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General First nameLeslie Allison
LastnameGodfree
GenderMale
CountryEngland
Date of birth1885-04-27
Place of birthBrighton, Sussex, England
Date of death1971-11-17
Place of deathRichmond, London, England


About

From The Times, 24 November 1971

Obituary – Mr Leslie Godfree – Former tennis champion

Brigadier Sir John Smyth writes:

With the death of Leslie Godfree, M.C., who died on November 17 at the age of 86, a very well-known and much respected figure in the lawn tennis world has passed on. He appears on the Wimbledon Championships roll as men’s doubles champion with Randolph Lycett in 1923, and mixed doubles champion with his wife “Biddy” [née Kathleen McKane], in 1926. He also played doubles for Britain in the Davis Cup on many occasions in the early 1920s, partnered by Randolph Lycett, Max Woosnam and Charles Kingsley.

In Wimbledon tennis circles Leslie Godfree will always be remembered for playing the opening match on the Centre Court of the new Wimbledon in 1922. His opponent was Britain’s leading singles player, Lieutenant-Colonel Algernon Kingscote. Godfree won the toss and served; Kingscote returned the ball into the net, where Godfree picked it up and put it in his pocket. He kept it all his life.

The Godfrees are the only married couple who have ever won the mixed doubles together at Wimbledon. And what a very popular pair they were. Biddy Godfree was of course twice Wimbledon singles champion, in 1924 and 1926, when she was Britain’s leading woman player. Biddy Godfree still plays regularly at the All England Club.

But it was on the administrative side of the game that Leslie Godfree made his greatest contribution. He had been for many years, and was at the time of his death, a member of the All England Club and Wimbledon Championship Committee. He was president of the Umpires’ Association and of the Veterans’ Lawn Tennis Club. But perhaps he will be remembered and missed most by the members of the International Lawn Tennis Clubs all over the world. He was both vice-president and chairman of the British International Club and a member of nearly all the others.

Leslie Godree certainly died in harness as he was active until the last few months of his life. As a man he was much admired and as a friend he can never be replaced.

Media


Archive statistics Career1903 - 1930
Tournament wins6
Matches63
Match wins30


Tournament wins 1925 - Southport (Amateur)
1925 - Hythe (Amateur)
1924 - Hythe (Amateur)
1923 - Nottingham (Open)
1922 - Nottingham (Open)
1922 - Mid-Sussex Championships (Amateur)


Tournaments Wimbledon - 1930 US Open - 1930 Wimbledon - 1929 Wimbledon - 1928 Angmering-on-Sea - 1928 Wimbledon - 1927 Angmering-on-Sea - 1927 Wimbledon - 1926 Roland Garros - 1926 Frinton-on-Sea - 1926 Worthing Hard Courts - 1926 Angmering-on-Sea - 1926 Wimbledon - 1925 Bermuda Championships - 1925 Hythe - 1925 Southport - 1925 Wimbledon - 1924 British Hard Court Championships - 1924 Hythe - 1924 Wimbledon - 1923 Nottingham - 1923 Wimbledon - 1922 Nottingham - 1922 Hastings and St. Leonard's-on- Sea - 1922 Mid-Sussex Championships - 1922 Wimbledon - 1921 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1921 Wimbledon - 1920 North of England Championships - 1920 Nottingham - 1920 World Covered Court Championships - 1920 Hythe - 1920 Budleigh Salterton - 1920 Hendon Lawn Tennis Tournament - 1920 Sussex Championships - 1910 Sussex Championships - 1909 Sussex Championships - 1908 Redhill - 1905 Bournemouth - 1903