Paul Hunter Fund helps children into snooker

10:11am Tuesday 15th April 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

The Kids Into Snooker (KIS) programme, which is funded and supported by the Paul Hunter Foundation, is breaking off' today.

The 888.com World Championships start at The Crucible on Saturday, but before that youngsters in Yorkshire and Wales, where Hunter won his first ranking tournament, will be chalking their cues - some for the first time.

The KIS programme, the objective of which is to provide a safe fun and educational environment for children to receive professional coaching, will be staged initially as a six-week pilot scheme.

Top coaches and former professionals - including Steve Prest, the man who coached Shaun Murphy to his world title in 2005 and who is currently helping Bradford's Simon Bedford, who is back on the main tour next season - will be on hand to pass on their expertise through a series of fun-based activities.

The Northern Snooker Centre at Leeds will stage KIS days on successive Thursdays, starting on April 24 and finishing on May 29.

Provisional world No 1 Murphy, who is backing the scheme, said: "The Paul Hunter Foundation was set up with the specific aim of giving young people the opportunity to get involved with the sport that brought Paul so much enjoyment.

"It is an honour to be working on something so worthwhile. I know Paul would have been so proud."

Batley-based Hunter, who won the Masters three times and the Welsh Open twice, died of cancer aged 27 in October, 2006.