Anne Shilcock
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jacqueline Anne Shilcock (later Spann, 13 June 1932 – April 2019) was a British tennis player who was active in the 1950s. She won
1955 Wimbledon Championships The 1955 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 20 June until Saturday 2 July 1955. It was the 69th ...
in women's doubles with
Angela Mortimer Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett, Order of the British Empire, MBE (née Mortimer; born 21 April 1932) is a British former world No. 1 tennis player. Mortimer won three Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam singles titles: the 1955 French Cham ...
, becoming the first all-British team to win since 1937.


Career

She played singles in the
Wightman Cup The Wightman Cup was an annual team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 (except during World War II) between teams from the United States and Great Britain. History U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generat ...
in 1954, losing to
Doris Hart Doris Hart (June 20, 1925 – May 29, 2015) was an American tennis player who was active in the 1940s and first half of the 1950s. She was ranked world No. 1 in 1951. She was the fourth player, and second woman, to win a Career Grand Slam in sing ...
and
Maureen Connolly Maureen Catherine Connolly-Brinker (née Connolly; September 17, 1934 – June 21, 1969), known as "Little Mo", was an American tennis player, the winner of nine major singles titles in the early 1950s. In 1953, she became the first woman to win ...
, and doubles in 1953 with Angela Mortimer, in 1957 with Ann Haydon, and in 1958 with Pat Ward, the year Britain won for the first time since 1930. Shilcock was a forceful and effective attacking doubles player, especially but by no means exclusively on fast courts, in 1953 winning the Lyons doubles with Susan Partridge Chatrier, Monte Carlo with Pat Ward, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Championships doubles with Mortimer and the mixed with Destremau, with Mortimer reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon, the final of the Eastern Grass Court tournament, taking a set from Doris Hart and Shirley Fry, and winning the
British Covered Court Championships The British Covered Court Championships (BCCC) was an indoor tennis event held from 1885 through 1971 and played in London, England. The tournament dates fluctuated between October and March. History For its first five years the tournament was hel ...
doubles. In 1954 she won the Scandinavian Covered Courts doubles with Mortimer, the French Covered Courts and Lyons doubles with Susan Partridge Chatrier and reached the final of the British Hard Courts doubles with Helen Fletcher. She and Angela Mortimer, seeded 3, reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. In America, playing with Helen Fletcher, she reached the semifinals of the US nationals, the finals of the Eastern and Essex tournaments and won the Maidstone. In mixed doubles, she reached the quarterfinals of the Nationals and won the Pacific Coast. In 1955, she won the Pierre Gillou doubles with Susan Partridge Chatrier, beating Pat Ward and Angela Buxton, and the Scandinavian Covered Courts with Angela Mortimer with whom she lost the final of the British Hard Courts championships to Shirley Bloomer Brasher and Pat Ward Hales, a result triumphantly reversed in the Wimbledon final later in the year. With Robert (Bob) Howe, she won the mixed in the British Hard Courts Championships and in the Northern Tournament at Manchester where she also won the doubles with Louise Brough. She won the doubles and mixed with Pat Ward Hales and Billy Knight in the British Covered courts championships at the end of the year. In 1956, she again won the Pierre Gillou doubles with Chatrier and the Scandinavian with Angela Mortimer, beating Althea Gibson and Joan Johnson. She also won the doubles at the Northern Manchester with Dorothy Knode, beating Angelas Buxton and Mortimer and Thelma Long and Betty Pratt. She and Angela Mortimer lost their Wimbledon title in the semifinals, losing to Fay Miller and Daphne Seeney: nonetheless this was the fourth consecutive year that the pair had reached the semifinals or beyond. She won the Coup Canet Paris with Pat Ward, the British Covered Courts championship doubles with Pat Ward, beating Shirley Bloomer and Angela Buxton and the mixed with Geoff Paish. In 1957, Shilcock won the German Covered Courts Championships with Pat Ward, beating Thelma Long and Erika Vollmer and won the mixed with legend Budge Patty in Monte Carlo. She and Pat Ward were narrowly beaten in the final of the British Hard Courts championships by Shirley Bloomer and Darlene Hard. In 1958, she won doubles in the British Covered Courts and Hard Courts Championships, where she also won the mixed. With Pat Ward she beat
Sandra Reynolds Sandra Reynolds Price (née Reynolds; born 4 March 1934) is a South African former tennis player who won four Grand Slam women's doubles championships and one Grand Slam mixed doubles championship. Her best Grand Slam singles result was reachi ...
and Renee Schuurman in an International match vs South Africa. They also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, losing to Thelma Long and Mary Hawton. In 1959 she and Susan Partridge Chatrier reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, losing rather easily to eventual champions Darlene Hard and Jeanne Arth. For 7 out of the 8 years from 1953 to 1959 inclusive, she had reached at least the quarterfinal of this event. Shilcock was also a fine singles player. She reached the last 16 of the French Championships in 1953 (as 15th seed, beating
Erika Vollmer Erika Vollmer (née Obst; 23 February 1925 - 25 July 2021) was a German professional female tennis player who lost the final of Italian Championships singles title to British player Patricia Ward by 4–6, 3–6 in 1955. She won the German nat ...
and losing to
Doris Hart Doris Hart (June 20, 1925 – May 29, 2015) was an American tennis player who was active in the 1940s and first half of the 1950s. She was ranked world No. 1 in 1951. She was the fourth player, and second woman, to win a Career Grand Slam in sing ...
), of the Wimbledon championships in the same year (losing to Maureen Connolly) and of the US Nationals in 1954 (losing again to Doris Hart). She was especially effective on covered courts, in singles as well as doubles, reaching the final of the Scandinavian championships in 1955, losing to
Angela Mortimer Florence Angela Margaret Mortimer Barrett, Order of the British Empire, MBE (née Mortimer; born 21 April 1932) is a British former world No. 1 tennis player. Mortimer won three Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam singles titles: the 1955 French Cham ...
, reaching the semifinals in 1956, losing to Althea Gibson and winning it in 1957 by beating
Thelma Long Thelma Dorothy Coyne Long (née Coyne; 14 October 1918 – 13 April 2015) was an Australian tennis player and one of the female players who dominated Australian tennis from the mid-1930s to the 1950s. During her career, she won 19 Grand S ...
and Angela Mortimer. That year Shilcock also won the German Covered Courts title, beating Thelma Long and Christiane Mercelis (who had beaten Pat Ward). She won the British Covered Courts title in 1955 beating Pat Ward, then US finalist, 6–2, 6–4, reached the final by beating Shirley Bloomer in straight sets in 1956, losing to Angela Buxton, and won it again in 1958, beating Pat Ward and the young Christine Truman. In 56 she won the Pierre Gillou beating Susan Chatrier and beat Pat Ward to win Coup Canet Paris She was also good on grass. In 1953, she reached the last 8 of the Eastern Grass Court tournament beating fourth seed Helen Perez before losing in three sets to Angela Mortimer, and in 1954 reached the same stage of the same tournament and the semifinal of the Essex County Tournament. Also on grass, Shilcock had some notable wins in the Manchester Northern tournament, reaching the quarterfinals in 1954 before losing to Maureen Connolly, in 1955 the semifinal, losing to Lousie Brough, in 56 beating Sandra Reynolds, Betty Pratt and losing in three sets to
Dorothy Knode Alice Dorothy Head Knode (née Head; July 4, 1925 – October 25, 2015), also known as Dottie Head Knode, was an American tennis player who reached the women's singles final of the French International Championships in 1955, losing to Angela Mo ...
in the quarterfinal. In 1957, she reached the final, losing to Althea Gibson and in 1958 beat Thelma Long, Dorothy Knode and
Janet Hopps Janet Hopps Adkisson (born August 4, 1934) is a former professional tennis player from the U.S. Adkisson was ranked in the top 15 female tennis players three times, and was, according to the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame, "once recogniz ...
to reach the semifinal where she again lost to Althea Gibson. Surbiton was another grass court tournament where she played well. In 1954, she beat Angela Mortimer in straight sets to reach the semifinals, where she only lost in a three-set match to
Shirley Fry Shirley June Fry Irvin (née Fry; June 30, 1927 – July 13, 2021) was an American tennis player. During her career, which lasted from the early 1940s until the mid-1950s, she won the singles title at all four Grand Slam events, as well as 13 dou ...
. In 1956 Shilcock reached the final, beating that year's Wimbledon finalist Angela Buxton, and extended
Althea Gibson Althea Neale Gibson (August 25, 1927September 28, 2003) was an American tennis player and professional golfer, and one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. In 1956, she became the first African America ...
to 6–3, 13–11. In the same year she also extended Gibson at Wimbledon, taking a set from her in the 3rd round after beating the young Ann Haydon (Jones) in three sets. At Beckenham in 1955, she took
Louise Brough Althea Louise Brough Clapp (née Brough; March 11, 1923 – February 3, 2014) was an American tennis player. In her career between 1939 and 1959, she won six Grand Slam titles in singles as well as numerous doubles and mixed-doubles titles. At ...
to three sets in the semifinal. On hard courts Shilcock reached the quarterfinals of the
British Hard Court Championships The British Hard Court Championships was a Grand Prix tennis and WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament, played in the Open Era from 1968 to 1983 and again (albeit not named as such) from 1995 to 1999. History As an amateur tournament, the inaug ...
four times: in 1953 (losing to
Shirley Fry Shirley June Fry Irvin (née Fry; June 30, 1927 – July 13, 2021) was an American tennis player. During her career, which lasted from the early 1940s until the mid-1950s, she won the singles title at all four Grand Slam events, as well as 13 dou ...
), in 1955, in 56 (beating the young
Christine Truman Christine Clara Truman Janes (born 16 January 1941) is a former tennis player from the United Kingdom who was active from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. She won a singles Grand Slam title at the French Championships in 1959 and was a finalist ...
and losing to Darlene Hard) and 1958 (losing to Truman in three sets). On one occasion she reached the semifinal, in 1957, beating Truman 6–2, 6–2 again. She lost to Shirley Bloomer. She was also semifinalist in the 1956 German Championships and in the 1957 Monte Carlo tournament. On high bouncing cement she reached the final of the
Pacific Coast Championships The Pacific Coast Championships were an annual men's tennis tournament founded as the Pacific States Championships or the Pacific Coast Sectional Championships also known as the Pacific Coast International Championships. It was the second-oldest ...
in 1954. Her last appearance at Wimbledon was in 1960 when she lost to 2nd seed
Darlene Hard Darlene Ruth Hard (January 6, 1936 – December 2, 2021) was an American professional tennis player, known for her aggressive volleying ability and strong serves. She captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S. Cha ...
in the second round in two sets. As Mrs Spann, she won the professional championships at Eastbourne.


Personal life

Shilcock married J. K. Spann in 1960, and lived in
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
for the last 40 years of her life. She died there in late April 2019, at the age of 86.


Grand slam finals


Doubles (1 title)


Grand Slam singles tournament timeline


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shilcock, Anne Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) 2019 deaths Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's doubles 1932 births People from Hartfield English female tennis players British female tennis players English emigrants to South Africa Tennis players from East Sussex 20th-century English sportswomen