Pro Footballers/Cricketers

[BigGully]

Its a shame in some ways that if you are a budding sportschild and you are forced to make a choice between both sports.

Its generally crikets loss.

Most young children that have the virtues that are needed to succeed at sport such as co-ordination, athleticism, competitiveness etc. can be indentified at an early age and at such a tender age could probably turn their hands to most sports and be skilled at it.

That is why there has been so many playing successfully at both disciplines.

These days football tend to hook these youngsters ahead of cricket and is to the detriment of cricket.

Those youngster too, miss out experiencing the mix of sports that other generations have enjoyed.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Didn't Botham play league football at one point?

If memory serves was it Scunthorpe?

Brighton and Sussex ?

 

[Seecider]

Arthur Milton was the last dual international.

I think I am correct in that Chris Balderstione was the last player to play top flight cricket and football on the same day. Played a days cricket and then in a 7.30 evening kick off.

 

[Norman Potting]

Arthur Milton was the last dual international.

I think I am correct in that Chris Balderstione was the last player to play top flight cricket and football on the same day. Played a days cricket and then in a 7.30 evening kick off.

Yes, assuming you trust Wikipedia Chris Balderstone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Graham Cross ? Ted Helmsley ?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Graham Cross played for Leicestershire

 

[beardy gull]

Excellent, is he a neighbour of yours, or did he just happen to be passing?

I think he must live locally. Thoroughly pleasant chap.

 

[hart's shirt]

Its a shame in some ways that if you are a budding sportschild and you are forced to make a choice between both sports.

Its generally crikets loss.

Most young children that have the virtues that are needed to succeed at sport such as co-ordination, athleticism, competitiveness etc. can be indentified at an early age and at such a tender age could probably turn their hands to most sports and be skilled at it.

That is why there has been so many playing successfully at both disciplines.

These days football tend to hook these youngsters ahead of cricket and is to the detriment of cricket.

Those youngster too, miss out experiencing the mix of sports that other generations have enjoyed.

Indeed, BG. Jim Courier, 4 time Grand Slam winner, was offered a baseball scholarship before opting for tennis.


I'm flabbergasted that the immortal C.B. Fry hasn't had a mention as yet for his feats in Cricket, Athletics, Football and Rugby Union.

Cricket - Oxford University, Sussex (captain), Hampshire and England (captain), over 30,000 firstclass runs with an average over 50 and 94 centuries. (For those who on NSC who believe their better sporting days are behind them, in 1921 he was invited to captain England again at the age of 49!)

Athletics - equalled the then World Long Jump record (7.17m) in 1893.

Football - Oxford University, FA Cup Finalist with Southampton, capped once by England

Rugby Union - Oxford University, Barbarians

An extraordinary fellow with a fascinating life away from the sporting playfields on England too - a teacher at Charterhouse, a captain in the Royal Naval Reserve, Liberal candidate for parliament in the Brighton, Banbury and Oxford constituencies, speech-writer and advisor for India at the League of Nations in Geneva, book and magazine author and a BBC radio commentator.

There were some questionable and less palatable moments in his life - entertaining Hitler Youth and meeting Hitler himself during the 1930s - and a sad conclusion to his life when he became increasingly eccentric and occasionally could be viewed running down Brighton beach naked at a time when this would have been scandalous.

All of that aside, Fry unquestionably was without peer and is arguably the most remarkable sportsman who has ever lived.