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Chris spent his childhood and teenage years in East Horsley, Surrey and excelled in tennis and football from an early age, following in his father’s footsteps, who played tennis and football for Denmark.
From day one at Lancing, Chris was the source of entertainment and the linchpin of the sports teams. His natural talents for both were an inspiration to his peers. He was a very welcome companion, always ready to chat, laugh and challenge.
Chris was elevated to the first team at football and the first six at tennis at an early age, helping both teams win many inter-school competitions and earning Lancing a reputation as the one of the best at both of these sports in the south of England.
Far from being smug about his natural talents, Chris was genuinely humble believing that it was the team that counted and would deflect compliments that came his way. This humility was not confined to sport but was in all aspects of Chris’ life and he was appreciated and loved all the more for it.
He also had an excuse for everything and his greatest delight in life was getting away with something. One of his best side-steps was not succumbing to pancreatitis 30 years ago when he had, according to the intensive care doctors, a 10% chance of survival, we are so very grateful for the extra 30 years of friendship. Chris was so good at defying the odds that we fully expected him to out-live us all.
Chris was very spiritual. His strong belief gave him the strength and fortitude to face whatever came his way, and his ability to see the good in people was an inspiration to his many friends and family.
He held on to his Lancing friendships throughout his life, a testament to his loyalty, humour, and kindness. To quote one of his best friends from Lancing, “If the world was full of Chrises, there would never be a war.”
Justin Clark (Sanderson’s 1976-1981)