Anne Shilcock

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 in women's doubles with Angela Mortimer, becoming the first all-British team to win since 1937.

Career She played singles in the Wightman Cup in 1954, losing to Doris Hart and Maureen Connolly, 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,

Shilcock was also a fine singles player. She reached the last 16 of the French Championships in 1953 (as 15th seed, beating Erika Vollmer and losing to Doris Hart), of the Wimbledon championships in the same year (losing to Maureen Connolly) 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 in 1954.

Her last appearance at Wimbledon was in 1960 when she lost to 2nd seed Darlene Hard 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 for the last 40 years of her life.

Grand slam finals

Doubles (1 title)

ResultYearChampionship SurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1955Wimbledon Grass Angela Mortimer Shirley Bloomer Patricia Ward Hales 7–5, 6–1

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline