da dobrowin： Martin Williamson reviews All-Round Genius: The Unknown Story of Britain’s Greatest Sportsman, by Mick Collins

da realsbet： Martin Williamson19-Aug-2006We live in a time when the media create sporting heroes andmillionaires out of many individuals who are really fairly ordinary.It’s a contrast to an earlier era when people whose feats these days would make them household names took part for the fun of it. With fewexceptions, money did not come into it.One such character was Max Woosnam, a character so colourful that ifsomeone told you his story you would justifiably be forgiven for thinking he was the invention of an Edwardian Boys’ Own type ofadventure.His achievements are remarkable – he won an Olympic gold at tennis, aswell as a Wimbledon mixed doubles title and also captained Great Britain in the Davis Cup; he skippered Manchester City, and led boththe amateur and full England side in the same season; he scored ahundred at Lord’s; he obtained five Blues at Cambridge; and he wasfairly handy at golf and snooker. He also managed all this as an amateur, and unlike many of his peers, he was not well off and had tofit in his sport while working full time. He also distinguishedhimself in the Great War. And yet, despite this, he is almost totallyforgotten.It is the unearthing of his remarkable tale that makes All-RoundGenius: The Unknown Story of Britain’s Greatest Sportsman by MickCollins such an enjoyable read. These days, those who are good at more than one sport are urged to concentrate on one pursuit and welong for the days of the multi-faceted players. But what comes acrosshere is that had Woosnam decided on football or tennis, he would haveexcelled. As it is, he ended up juggling several balls.His cricket was almost entirely confined to his time at school, but hewas clearly very good at it. After leaving Winchester he effectivelygave up, reasoning that it took too long and he could pursue severalvaried games in the time it took to play a match. Much the sameapplied to golf, even though he was a scratch player. Boredom caused by him finding things being so easy was one his perennial sportingconundrums.His prowess at games, however, was not matched by his role as a fatherwhich left much to be desired, even by the standards of those less hands-on times. Clearly, his family ranked very low in his peckingorder. Perfection has its price.Collins is to be congratulated on bringing Woosnam alive for a newgeneration. It is a story that is well worth a read even if the sports he excelled at are not exactly your cup of tea.