Best British sportsman/woman of all time?

[Sam Slater]

Cast your votes.

[fudgeflaps]

Far too tough, that 'un fella- along the lines of 'best movie/ album/ song etc of all time'.

!confused!

Will have a wee think, to entertain your very specific question..

!sherlock!

[diplodocus]

tough one, first couple of names that spring to mind are John Surtees and Steve Redgrave, but i'm sure more will pop up

[fudgeflaps]

In terms of both domination and mastery of their chosen sport, it has to be either Stphen Hendy of snooker, or Phil 'The Power' Taylor of darts.

I just doesn't seem right, though.

Redgrave sounds a good bet, for all roundedness you could have big Daley Thompson.

[Trumpton]

It'd have to be a boxer because boxing, especially the boxing from yesteryear when there were more rounds per bout and less medical facilities available, is the hardest and toughest sport.

[fudgeflaps]

If best sportsman, period, it would easily be the incomparable Ali. In this case, not a Brit boxer, IMHO.

[Ace]

Good question.
Obviously everyone has their own opinion, but for most endearing after all these years, I'd put Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Henry Cooper up there, along with Sir Bobby Moore
Legends all of 'em......perfect gents as well...especially Sir Bobby Moore who took the rap for someone robbing a bracelet in the run up to the World Cup in Mexico 1970

[fudgeflaps]

Sir Bobby is a great call, an amazing player and humble and dignified despite well capable of whipping all of today's top-earners with their delusions.

All Sir Bob wants to do is teach the kids and pass his considerable experience down.

A great sportsman and ambassador to footie and sport.

[Trumpton]

And an amateur. To play and succeed at the highest level, and not to be paid for doing so is a great and noble achievement.

[Sam Slater]

What about this guy:

Cricket

A highly effective right-handed batsman, he captained both Sussex and England, and scored over 30,000 first-class runs at an average of over 50 (a particularly high figure for an era when scores were generally lower than today). When he stopped playing, in 1921, he had the second highest average of any player who had retired with over 10,000 runs.

He headed the batting averages for five English seasons (in 1901, 1903, 1907, 1911 and 1912).

He scored 94 first-class centuries, including an unprecedented six consecutive centuries in 1901.

No-one else has scored more consecutive hundreds.[3] He captained England in six Test matches in 1912, of which England won four and drew two.

Track and Field

In athletics, he equalled the then world long jump record of 23 feet 6 1/2 inches (7.17 metres) in 1893 (tied with the American Charles Reber).

At the world's first international match, Oxford v Yale at the Queen's Club, West Kensington, in 1894, Fry came third in the long jump and won the 100 yards dash. Whilst the Americans started the race in the familiar crouch position, this guy started the race from a standing start, with one leg off the ground!

Football

Played professional football for Southampton, Portsmouth and England, and reached the FA Cup final in 1901-02 season, losing narrowly to Sheffield Utd.

He also played Rugby Union for Oxford University, Blackheath and Barbarians. To top it off, he was a decent acrobat and could jump backwards, from a stationary position, onto a mantelpiece!

Academically, he graduated from Oxford, became a teacher at Charterhouse, and was promoted to Captain in the Royal Navel Reserve.
Politically he became advisor to the Indian delegation at the league of nations, and was said to have been offered the throne of Albania, to which he declined because he just didn't have the time!

His name was Charles Burgess Fry.

Oh, did I mention he became an editor and publisher? (of what I do not know)

Now......you tell me a sportsman ANYWHERE that can have a cv like that!