Soccer loses a stalwart

10:41am Thursday 8th May 2008

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EIGHTEEN months after being diagnosed with a brain tumour, 51-year-old Andrew Cripps from Marlborough, a leading figure in the town's soccer club, has died.

Mr Cripps, who worked as a procurement officer with BT in Swindon, had a house in the town, but returned to his parents, Dennis and Hope, to be cared for.

He died at their home in Five Stiles Road on Monday last week.

Cremation took place at Swindon on Friday with a humanist service in which his close friend, the singer song-writer Nick Harper, took part, playing a musical tribute.

Andy Cripps had been a stalwart member of Marlborough Town Football Club for years and was its treasurer and had been its vice chairman.

He was following in the tradition of his father who had played for the club in his youth and had been the chairman.

Many of his relatives had also put in sterling service with the club as players or committee members.

Mr Cripps was born in Malta where his submariner father was based with the Royal Navy.

He was a toddler when the family returned to England to live at Portsmouth and two or three years later settled back in their hometown, Marlborough.

Mr Cripps went to school in Marlborough and took his A-levels at Swindon College before joining Marlborough accountants Brading and Barber.

He later went to work for BT and bought a home in Swindon.

It was there that he became the proud tenant of an allotment, from which he provided vegetables and soft fruit for his family.

Mr Cripps loved travelling, especially to Switzerland where he enjoyed walking holidays.

He had just returned from a holiday there in October 2006 when he began to complain of headaches.

His doctor sent him for hospital tests that confirmed he had a brain tumour.

Within days he had been operated on at the John Radcliffe Hospital in oxford.

His surgery was followed by radiation therapy, which damaged his optic nerves, leaving him blind.

He put up with his illness bravely, said his parents.

His father said: "He never once complained about his illness."

After losing his sight, Mr Cripps occupied himself with his music, which had always been a passion, and by keeping up with the world news on his radio.

His father said: "He knew more about what was going on in the world than we did."

Soccer was a big part of his life and his mum said: "Our one regret is that he did not live to see the cup final, because he was an ardent Portsmouth supporter from when he was a child."