Ethel Thomson Larcombe

Ethel Thomson Larcombe
Full name Ethel Warneford Thomson Larcombe
Country  United Kingdom
Born 9 June 1879
Islington, England
Died 11 August 1965 (aged 86)
Budleigh Salterton, England
Plays Right-handed
Singles
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon W (1912)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Wimbledon F (1914, 1919, 1920)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Wimbledon W (1914)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ethel Thomson Larcombe.

Ethel Larcombe (née Ethel Warneford Thomson, 8 June 1879 – 11 August 1965) was a British female tennis player and badminton player. She won the ladies' singles tennis title at the 1912 Wimbledon Championships as well as 11 badminton titles at the All England Badminton Championships.

Career

Ethel was born 8 June 1879 as the second child of Herbert Warneford Thomson, surgeon, and his wife, Sophia Charlotte Bond. Her older brother Hugh was born in 1878.

She first competed at Wimbledon in 1902 when she lost in the first round to Agnes Morton. The following year, 1903, she reached the final of the All-Comers tournament in which she was defeated by Dorothea Douglass in three sets. In 1912 she became Wimbledon champion by first defeating Charlotte Cooper Sterry in the All-Comers' final and subsequently receiving a walkover in the Challenge Round.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Result Year Championship Opponent in Final Score
Runner-up 19032 Wimbledon United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Dorothea Douglass 6–4, 4–6, 2–6
Winner 19121 Wimbledon United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Charlotte Cooper Sterry 6–3, 6–1
Runner-up 1914 Wimbledon United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers 5–7, 4–6

1This was the all-comers final as Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers did not defend her 1911 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and, thus, Wimbledon in 1912 by walkover. 2This was the all-comers final as Muriel Robb did not defend her 1902 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and, thus, Wimbledon in 1903 by walkover.

Badminton

As a badminton player she won 11 titles at the All England Badminton Championships, 5 of them in women's singles, 4 in women's doubles and 2 in mixed doubles.

Family

On 15 October 1906 she married Major Dudley Larcombe, secretary of the All England Club from 1925 to 1939.[1]

References

  1. Hedges, Martin (1978) The Concise Dictionary of Tennis. London: Bison Books; p. 146