Man once was England cricketer, FA Cup finalist and held world long jump record
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Charles (C.B) Fry puts up quite the argument for the title of 'ultimate sportsman'.
The Englishman played for his country in both cricket and football, an FA Cup finalist in the latter, while also representing the Barbarians – an exhibition world XI – in Rugby Union.
Incredibly, Fry wasn't finished there either, he held the British long jump record and equalled the world record in an athletics venture.
And it was also noted that Fry was also a decent shot putter, hammer thrower, and ice skater.
On top of all that Fry was dubbed the most handsome man in Britain, and he reportedly turned down the throne of Albania.
Despite all of his sporting exploits, Fry is best remembered for his cricketing career.
Fry bounced around county sides including London County, Hampshire, and Surrey.
However, his exploits for England in the early 20th century stand far as the highlight of Fry's career, and as a batsman, he bagged two test centuries.
Fry hit the peak powers in the early 1910s, and he once hit 258 not out for Hampshire as he awarded England captaincy.
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What makes Fry's rise to the top of cricket even more staggering is that he had already conquered the footballing world.
Fry turned out for both Southampton and Portsmouth while also having caps for the famed Corinthian-Casuals side.
During the 1901/02 season Fry, who was then at Southampton reached the FA Cup final with the Saints making appearances in all eight cup ties.
Southampton clashed with Sheffield United in the final, and after a 1-1 draw, the Blades won the replay 2-1 to claim their second Cup triumph.
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However, the First World War halted Fry's career, and the most extraordinary chapter in his life happened after the war ended in 1918.
When his friend and former teammate Ranjitsinhji was called to be one of India's representatives at the League of Nations in 1919, Fry joined him.
It was here Fry claimed he was approached by Albania to become the king of their nation after the ruling family had left for Germany.
- FA Cup
- Cricket
- Rugby union
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