The amateur years
Great Britain · born Hartfield, Sussex, 1932 · died 2019 · Wimbledon doubles champion 1955 with Angela Mortimer
All playersBack to the rankings
1955
Wimbledon doubles champion with Angela Mortimer, 7-5, 6-1
1936
Last time before 1955 that a British pair had won the Wimbledon women's doubles
3
South of England singles titles at Eastbourne: 1955, 1956, 1958
4
Wightman Cup teams: 1953, 1954, 1957, 1958
Jacqueline Anne Shilcock was born in Hartfield, Sussex, on 13 June 1932. She reached the last 16 of the French Championships in 1953 as the 15th seed, and the fourth round at Wimbledon the same year, where she lost to Maureen Connolly. In 1954 she reached the last 16 of the US Championships.
In 1955 she and Angela Mortimer won the Wimbledon doubles, beating Shirley Bloomer and Pat Ward in an all-British final. She won the South of England singles at Eastbourne in 1955, 1956 and 1958 and the British Covered Court singles in 1955 and 1958, and played four times in the Wightman Cup, including Britain's 1958 win, its first since 1930.
She married J. K. Spann in 1960 and spent more than 40 years in South Africa, where she worked with coaches and passed on international coaching methods. She died there in April 2019, aged 86.
| Wimbledon doubles final 1955 | With Angela Mortimer, seeded fourth: beat the third seeds Shirley Bloomer and Pat Ward 7-5, 6-1, the first all-British women's doubles final since 1929 |
|---|---|
| Other Wimbledon doubles | Semi-finals with Mortimer in 1954; quarter-finals with Pat Ward in 1958 and with Susan Partridge Chatrier in 1959 |
| Eastbourne finals | 1955: beat Jenny Middleton 6-4, 6-2. 1956: beat Penny Burrell 6-1, 6-2. 1958: beat Sheila Waters 6-0, 6-0 |
| Wimbledon singles | Fourth round in 1953, lost to Maureen Connolly; third round in 1954, 1955 and 1956 |
| Wightman Cup 1958 | Played doubles with Pat Ward as Britain beat the United States on grass at Wimbledon, its first win in the competition since 1930 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Women's doubles | with Angela Mortimer Barrett |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1955 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
| 1956 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
| 1958 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon, 1955
The newsreel of the 1955 final introduced her as "Anne Shilcock, who is also a lacrosse international", partnering the French singles champion Angela Mortimer. It noted that the pair were the first British winners since Stammers and James in 1936, and that the trophy was presented by the Duchess of Kent.
Source: Gaumont British News commentary, 1955, via Learning on ScreenEastbourne, 1958
Her third South of England title, in 1958, came with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Sheila Waters in the final.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon, 1958
She was in the British Wightman Cup team that beat the United States at Wimbledon in 1958, playing the doubles with Pat Ward. It was Britain's first win in the competition since 1930.
Source: WikipediaSouth Africa
After her marriage she lived in South Africa for more than 40 years. On her death Tennis South Africa thanked her for "the countless advanced coaching methods that she shared in this country".
Source: Tennis South AfricaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freePage updated 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
