[4] McCrea played and won his first tournament in 1919 at the County Dublin Championships where he reached the finals and defeated John King Maconchy in four sets.

He then traveled to Scarborough to take part in the North of England Championships where he progressed to the final, but was defeated by the South African international Brian Norton.

[1] In early 1922 he traveled to Spain to take part in the Barcelona International tournament on clay, where he progressed to the semi finals and lost to Manuel Alonso Areizaga.

He finished the season playing at the North of England Championships where he reached the final, but lost to the Anglo-Indian tennis player Sydney Jacob.

Whilst hosting a party at his home in Salford, a Luftwaffe parachute mine struck the house and exploded, killing all inside.