Frederick Wilding (20 November 1852 – 5 July 1945) played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

in the 1880s and 1890s. He also played tennis and was a noted athlete.

Early life

Wilding was born in Montgomery, Wales in 1852. His father, John Powell Wilding (1812–1872), was a surgeon. His mother was Harriet (). He was educated at

Hereford Cathedral School Hereford Cathedral School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school for pupils of ages 3 to 18 years, from Nursery to Sixth Form. Its headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. The school's prem ...

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a populatio ...

and at

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13 –18) in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by Royal Charter, it was originally a boarding school for boys; girls have been admitted into th ...

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'S ...

, England. He gained admission as a solicitor in 1874. Wilding was prominent as an athlete in the west of England. In June 1879, he married Julia Wilding (née Anthony), the daughter of a mayor of Hereford. In the same year, they emigrated from Herefordshire to New Zealand.

Life in New Zealand

Wilding became a well-to-do lawyer in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, New Zealand, and was appointed a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1913. Their house, "Fownhope" in St Martins, Christchurch, had two tennis courts, an asphalt winter court and a summer grass court. He founded Wilding Park, which is today the largest tennis centre in Canterbury. He won the New Zealand doubles title five times between 1887 and 1894 with his partner Richard Harman. Their son

Tony Wilding Anthony Frederick Wilding (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915), also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered the world's first tennis superstar, Wildin ...

, was a world champion

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

player, and played cricket for Canterbury, but was killed in action during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

. Their daughter

Cora Wilding Cora Hilda Blanche Wilding (15 November 1888 – 8 October 1982) was a New Zealand physiotherapist and artist, best remembered for her advocacy of outdoor activities and children’s health camps in the 1930s. She was instrumental in the foundin ...

was an artist and outdoor enthusiast, and founded the

Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand The Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand (often shortened to YHA New Zealand or YHANZ) is a youth hostelling association in New Zealand. it comprises 16 privately owned associate backpacker hostels—8 in the North Island, and 9 in the Sout ...

in 1932. He died, aged 92, in Christchurch on 5 July 1945, and was buried at

Bromley Cemetery Bromley Cemetery is a cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It occupies approximately 10 hectares to the east of the city centre, on the corner of Keighleys Road and Linwood Avenue. The Christchurch City Council maintains and administers the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilding, Frederick 1852 births 1945 deaths Burials at Bromley Cemetery Canterbury cricketers New Zealand cricketers New Zealand male tennis players New Zealand King's Counsel People from Montgomeryshire Sportspeople from Powys Welsh emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand sports executives and administrators People educated at Hereford Cathedral School People educated at Shrewsbury School 19th-century New Zealand lawyers