Horace Francis Crowther Smith
X: Crowther Smith
Showing how the author submits himself to the same treatment he has dealt out to others
X-cuse me for putting myself in the book
But I wanted to show you how I think I look
In addition to the above couplet is another, at the top, deleted in pen and pencil; in the event he allocated I to K H Izard one of the Best Ten players of 1912:
I stands for me as I think I must look
To the thousands (?) of people who pick up this book)
Horace Francis Crowther Smith (1873-1959) was a competent player who won the Champion Cup in 1914. Unfortunately he created bad feeling by keeping the Cup until he had the opportunity to defend his title, and was forced to return it in 1918. He had resigned as an associate during the War and the Council, incensed at the trouble and expense about the Cup, refused to reinstate him until he apologised, which was not until 1924. 1 He was also runner-up in the Open championship of 1919.
(A longer note including his croquet publications is available on request)
| Whatman Drawing Board 188 x 272 mm. There is an approx 1 cm strip of paper on the R edge which may have held the cover sheet . Label on reverse No 2535 (title 1) A loose sheet of poor quality wove paper has deteriorated and crumbled around all edges, but shows a large X followed by the couplet below. On the image itself are two pinpricks about 30mm from the left and two similarly on the right which on the front have been filled leaving a slight smudge of white which shows on the reproduction. The image is mildly foxed at the corners. |
1The History of Croquet, Col D M C Prichard, London, 1981 p 85