The early years
Great Britain · born Islington, London, 1879 · died 1965 · right-handed · Wimbledon champion 1912 and five times All England badminton singles champion
All playersBack to the rankings
1912
Wimbledon singles champion
6
Queen's Club singles titles, 1905 to 1919, the most there
3
Wimbledon All-Comers' finals, 1903, 1912 and 1914
18-7
Wimbledon singles record, walkovers included, 1902 to 1920
11
All England badminton titles, 1900 to 1906
Ethel Warneford Thomson was born in Islington in 1879, the second child of a surgeon, Herbert Warneford Thomson. She first made her name at badminton, winning 11 All England Championships titles, among them the singles in 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904 and 1906. She played her first Wimbledon in 1902, losing to Agnes Morton, and the next year reached the All-Comers' final, where Dorothea Douglass beat her 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. She won the singles at Queen's Club in 1905 and 1906.
In October 1906 she married Dudley Larcombe, later secretary of the All England Club from 1925 to 1939, and she did not play competitive tennis again until 1911. On her return she was stronger on the forehand and fitter than before. In 1912 she won Wimbledon, beating Charlotte Cooper Sterry 6-3, 6-1 in the All-Comers' final and taking the title by walkover when Dorothea Lambert Chambers did not defend. That year she also won the Irish singles in Dublin and the Scottish title for a third time.
In 1913 an injury in the mixed doubles final cost her the chance to defend her title. In 1914 she won the All-Comers' singles again, beating Elizabeth Ryan 6-3, 6-2 in the final, lost the Challenge Round to Lambert Chambers 7-5, 6-4, and won the mixed doubles with James Cecil Parke. After the war she won a sixth Queen's title in 1919 and lost to Suzanne Lenglen at Wimbledon. She played her last Wimbledon singles in 1920 and died at Budleigh Salterton, Devon, in 1965, aged 86.
| Wimbledon 1912 | Beat Edith Hannam 7-5, 8-6, Winifred McNair 6-2, 5-7, 6-0, Blanche Hillyard 6-1, 6-0 and Charlotte Cooper Sterry 6-3, 6-1; the holder, Dorothea Lambert Chambers, did not defend |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon Challenge Round 1914 | Lost to Dorothea Lambert Chambers 7-5, 6-4, after beating Charlotte Cooper Sterry, Aurea Edgington and Elizabeth Ryan in the All-Comers' |
| Wimbledon mixed | Final 1913 with James Cecil Parke, lost to Agnes Tuckey and Hope Crisp 3-6, 5-3, retired. Won 1914 with Parke, beating Anthony Wilding and Marguerite Broquedis 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
| Wimbledon doubles | Finals lost in 1914 with Edith Hannam and in 1919 and 1920 with Dorothea Lambert Chambers |
| Queen's Club | Singles champion 1905, 1906, 1912, 1913, 1914 and 1919; the last four in a row, with the war years between. Beat Dorothy Holman 6-1, 6-0 in 1912 and 6-4, 8-6 in 1919 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1912 | Women's singles | |
| 1914 | Mixed doubles | with James Cecil Parke |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1905 | Women's singles | |
| 1906 | Women's singles | |
| 1912 | Women's singles | |
| 1913 | Women's singles | |
| 1914 | Women's singles | |
| 1919 | Women's singles | |
| Scottish Championships | ||
| 1910 | Women's singles‡ | |
| 1911 | Women's singles†| |
| 1912 | Women's singles†| |
| Eastbourne | ||
| 1911 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
| 1912 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
| 1913 | Women's singles†South of England Championships | |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1912 | Women's singles†| |
| 1913 | Women's singles†| |
| Irish Championships | ||
| 1912 | Women's singles | |
| Surrey Championships (Surbiton) | ||
| 1912 | Women's singles†| |
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.
Badminton, 1900 to 1906
Years before her Wimbledon title she had won 11 All England Badminton Championships titles: five in singles, four in doubles and two in mixed, the singles in 1900, 1901, 1903, 1904 and 1906.
Source: WikipediaStyle
Unlike most of her contemporaries, she served underhand, and she still won Wimbledon with it.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1913
In the second set of the mixed doubles final her partner James Cecil Parke misjudged a smash, and the ball struck her full on the side of the face. She retired from the match with an eye injury and had to concede her singles Challenge Round to Dorothea Lambert Chambers the next day. The pair came back to win the mixed title in 1914.
Source: WikipediaAll England Club
Her husband, Major Dudley Larcombe, whom she married in 1906, became secretary of the All England Club in 1925 and held the post until 1939.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1919
At 40, in the first Wimbledon after the war, she won her opening match 6-0, 6-1 and then met the 20-year-old Suzanne Lenglen, who beat her 6-2, 6-1. That summer she also won her sixth Queen's Club title.
Source: Wimbledon player archiveFree 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.
