Christopher (‘Chris’) Johnson has boasted of his ‘many’ sporting achievements including playing tennis with the ‘greats’ – Fred Perry, Roscoe Tanner, Wendy Turnball, Cliff Drysdale and “others”.

He told me no one believes him but he sent me two photographs that gives an element of truth to his claims. Certainly he is partnering Roscoe Tanner in a doubles match at the Cayman Islands Tennis Club and the other photograph shows him with Wendy Turnball and Cliff Drysdale.

The message on the second photograph from Cliff Drysdale says, “Thanks for the memeories!!!” Note the THREE exclamation marks. I can only wonder about the ‘memories’ but Chris is tight lipped about them. What happens after tennis matches, though, is often a ‘racket’!

Chris brought my attention to the opening of the Cayman Islands Tennis Club in South Sound in October 1980 when he was President, as it fitted in well with the present October “2012 Legends Championships”.

“In those days,” he said, “My regular tennis partner was Brian Finnegan who used to play with Fred. Brian played on the tennis circuit for many years and played at Wimbledon at 8 tournaments. He stopped playing when he was 84. He was a past president of the Cayman Islands Tennis Club and always willing to pass a few coaching tips for lesser mortals that played the game.”

The club was opened by Fred Perry and Chris said it was thanks to Brian Finnegan who knew the Perry family very well, including Barbara Perry, Fred’s wife. At the time Brian was President of the Club and Chris was Vice-president and “between us we thought it a good idea to bring Fred and his wife down.”

Chris remembered the opening day very well because on that Saturday afternoon there was torrential rain and it delayed the ribbon cutting. But it did not deter over 200 people attending along with the then governor, Thomas Russell.

Chris said in his opening address, “Few of those founder members today could have envisaged four tennis courts, and a club house, just six years after the foundation of the original club.”

Johnson also said that it was in 1972 a small group of tennis enthusiasts that included Derek Wight (who sadly died at the end of November last year), Atlee Bodden and Bryan Lauer started to play at the old Galleon Beach site (now the Westin Hotel) and it was felt the time was right to organise an association.

The Cayman Islands Tennis Association was established in 1974 and Bryan Lauer became its first president. Chris lamented that Bryan had died only the Sunday just before the opening ceremony in the UK.

“We played on leased courts,” Chris continued, “with an initial membership of 28.”

Chris paid tribute to Dave Mitchell and Bob Greenwood for assisting in the preceding years up to the time the club was officially launched.

Chris also mentioned a number of other persons who also had helped including Michael Cantin, Naul Bodden, David Bodden, Sybil McLaughlin and Myrna Gregson. He especially made mention of Bill Gunner who built the clubhouse and Peter Phillips who provided the electrics.

But tennis was not the only sporting memory.

Chris claims that it was because he brought some hockey sticks to Grand Cayman in 1981 that the Cayman Islands Hockey club came about. He and Tim Haddleton became the leading lights and they used, at first the old Agricultural Ground, in George Town by the Owen Roberts Airport, known now as “The Oval” and shared it with cricket. Then it was the turn of the John Gray school playground to be so “honoured”.

And talking of cricket …..

Chris was one of the Village Greenies most emphatic players. Whether it was with the bat or his very tricky ever so slow bowling (so slow the batsman fell asleep waiting for the ball to pitch near him) Chris made his indelible mark on Cayman’s cricketing history.

When England Test Cricket fast bowler legend, Fred Truman, brought down his touring team to the Cayman Islands Chris was there to capture the wickets of Farouk Engineer, Robin Hobbs, Charlie Griffiths and Fred Truman.

“We had to call Fred back,” Chris told me, “because we told the umpire, Cyril Garbit, to call a ‘no ball’, but he was really out.”

To finally use Chris’s last words to me in the interview ……

“Such a career.”