All-Round Genius

'If Max Woosnam had never been born,' says the author, someone would surelyave invented him'. He was an all-rounder to rank, or even out-rank, Ianotham, Denis Compton or Daley Thompson, but such was his modesty - and theheer range of sports to which he turned his hand - that no-one has evereard of him. As a schoolboy he scored 144 against MCC at Lord's. He playedootball before the First World War for the then-significant team Corinthianasuals and toured Brazil with them. Then he fought alongside Siegfriedassoon for four years on the Western Front. Back at Cambridge he earned noess then six Blues in everything from cricket to golf and squash. Then helayed for Chelsea - as an amateur. Then he signed for Manchester City, andn 1922 was capped for England. He won an Olympic Gold medal in 1920 - atennis, and won the Wimbledon doubles title the following year. He won ahooting gold medal at Bisley, he scored a 147 maximum at snooker, and hehallenged and beat all-comers at table tennis armed only with a bread knife,ncluding Charlie Chaplin. But all the meanwhile he held down a full-time job