Between the wars
Great Britain · born Birmingham, 1886 · died 1935 · Wimbledon singles finalist 1922 and six times a Wimbledon champion in doubles
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6
Wimbledon titles: 3 men's doubles, 3 mixed doubles, 1919 to 1923
5
Wimbledon mixed finals in a row with Elizabeth Ryan, 1919 to 1923
3
Wimbledon men's doubles titles with three different partners
2
Australasian doubles titles, 1905 and 1911
122
Matches played at Wimbledon, 1919 to 1929
Randolph Lycett was born in Birmingham on 27 August 1886 and made his name in Australian tennis. In 1905, at the first Australasian Championships in Melbourne, he won the doubles with Tom Tachell, and in 1911 he won it again with Rodney Heath.
His best years came at Wimbledon after the First World War. With the American Elizabeth Ryan he reached five mixed finals in a row from 1919 to 1923 and won three of them. He won the men's doubles three years running with three different partners: Max Woosnam in 1921, James Anderson in 1922 and Leslie Godfree in 1923. In 1922, the first year at Church Road, he reached the singles final and lost to Gerald Patterson. He played three Davis Cup ties for Britain in 1921 and 1923, winning six rubbers and losing three, and in April 1924 he won the singles at the first British Hard Court Championships in Torquay. He played 122 matches at Wimbledon between 1919 and 1929. He died in Jersey on 9 February 1935, aged 48.
| Wimbledon singles | 1922 final: lost to Gerald Patterson 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. 1921: lost the All-Comers quarter-final to Zenzo Shimizu 6-3, 9-11, 3-6, 6-2, 10-8 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon men's doubles | 1919: lost the All-Comers final with Rodney Heath to Ronald Thomas and Pat O'Hara Wood. 1921: with Max Woosnam won the All-Comers final against Arthur and Gordon Lowe 6-3, 6-0, 7-5, then the title by walkover. 1922: with James Anderson beat Patterson and O'Hara Wood 3-6, 7-9, 6-4, 6-3, 11-9 from two sets down. 1923: with Leslie Godfree beat Eduardo Flaquer and Manuel de Gomar 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 |
| Wimbledon mixed with Elizabeth Ryan | 1919: beat Albert Prebble and Dorothea Lambert Chambers 6-0, 6-0. 1920: lost to Patterson and Suzanne Lenglen 7-5, 6-3. 1921: beat Max Woosnam and Phyllis Howkins 6-3, 6-1. 1922: lost to O'Hara Wood and Lenglen 6-4, 6-3. 1923: beat Lewis Deane and Dorothy Shepherd Barron 6-4, 7-5, without losing a set all fortnight |
| Australasian doubles | 1905 final with Tom Tachell: beat Edgar Barnard and Basil Spence 11-9, 8-6, 1-6, 4-6, 6-1. 1911 with Rodney Heath: beat John Addison and Norman Brookes 6-2, 7-5, 6-0 |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Mixed doubles | with Elizabeth Ryan |
| 1921 | Men's doubles | with Max Woosnam |
| 1921 | Mixed doubles | with Elizabeth Ryan |
| 1922 | Men's doubles | with James Anderson |
| 1923 | Men's doubles | with Leslie Godfree |
| 1923 | Mixed doubles | with Elizabeth Ryan |
| Australian Championships | ||
| 1905 | Men's doubles Australasian Championships | with Tom Tachell |
| 1911 | Men's doubles Australasian Championships | with Rodney Heath |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1921 | Men's singles | |
| Surrey Championships (Surbiton) | ||
| 1923 | Men's singles | |
| Kent Championships (Beckenham) | ||
| 1925 | Men'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.
Melbourne, 1905
The first national tournament for Australia and New Zealand was held in Melbourne in 1905. Rodney Heath won the singles, and the doubles went to Lycett and Tom Tachell, who beat E. T. Barnard and Basil Spence in five sets.
Source: John Grasso, Historical Dictionary of Tennis (2011)Worple Road, 1919
In the first Wimbledon after the war, Lycett and Elizabeth Ryan won the mixed final against Albert Prebble and Dorothea Lambert Chambers, seven times the ladies' singles champion, 6-0, 6-0. The 12 games remain the fewest in a Wimbledon mixed doubles final.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Worple Road, 1921
On a hot day in the 1921 All-Comers quarter-final, Lycett was reported to be suffering from a touch of sunstroke and needed his head sponged constantly during play. A correspondent thought this unfair to his opponent, Zenzo Shimizu, and noted that spectators kept calling for the match to go on. Shimizu won 10-8 in the fifth set.
Source: The Dominion (Wellington), June 1921, Papers PastWorple Road, 1921
His partner for the 1921 men's doubles title was Max Woosnam, who had served at Gallipoli and played 89 games at centre-half for Manchester City from 1919 to 1925. In the same Championships Lycett and Ryan beat Woosnam and Phyllis Howkins in the mixed final.
Source: John Grasso, Historical Dictionary of Tennis (2011)Church Road, 1922
The Championships moved to Church Road in 1922. It rained every day, the outside courts became a quagmire in the second week, and the event ran until the third Wednesday, the latest finish on record. Lycett reached the singles final and lost to Gerald Patterson in straight sets.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Torquay, 1924
In April 1924 Lycett won the singles at the first British Hard Court Championships in Torquay, beating the Dutchman Christiaan van Lennep in four sets.
Source: Wikipedia, citing The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April 1924Free membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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