FROM practising as a 13 year-old at The Manor Club in Yeadon to defending his Benson and Hedges Masters title this week at Wembley World No 9 snooker player Paul Hunter has not changed a lot.

Perhaps not as shy as he was back then and obviously more accomplished as a player he has however retained his down to earth nature.

Despite having twice been B and H champion and twice Regal Welsh champion Hunter has not forgotten his roots and he staged an enth-ralling exhibition at Guise-ley Theatre last Thursday night.

The evening was aimed at raising funds to enable promising youngsters to receive snooker coaching locally and to aid the West Yorkshire air ambulance.

Although in terms of dress it was formal there was a totally relaxed atmosphere about the event which saw Hunter take on some of the people who he played with and practiced with on the way up.

When I first saw and interviewed Hunter he was a 13 year-old schoolboy being allowed time off school in Moortown to practice.

He was at that stage a precocious talent being helped along his way at The Manor with regular practice with the then rising Otley snooker star Jon Knipe and top professional Joe Johnson.

How their fortunes have differed, Knipe having to give up all aspirations of being a top star after a severe beating in a Pontefract club left him fighting for his life. But Hunter has not forgotten and there were warm words for his old practice partner.

On a slow, unresponsive cloth Hunter found it difficult to play perfect positional play but showed with difficult shots that he has become an exceptional player of quality.

He delighted the audience but was disappointed himself not to make more than the one century break.

However with breaks of 67, 50, 54, 59, 52 and six others above 40 he made sure no one apart from former Leeds professional Alan Trigg was in with more than one chance in a frame.

Against Trigg Hunter trailed 62-8 but cleared the table with some stunning potting to level the frame score. Trigg showed he is still a class act but when the black ball was re-spotted the crowd became tense as each player had six shots before Trigg almost went in off at the same time as almost fluking the black. The ball settled close to the pocket and a grateful Hunter does not miss. He defeated Wharfedale player Richard Brooke 160-15, Tony Taylor 86-29, Jon Knipe 83-16, Chris Kilby 89-20, Andy Blamire 74-37, former Leeds snooker champion Bob Patterson 87-31, current Yorkshire champion Kevin Robinson 78-29, Wharfedale player Lee Ross 113-9 and Menston's Leighton Gauci, one of Yorkshire's top youngsters, 110-18. Matthew McHale was beaten 124-7.

The MC was local comedian Andy Swallow while the referee was Yeadon's international official Dave Richardson. The marker was Burley-in-Wharfedale's English Billiards champion Steve Crosland.