ONE OF THE BEST?.

[sayjann]

Max Woosnam 1892-1965

one of the great sportsman of his era.

 

smoked Capstan Full Strength all his adult life..........what an adventure they were.

 

while a schoolboy at Winchester Public School he played Cricket at Lords against the MCC and scored 144 and 33......both not out.

 

he went to Cambridge and won 5 Blues in Football,Cricket,Tennis,Real Tennis and Golf.

and before going to war played for Chelsea 3 times in Defence and helped the Team keep a clean sheet in each Game.

 

during the Great War he served in Gallipoli,the Middle East and the Western Front.

 

in 1920 (while playing Amateur Football for Man City) he had to turn down the oppurtunity to captain Great Britain at the Antwerp Olympics as he had already been selected for the Olympic Tennis squad.

 

he won Gold in the Men's doubles during the Morning and then had to play in the Mixed Doubles in the Afternoon and only won a Silver.

 

he later Captained Man City and was also Captain of the English Amateur Team which beat Wales.

 

he then won the Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon and then Captained the English entry in the Davis Cup.

after being knocked out he procedded to enter Golf matches against prominent Americans and won every one.

 

then it went downhill.

in the 20's he was invited to play Tennis with Charlie Chaplin (a keen player) and whooped his arse.

Chaplin then challenged him to a game of table tennis (and as legend says,Woosnam dropped the bat and played with a knife) and still beat Chaplin.

Chaplin was annoyed and used his contacts to have him deported.....i don't suppose the fact that he threw Chaplin into his own swimming pool during a dinner party helped.

 

in 1922 he broke a leg while playing Football for Man City and only played one more time in the next Year.

he had to quit Football but still represented Britain at Wimbledon and at the Davis Cup in the following Year before quitting sport.

 

but a quote from his Son says it all.

 

'Max Woosnam played for the love of competition,not for cash.

he had no ageent,no sponsors,no advertising deals.

he was an example of what sport once was and,and of what it should be'.

 

he took no Money in his career and also achieved a total clearance of 147 in a Game of Snooker.

 

he was a true Sportsman unlike many from our era.............