Sumner, Chris
aka Grecian the Lion
Chris was born in Exeter and became a fan of his home-town club at 9 years old when he first discovered the joys of football. His first City game was a 5-1 mauling at home to Chester City in April 1997, and although that could have put him off, that didn’t deter him from wanting to return to SJP.
The years passed and Chris became a regular at SJP, becoming a season-ticket holder in the early 2000’s, up until he answered the call of his club to become the club’s new mascot, Grecian the Lion.
Chris, also known as “Sums” by many around the club, was talked into taking the role as an impressionable 18-year-old at a Somerset cricket match after a few ciders in the sunshine. Being a man of his word, he contacted the club to offer his services, the suit fitted and the rest is history!
Chris represented our club as Grecian the Lion on match days and at local events, took part in various mascot races through the years, went pitch side at Wembley (4 times!), lost his head at half time once and had a habit of wiping his backside with the opposition goalkeeper’s towel at the start of the second half in front of an amused Big Bank! He also met a few famous faces during that time including Jeff Stelling, Andrew Lincoln and Joss Stone to name but a few.
But the great thing Chris treasures about it all is making a positive difference to the match day of those visiting SJP, whether it was to sign an autograph or pose for a photo. No matter what the result on the pitch, it always gave him pride that he was able to make that positive difference to someone else’s match day experience.
From taking on the role in July 2006, it was something Chris would undertake for the club up until December 2021, when illness sadly took hold just after Christmas and he had to focus on his recovery back to good health, resulting in a long hospital stay.
Since recovering from illness and returning to SJP as a fan in September 2022, Chris’s love for the club is still as unwavering as ever and he has become a season-ticket holder once again, usually attending matches with his wife Kate and father-in-law Graham.
Chris is proud of the years he was able to give back to the club he loves, and looks back on those years in the lion suit with great fondness. However, he is very much enjoying attending games as “just a fan” once again, and is looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the current iterations of Grecian and Lexi, knowing that he played a part in getting them to where they are today.
The years passed and Chris became a regular at SJP, becoming a season-ticket holder in the early 2000’s, up until he answered the call of his club to become the club’s new mascot, Grecian the Lion.
Chris, also known as “Sums” by many around the club, was talked into taking the role as an impressionable 18-year-old at a Somerset cricket match after a few ciders in the sunshine. Being a man of his word, he contacted the club to offer his services, the suit fitted and the rest is history!
Chris represented our club as Grecian the Lion on match days and at local events, took part in various mascot races through the years, went pitch side at Wembley (4 times!), lost his head at half time once and had a habit of wiping his backside with the opposition goalkeeper’s towel at the start of the second half in front of an amused Big Bank! He also met a few famous faces during that time including Jeff Stelling, Andrew Lincoln and Joss Stone to name but a few.
But the great thing Chris treasures about it all is making a positive difference to the match day of those visiting SJP, whether it was to sign an autograph or pose for a photo. No matter what the result on the pitch, it always gave him pride that he was able to make that positive difference to someone else’s match day experience.
From taking on the role in July 2006, it was something Chris would undertake for the club up until December 2021, when illness sadly took hold just after Christmas and he had to focus on his recovery back to good health, resulting in a long hospital stay.
Since recovering from illness and returning to SJP as a fan in September 2022, Chris’s love for the club is still as unwavering as ever and he has become a season-ticket holder once again, usually attending matches with his wife Kate and father-in-law Graham.
Chris is proud of the years he was able to give back to the club he loves, and looks back on those years in the lion suit with great fondness. However, he is very much enjoying attending games as “just a fan” once again, and is looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the current iterations of Grecian and Lexi, knowing that he played a part in getting them to where they are today.
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