that in itself, you know, would mark him out for stardom, but I mean, was at the press conference.

我听过好几个版本的说法。

I've heard various versions of this.

我记得那场新闻发布会，当被问到六比二时是什么让他扭转局面时，他说他和女友林赛在酒店里启动了B计划，他说这话时面带微笑，完全不是刻意为之，就是随口一说，带着点幽默。

I remember the press conference, and what he said was, he was asked, you know, what he thought made the difference at six two, he said he was in the hotel with his girlfriend Lindsay and they put plan b into operation and he said it with a smile, it was not in any way contrived, it was completely garless, he just said it, you know, was an off the cuff sort of humorous comment.

第二天，他就登上了《每日星报》的头版，主要报道就是他和林赛的照片，标题你可以想象，但这件事让他成了那种小报式的人物。

And the next day, he was on the front page of the Daily Star, literally the main story was a picture of him and Lindsey, whatever headline they put on it, you can imagine, but that stuck, that sort of forged him as that tabloid character.

其实，这故事说白了就是男人和女友发生了关系，算不上什么大新闻，但我觉得当时有种感觉，就是斯诺克这项运动正在逐渐失去一些有个性的人物，不管这到底意味着什么。

I mean, really the story was man has sex with girlfriend, it's not really breaking news, but I think there was a sort of feeling that Snooker had become a sport that was gradually sort of losing characters, whatever that really means.

突然之间，小报们高兴坏了，因为终于有个人愿意说这种话，还带着微笑说，并且乐意拍照。

And suddenly, to the great delight of the tabloids, here was someone who would say these sort of things and say them with a smile and happily pose for photographs.

而且他金发碧眼，长得又帅，后来就被称为“台球界的贝克汉姆”。

And it became known, you know, with his blonde hair and his good looks as the Beckham of the Bays.

他有个漂亮的女朋友，而且他们愿意做宣传、接受采访。

He had a glamorous girlfriend, and they were willing to, you know, do publicity, do interviews.

毫无疑问，这对斯诺克来说是好事。

And undoubtedly, it was good for Snooker.

毫无疑问，有一个人能吸引到不同的观众，这些人不想看19局10胜的比赛，但对人、个性和人物很感兴趣。

Undoubtedly, to have someone who cut through to a different audience who didn't wanna sit and watch a best in '19, but quite interested in people and personalities and characters.

那绝对是好事。

That was undoubtedly good.

他后来还参加了《超级明星》节目，就是BBC那个体育挑战节目，当时这个节目重新启动了。

He went on superstars at one point, the BBC sort of sports challenge program when it was revived.

你要知道，在2000年代，这项运动其实处于一种很奇怪的状态，因为一方面有奥沙利文、约翰·希金斯、马克·威廉姆斯这些令人兴奋的年轻天才，斯蒂芬·亨德利还在巅峰，还有保罗和其他一些人。

And you gotta remember the two thousands, it was a time when the sport actually, it was a strange dichotomy because you had these exciting young talents, O'Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Stephen Hendon was still at the top, you had Paul and and various others.

但那时候，这项运动的管理简直一团糟。

But the administration of the game was a shambles at the time.

我们不断失去赛事，烟草赞助也没了，那是个沉重的打击。

We were losing tournaments, tobacco sponsorship had gone, that was a big blow.

看起来也没有一个很好的计划来弥补这个空缺。

It didn't seem to be a great plan to replace that.

各种争吵、高等法院诉讼，钱就这么被白白浪费在各种事情上。

There were squabbles, high court actions, you know, money was absolutely squandered through various things.

所以从那个角度看，这项运动并不景气，但这些家伙让大家的兴趣一直保持了下来。

And so the sport was not thriving in that sense, but these guys kept the interest going.

我始终认为，像罗尼、保罗、约翰·希金斯，还有其他那些人物，比如亨顿、威廉姆斯，以及当时很多其他顶尖选手，因为他们太出色了，又年轻，在球桌上表现惊人，他们真的在那段时期撑起了斯诺克。

I absolutely maintain that people like Ronnie and Paul and John Higgins and and these other characters, Hendon and Williams and and many others at the time, the top players at the time, because they were so good and they were young and they were, you know, doing great things on the table, they really kept Snooker going in that period.

2003年大师赛，亨特第二次打进决赛，对阵马克·威廉姆斯，后者一度以5比0领先。

2003 Masters, Hunter in his second final played Mark Williams who led him five nil.

但又一次，他奋起反击了。

And again, there was a fight.

麦克尤恩十比九，但真正的大场面是2004年，一年之后。

McEwan ten nine, but the big one really was 2004, a year later.

他在决赛中对阵罗尼·奥沙利文，在温布利会议中心以二比七落后。

He's playing Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final, seven two down at Wembley Conference Center.

当时，除了吉米·怀特，其他任何人跟罗尼打，都不会得到太多支持。

Now anyone else playing Ronnie with maybe the exception of Jimmy White would have not got a great deal of support.

我记得当时观众几乎是五五开。

I remember it was pretty much fifty fifty.

他们俩都戴着发带。

They both had the the Alice bands in.

他们长发飘飘，看起来活力四射，是那种帅气的斯诺克选手，让人兴奋，就像二十年前的吉米·怀特和柯克·史蒂文斯那样。

They had long flowing hair, the flowing locks, you know, they looked these vibrant, you know, good looking snooker players, a bit of excitement about them, bit like Jimmy White Kirk Stevens, you know, two decades earlier.

他们给球台带来了激情，不仅仅是天赋和好球技。

You know, bringing excitement to the table, not just, you know, just talent and good play.

所以，在二比七落后的情况下，他逆转了局面，以十比九获胜，那真是一次非凡的表现。

So seven two down, he turned that round and won ten nine, and that was an extraordinary performance.

他在决赛里打出了五个百分杆，对吧。

He had what, five centuries in the final.

他其实心理素质特别强。

He had great bottle actually.

我是说，那场地挺吵的，但他好像有那种史蒂夫·戴维斯的气质，就是打球的时候，明明很重要，却表现得好像无所谓一样。

I mean, that was a rowdy old venue, and he seemed to have that sort of Steve Davis thing of of playing, you know, like it means nothing when it means everything.

因为我觉得那对他来说并不是一切。

Cause I don't think it did mean everything to him.

我觉得他非常，你知道，有些球员，他们成功往往是因为他们把一切都投入到这项运动里，这样也能取得成功。

I think he very much, you know, some players and they're successful often doing it, they really do make everything about the sport and you can have success doing that.

但保罗在球桌之外一直有自己的生活，他非常享受，也许有些……

But Paul always had his life off the table, which he enjoyed a lot, maybe some...

也许有时候过头了，但他确实很享受。

Maybe sometimes too much, but enjoyed it a lot.

他期待那些，也许他没有把一切都押在斯诺克上。

He looked forward to it, and maybe he didn't make everything about Snooker.

但当他上场时，当然，他是个很棒的竞争者。

But when he was out there, of course, was a great competitor.

他和任何人一样想赢。

He wanted to win as much as anybody.

而且，在那些大师赛决赛中出场的巨大兴奋感，完成了帽子戏法，我认为，这无疑表明了他正朝着成为这项运动伟大球员之一的方向前进。

And just the great excitement of being out there in those masters finals, that completed the hat trick and really, I think, put beyond doubt, you know, that he was heading for becoming one of the great players in the sport.

当然，要成为伟大的球员，你必须赢得世界锦标赛。

And of course, to become a great player, you have to win the world championship.

他的大好机会……

His great chance...

我的意思是，他在2002年赢得了威尔士公开赛和英国公开赛。

I mean, he won the Welsh Open, British Open in 2002.

他在另外几项赛事中获得了亚军。

He was runner-up in a couple more tournaments.

但就世界锦标赛而言，他的大好机会出现在2003年。

But in terms of the world championship, his great chance came in 2003.

半决赛。

The semifinals.

周六下午，他带着15比9的领先优势，对阵肯·诺卡特。

He walked out on the Saturday afternoon against Ken Nocatee with a fifteen nine lead.

所以，朝着决赛迈进，马克·威廉姆斯将在晚上赢得另一场半决赛。

So heading for the final, Mark Williams would win the other semifinal at night.

但我觉得这很有意思。

But it's interesting, I think.

关于克鲁斯堡，我有这样一个理论：它可能更有利于内向的人，而会议中心则更适合那些大人物、个性张扬、外向的人。

The Crucible, I've had this theory that The Crucible maybe favors introverts, whereas when the conference center is about big characters, big personalities, extroverts.

但内向的人在克鲁斯堡表现得非常好，而保罗并不是那样的人。

But introverts have done so well at The Crucible, and Paul wasn't that.

随着压力开始增大，就像在那里会发生的那样，他开始感受到压力。

And as the pressure started to come on as it will there, you know, he started to feel it.

那种环境，那种紧凑而私密的环境，可能并不适合他。

That environment, that tight intimate environment maybe didn't suit him.

而肯呢，你知道，战术非常出色，竞争心强，很有胆量，最终逆转了局面，以十七比十六获胜，那是那里最伟大的逆转之一。

And Ken, you know, terrific tactical player, hard competitor, a lot of bottle, turned it around, won seventeen sixteen, one of the great comebacks there.

保罗当时非常沮丧。

Paul was devastated.

他后来哭了，但尽管如此，他还是抽出时间去肯的更衣室，祝他在决赛中好运，这很不容易做到，也说明了他的为人。

He was in tears afterwards, but he did find time despite that to go to Ken's dressing room and wish him up for the final, which takes a lot of doing and speaks a lot of the sort of character he was.

即使在那样糟糕的时刻，他依然有那种慷慨的精神。

He had that generosity of spirit even in that, you know, terrible moment for him.

那是他职业生涯中最失落的时刻之一。

It was one of his lowest points of his playing career.

但当然，我想大家都觉得，好吧，很多球员都会遇到这样的挫折。

But of course, I think everyone thought, okay, well, a lot of players have these setbacks.

他还有很多机会成为世界冠军，但正如我们所知，最终没能实现。

He's got so many chances still to become world champion As we know, it wasn't to be.

在我们讲到这个故事悲伤的结局之前，我想谈谈我采访保罗·亨特的经历。

Before we come on to the sad final act of this story, I just wanted to talk about my experience of interviewing Paul Hunter.

我一直觉得他特别有魅力。

I always found him incredibly engaging.

一开始，在很早的时候，他在采访和新闻发布会上确实很吃力。

At first, in the very early days, he did struggle in interviews and press conferences.

那时候没有媒体培训，你就是坐在一群比你大的陌生人、记者、新闻工作者面前。

In those days, there was no media training, you would just sat down in front of a bunch of older men, strangers, reporters, journalists.

而且他不是那种受过很多教育的人，我觉得他也不是读很多书的那种，他没有那样的背景。

And if you're not, he wasn't educated, he wasn't someone who I think read a lot of books or anything, he didn't have that sort of background.

我觉得他面对话筒时挺发怵的，但做得越多，他就越习惯，当然也慢慢认识了那些记者，每次比赛都是同一批人，和他们在一起就放松了，意识到他们不是来给他设套的。

I think he found it quite forbidding with a microphone in front of him, but the more he did it, the more he got used to it, got to know the journalists of course, he was the same people every tournament, felt relaxed in their company, realized, you know, they weren't there to stitch him up in any way.

他变得非常健谈，而且从来不会让人觉得是在采访，总是像在和他聊天一样。

And he became very engaging and he always, it was never kind of felt like an interview, he always felt like a conversation with him.

他有点，就像我说的，有点调皮，甚至有点调情的感觉，他总是笑着，凑近和你说话，你会期待和他聊天，而且他没什么过滤，不会斟酌自己说的话，这些年他说了不少精彩的话，你知道，不一定都是现在所谓的政治正确的话。

He was sort of, he was, as I say, bit cheeky, almost sort of flirtatious in a way, he would always be smiling, sort of leaning in to speak to you, you look forward to talking to him and he didn't really have a filter, so he wouldn't edit what he was saying, he came out with some great stuff over the years, you know, not always, I suppose, what would be considered now, you know, politically correct.

我记得有一次他质疑抑郁症这个概念，基本上他就是没想过，因为对他来说，每天就是起床然后享受生活。

I remember at one point he was questioning the whole concept of depression, he just hadn't thought about it basically, because to him, every day was about getting out of bed and enjoying yourself.

而且，你知道，那就是他的生活，他不太理解为什么球员们会那么沮丧，那么……

And, you know, that that was his life and he kinda didn't understand why players got so down and and and so sort of...

那么挣扎。

And we're struggling.

他还年轻，你知道，他从来没有经历过这种事。

He was young, know, it wasn't something that he had any experience of.

总之，我们到了2005年的爱尔兰大师赛，他抱怨说胃不舒服。

Anyway, we got to the Irish Masters in 2005, and he complained of stomach problems.

可悲的是，现在说这个不太好听，但我记得在新闻室里，我们都以为，哎呀，他肯定是喝酒喝多了，喝得太多了，需要补充水分什么的。

And the sad truth is, and it's not nice to say this now, but I remember in the press room, we thought, well, you know, he's been on the drink, you know, he's had a few too many and you know, he's gonna have to rehydrate and all that stuff.

但当然，我们万万没想到情况要严重得多，几周后，他被诊断出患有罕见的癌性肿瘤，很快就要开始高强度的化疗。

But of course, little did we know it was far more serious and a few weeks later, he was diagnosed with rare cancerous tumors and was soon to begin an intensive course of chemotherapy.

就在那之后，他参加了世锦赛，迈克尔·霍尔特，他在青少年巡回赛上的好朋友，不想跟他打，但又不得不打，第一轮就把他淘汰了。

He played at the world championship just after that, Michael Holt who'd been a good friend of his on the junior tour, didn't want to play him but had to play him and beat him in round one.

显然，赛季就这样结束了，他也开始了治疗。

Obviously, was the end of the season and he began his treatment.

我记得，我是说，他打了接下来的那个赛季，因为他显然不知道，对吧，希望治疗能有效。

I remember, I mean, played the next season because obviously he wasn't to know, you know, hopefully the treatment was gonna work.

他也不知道自己的职业生涯会变成什么样。

He wasn't to know what would happen with his career.

如果他不打比赛，就拿不到排名积分。

If he didn't play, he wouldn't get any ranking points.

最后他们冻结了他的排名，但那又过了一年。

Eventually, they froze his ranking, but that took another year.

现在想想真不可思议，他当时得了癌症。

Incredible to think about that now really, he had cancer.

我是说，直接说‘看，我们冻结你的排名，等你好了再回来’有多难呢？

I mean, how hard would it have been to just say, look, we'll freeze your ranking, come back when you're well.

但他们没有这么做，他继续打球。

But they didn't and he carried on playing.

我记得在约克的巴比肯中心，英国锦标赛的时候。

I have a memory of being in York, the Barbican Centre, the UK Championship.

那是2005年底的事了。

This was at the end of 2005.

他和杰米·伯内特比赛，打到晚上十一点半才结束，然后他进来了……

He'd played Jamie Burnett and it finished late at the half eleven and he came in...

他肯定赢了比赛，因为我们来了……

He must have won the match because we came...

他进来接受采访，然后……

He came in for the interview and the...

你坐下来开新闻发布会，周围有额外的灯光，因为有人拍照。

You sit down at the press conference and it's sort of there's extra lighting around it because people take photographs.

所以你整个人都被照得很亮。

So you're really sort of illuminated.

我记得，就像我说的，那是深夜，我就在想，灯光打在他身上，他看起来病得多重啊。

And I remember, as I say, it was late at night, I remember just thinking how with the lights on him, how ill he looked.

他看起来真的很不舒服，你就会想，他为什么要这样折磨自己，又为什么要被这样折磨？

He looked really unwell and you sort of think, why is he putting himself through this and why is he being put through this?

但话说回来，斯诺克是他一生热爱的东西，也许他就是想打球。

But then again, Snooker is something he'd loved all his life and and maybe he wanted to play.

也许正是这样，在治疗间隙，能去打斯诺克的机会让他坚持了下来。

Maybe that was actually what kept him going in between the treatment, the chance to go and play Snooker.

当然，他其实没赢多少场比赛。

Obviously, he wasn't really winning many matches.

他当时很痛苦，但你知道，也许他就是想继续打下去。

He was in a lot of pain, but, you know, maybe he just wanted to carry on.

总之，最终他在2006年又回到了克鲁斯堡比赛。

Anyway, eventually, he plays again at the Crucible two thousand and six.

他对阵尼尔·罗伯逊。

He plays Neil Robertson.

我后来跟尼尔聊过这件事，他说他觉得那场比赛特别难打。

I've spoke to Neil subsequently about it, and he he said how hard he found it.

他说，你知道，在电视上看的时候，你真的看不出他有多吃力。

He said he said, you know, watching on television, you couldn't really see how much he was struggling.

而且，你知道，他说尼尔说，他基本上得把自己的情绪放到一边，专心打比赛。

And, you know, he said that Neil said he had to sort of basically put his own emotions to one side, just play the match.

他以10比5赢了那场比赛。

He won the match ten five.

保罗最后一次离开了克鲁斯堡。

Paul left the crucible for the last time.

我们再也没见过他打球。

We didn't see him again playing.

然后在2006年9月10日，他去世了。

And on 10/09/2006, he passed away.

他才27岁。

He was just 27.

那是在他...

It was the week before his...

本来应该是他20岁生日的前一周。

What would have been his 20 birthday.

这显然对他的家人、对他的父母来说都是毁灭性的打击，他们一路陪着他走过来，还有他的妻子林赛。

It's devastating, obviously, for his family, for his parents who had been with him the whole journey, his wife Lindsay.

他们有个女儿，叫伊维·罗斯，当时还只是个婴儿。

They had a daughter, Evie Rose, who was just just a baby at the time.

当时有人建议把大师赛奖杯以他的名字命名，作为永久的纪念，但世界职业台球和斯诺克协会当时说，那时候的情况跟现在很不一样。

The there was suggestions that the Masters Trophy should be named in his honor as a sort of permanent tribute, and the WPB said at the time, very different set up to now.

这倒是真的。

Well, this is true.

我就不点名了，但当时有位董事会成员说，将来没人会记得保罗·亨特。

I won't name them, but there was a board member at the time who said, in the future, no one will remember Paul Hunter.

这就是他们不把奖杯以他名字命名的理由。

That was the reason given for not naming the trophy after him.

真是极其粗鲁和冷漠。

Incredibly crass and insensitive.

布兰登·帕克是他的经纪人。

Brandon Parker was his manager.

他其实给那个比赛命了名……

He actually named the...

保罗参加的那个比赛是吉姆和普里姆办的。

It was Jim and Prim that Paul had played in.

他把它改名为保罗·亨特经典赛，后来这个比赛当然也成了排名赛。

He renamed it the Paul Hunter Classic, and that eventually became a ranking event, of course.

然后到了2016年，也就是保罗去世十年后，在巴里·赫恩担任主席的情况下，威尔逊和盖特终于把大师赛奖杯以他的名字命名了。这就是我们每年一月在亚历山大宫纪念他的方式。

And then eventually, 2016, so this is ten years after Paul passed away, Wilson and Gator under Barry Hearn as chairman did name the Masters Trophy after him, and that is how we remember him in January at Alexander Palace every year.

现在从那时起又过了十年。

So now another decade has passed from there.

而且保罗，就像我说的，仍然被那些和他交过手的人、看过他比赛的人、认识他的人铭记着。

And Paul, as I say, still remembered by those who played him, those who watched him, and those who knew him.

但我也知道，在这二十年里，有很多新球员进入这项运动，他们并不认识他。

But I'm aware that in the twenty years, you know, a lot of players have come into the game who didn't know him.

也有很多球迷开始看斯诺克，他们对他没有印象。

A lot of fans have started watching Snooker who don't remember him.

幸好YouTube上有很多比赛视频。

Thankfully, YouTube has a lot of matches.

你可以回去看那些比赛，特别是大师赛决赛，能看到他的风格、风采和天赋，尤其是在那些重大决赛中承受压力时的表现。

You can go back and watch them, particularly the Masters finals, see the style and panache and the talent that he had, particularly under pressure in those big finals.

非常值得一看。

And it's well worth watching.

还有他的采访，你能感受到他是怎样一个人，那种天真的魅力，我觉得很多人喜欢他，因为体育——而且在过去二十年里更是如此——已经变得相当刻板了。

And on his interviews as well, you get a sense of the sort of person he was, that kind of innocent charm that he had that I think a lot of people took to because sport, and it's become more so in in the last twenty years, has become quite sanitized.

我觉得现在人们都很害怕，部分是因为社交媒体，怕说错话惹麻烦。

People are quite frightened now, I think, and it's a social media thing in part to say anything that's gonna get them into trouble.

他不在乎这些。

He didn't care about that.

而且即使他意识到自己可能会惹麻烦，他也能一笑置之。

And also, even if there was a sense he was getting himself into trouble, he could kind of laugh it off.

有点像吉米。

A bit like Jimmy.

我觉得他真的很像吉米·怀特。

He was very much like Jimmy White, I think.

你知道，他就是那种因为做自己而被人喜爱的人。

You know, someone who was just just loved by people because he was himself.

他绝不是天使，也从来没这么说过。

He wasn't an angel by any means, never claimed to be.

但他是个非常热爱生活、热爱斯诺克的人，打球时总是面带微笑，把那种魅力和气质带到了赛场上。

But he was someone who absolutely loved life, loved snooker, played with a smile on his face, and brought that charm and that charisma to the arena.

但这一集我不能不提马修·史蒂文斯，因为马修和保罗是很好的朋友。

But I can't finish this episode without mentioning Matthew Stevens because Matthew and Paul were great friends.

马修比保罗大一岁，早一年转为职业选手，但他们在转职业之前，作为青少年选手时就是非常好的朋友。

Matthew, a year older and turned pro the year before, but they they were very good friends as juniors before they turned professional.

而且有点像，他们显然在巡回赛上经常待在一起，就像现在的贾德·特鲁姆普和杰克·利索夫斯基一样。

And a bit like they spent a lot of time obviously on the circuit together, a bit like Judd Trump and Jack Leszewski now, you know.

而且马修在很年轻的时候就已经失去了父亲。

And now Matthew had already at a young age lost his father.

当保罗去世时，我觉得那对他的职业生涯造成了毁灭性的打击，影响非常大。

And when Paul passed away, I think that had a devastating effect, a massive effect on his career.

实际上，从那以后他就再也没有完全恢复过来。

He'd never quite been the same since actually.

我的意思是，他当时是排名前四五的选手，这件事肯定对他打击很大。

I mean, he was one of the top four or five players at that time and I think it definitely hit him hard.

你知道，怎么可能不受影响呢？

You know, how could it not?

网上有他们俩很小的时候在布莱克浦转职业时的视频。

There's footage out there of the two of them at a very young age, in Blackpool, they turned professional.

他们就在那里，开始了在斯诺克世界乃至人生中一段非常激动人心的旅程和冒险，在那个年纪完全无忧无虑，你知道，希望没有任何烦恼。

And there they are, starting out on a really exciting journey and adventure in the world of snooker and indeed in life itself, completely carefree at that age, you know, hopefully, you don't have any worries.

一切都在眼前，他们会取得巨大的成功，而且会一起享受这一切。

It's all in front of you, and they were gonna have great success, and they were gonna enjoy it together.

当然，那段冒险在2006年10月结束了。

And, of course, that adventure came to an end in October 2006.

这周我们应该想想保罗的父母，他的家人，还有他的女儿伊维·罗斯，她现在20岁了。

We should think of Paul's parents this week, his family, his daughter, Evie Rose, she's 20 now.

如果斯诺克巡回赛在一月份邀请她来颁发奖杯，那该多好啊？

Wouldn't it be great if Will Snooker tour invited her in January to present the trophy?

一月份大师赛时她就21岁了。

She'd be 21 in January at the masters.

如果能邀请他的女儿，在她愿意的情况下，来颁发新年大师赛的保罗·亨特奖杯，以此纪念他离世二十周年，那该多好啊？

Wouldn't it be great to mark the twenty years passing by inviting his daughter to come if she wants to, to present the Paul Hunter trophy to ever wins the masters in the new year?

所以，就像我说的，我们仍然记得保罗。

So as I say, we still remember Paul.

人们还在谈论他，也应该这样，因为尽管他的职业生涯不幸且悲惨地短暂，但他确实在斯诺克运动管理不善、面临从公众视野中消失的危险时期，为这项运动的普及做出了巨大贡献。

He's still talked about, and he should be because although his career sadly and tragically was brief, he definitely contributed massively to the popularity of snooker at a time where, as I say, the sport wasn't being well run and was in danger really of sort of slightly disappearing from view.

像他这样的球员确实帮助保持了这项运动的突出地位。

And players such as as himself really helped keep it prominent.

他的成就也应该得到庆祝。

And his achievements should be celebrated as well.

我相信他本来还能取得更多成就。

I'm sure he would have added to them.

现在猜测他会不会成为世界冠军已经没有意义了。

There's no point speculating about whether he would have been world champion.

但可以肯定的是，如果看过去二十年斯诺克的发展，理论上他现在仍然有机会夺冠。

But it is true to say that the way Snooker's gone in the last twenty years, he would still, in theory, have a chance now to win it.

你知道吗，如果他现在还在，正好47岁。

You know, he would be, as we speak right now, 47 years of age.

而且我们知道，前16名里还有比他年纪更大的选手。

Well, we know there's players older than that in the top 16.

遗憾的是，我们永远不会知道了。但我们现在能做的，就是庆祝他的职业生涯，纪念这个人，尤其是在这周，保罗·亨特，他离开我们已经整整二十年了。

Sadly, we'll never know, but what we can do is celebrate the career, celebrate the man, and remember this week of all weeks, Paul Hunter, who passed away twenty years ago this week.