A great story if you've got a few minutes spare... please log in to view this image Numerous lists have been constructed over the years ranking the greatest British sportsmen of all-time; from polls of the British public to lists compiled by ‘experts’. The likes of Bobby Moore, Ian Botham, Steve Redgrave, Bradley Wiggins and Jackie Stewart are regularly near the top of the list, all of whom have been knighted. However, when it comes to Britain’s greatest all-round sportsmen, the four men we will cover over the next month come out streets ahead. We start with Woosnam, won gold in the tennis at the 1920 Olympics, won the doubles at Wimbledon, compiled a 147 break in snooker, scored a century at Lords and captained both Manchester City and England. Full article - http://ahalftimereport.com/2015/08/28/britains-greatest-sportsmen-part-1-max-woosnam/
Hard to say they're streets ahead, as the standard then is so different to the standard today. People like Botham managed to play two sports, but says himself it's unlikely he'd have been able to even just a few years later as standards have grown so much. Today, footballers get rich, but back then, it was mainly the rich that could play sports.
That is amazing story, you can question the level of competition during his time with Football, Tennis etc, but to score a 147 break at snooker and be a scratch Golfer shows what a wonderful all round sportsman he was and obviously had a fantastic eye for a ball.
He's got a pretty impressive CV, that's for sure. Presumably the other three will be CB Fry, Denis Compton and me.
Britain's Greatest Sportsmen – Part 2: C.B. Fry please log in to view this image Sportsman, academic, diplomat, politician. These are all job description which apply to one C.B. Fry. Having begun our look at Britain’s greatest all-round sportsmen with Max Woosnam, next up is Charles Burgess Fry, better known simply as ‘C.B. Fry’. In terms of sports, Fry excelled in many, but none more so than cricket. As well as being one of the countries finest cricketers, Fry was also gifted in athletics, most notably the long jump, where he set the British record and equaled the world-record once. He was also proficient in the shot put, hammer throwing, javelin, ice skating, golf, high jump, hurdles, rugby union, swimming, boxing, tennis, acrobatics, and of course, football, where he played in an FA Cup Final with Southampton and represented England at international level. Full article - http://ahalftimereport.com/2015/09/08/britains-greatest-cb-fry/
Agreed. Getting the maximum score at any game is outstanding. 147 in snooker or regular breaks of 100+ is so difficult. To master in all these varied sports is magnificent. I doff my hat to you Max Woosnam
Especially after he stabbed through their hand to affix them to the table with said butter knife. Canny bugger he was.
Botham was a fantastic natural allround sportsman. Was a world class batsman, bowler AND fielder in cricket which is quite a rare achievement. He trained with Scunnies to get fit for a winter tour and ended up playing a fair few games for them. I do remember him playing at Boothferry Pk, was actually a reasonable centre back. Was a real test of City loyalty joining in the Kempton 'Fat Bastard', '****er' chants aimed at my sporting hero. He also played in a pro am golf tournament at a famous course. At a certain green, there was a plaque recognising that a top golfer (think it was Greg Norman) had managed to hit the green in one. Botham actually achieved it. Managed this career despite a huge propensity for beer, pub brawls, cannabis use etc. He also raised millions for charity through numerous huge marathon walks. Like him or not, was a fantastic character. His son actually surpassed his dad by playing 3 professional sports.......cricket and the two rugby codes.
Britain’s Greatest Sportsmen – Part 3: Cuthbert Ottaway... please log in to view this image The third instalment of our look at Britain’s four greatest all-round sportsmen sees us turn our attention to one Cuthbert John Ottaway. Whilst the tale of C.B. Fry was tinged with tragedy, as Fry failed to reach the heights he should have in a number of his pursuits, before eventually falling into madness and having a growing admiration of Adolf Hitler, Ottaway’s story is a genuine tragedy, and the least well-told. He represented Oxford University at five different sports – football, cricket, racquets, athletics and real tennis – making him the first and still the only person to ever represent their university in five sports. He was the first ever captain of the England football team, in the world’s first officially recognised international football match. He also played in three consecutive FA Cup finals, winning one, and was widely regarded as one of the finest cricketers of his generation, twice scoring first-class centuries despite being a largely defensive player. Full article - http://ahalftimereport.com/2015/09/17/britains-greatest-cuthbert-ottaway/
