Pat Spence

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = Patrick Spence

| image = Pat Spence 1925.jpg

| caption =

| fullname = Patrick Dennis Benham Spence

| country = {{flagicon|RSA|1928}}

South Africa

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1898|2|11}}

| birth_place = Queenstown, Cape Colony

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1983|11|22|1898|2|11}}

| death_place =

| height =

| college =

| turnedpro = 1922 (amateur tour)

| retired = 1936

| plays = Right-handed (one-handed backhand)

| careerprizemoney =

| tennishofyear =

| tennishofid =

| website =

| singlesrecord =

| singlestitles = 14

| highestsinglesranking =

| currentsinglesranking =

| AustralianOpenresult =

| FrenchOpenresult = SF (1927)

| Wimbledonresult = QF (1926)

| USOpenresult =

| Othertournaments = yes

| MastersCupresult =

| Olympicsresult = 4R (1924)

| doublesrecord =

| doublestitles =

| highestdoublesranking =

| grandslamsdoublesresults =

| AustralianOpenDoublesresult =

| FrenchOpenDoublesresult =

| WimbledonDoublesresult = SF (1924){{cite journal|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4291942|format=PDF|page=4|journal=The Argus|issue=24,308|date=4 July 1924|title=Tennis Championships, Brookes Defeated in Doubles|location=Melbourne, Australia|access-date=21 October 2012}}

| USOpenDoublesresult =

| OthertournamentsDoubles =

| MastersCupDoublesresult =

| OlympicsDoublesresult =

| Mixed = yes

| mixedtitles =

| mixedrecord =

| AustralianOpenMixedresult =

| FrenchOpenMixedresult = W (1931)

| WimbledonMixedresult = W (1928)

| USOpenMixedresult =

}}

Patrick Spence (11 February 1898 – 22 November 1983) was a South African tennis player. He was born in Queenstown, South Africa. He competed mainly in Great Britain and found his form in hard court tournaments. He notably won the mixed doubles championships at Wimbledon in 1928 with Elizabeth Ryan and at the French Open in 1931 with Betty Nuthall. He also competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/2530 |title=Pat Spence |work=Olympedia |access-date=21 November 2021}} He was active from 1922 to 1936 and won 14 career singles titles on grass and clay courts outdoors, as well as indoor wood courts.

Tennis career

Patrick Spence began his tennis prominence in Great Britain in 1922 when he became Scottish champion after winning the local tournament.{{cite journal|author=Nigel Sharpe|author-link=Nigel Sharpe|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19320403.2.24.aspx|page=3|journal=The Straits Times|issue=16|date=3 April 1932|title=Dr. Spence-The Master Of Speed|publisher=Straits Times Press|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}} The next year he defended his title.

In 1924 he took the Middlesex Championships against compatriot Louis Raymond, with whom he also won the doubles title, but lost the mixed doubles title against him.{{cite journal|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19240612.2.68.aspx|page=12|journal=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|date=12 June 1924|title=Singapore Tennis Championships|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}} He first became the covered courts champion at the Queen's Club the same year by beating reigning champion Patrick Wheatley in three sets.{{cite journal|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=HNS19241020.2.63.2|format=pdf|page=7|journal=Hawera & Normanby Star|volume=XLVIII|date=20 October 1924|title=Tennis|location=Southern Taranaki|access-date=21 October 2012}}

In April 1925 he won the British Hard Court Championships over Charles Kingsley.{{cite journal|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19250420-1.2.118.1.aspx|page=16|journal=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|date=20 April 1925|title=British Hard Court Tennis |location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}} He also won the mixed doubles with Evelyn Colyer. A week later, at the Surrey Hard Court Championships, he defeated Randolph Lycett of Australia in straight sets.{{cite journal|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2086385|format=PDF|page=4|author=Reuter|author-link=Reuters|journal=The Argus|issue=24,560|date=27 April 1925|title=Surrey Championships|location=Melbourne, Australia|access-date=21 October 2012}} At another hard court tournament in London he was defeated by Indian Sydney M. Jacob in five sets.{{cite journal|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19250406.2.90.2|page=10|journal=The Straits Times|date=6 April 1925|title=Lawn Tennis|publisher=Straits Times Press|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}} He shared the doubles victory with Raymond and the mixed doubles with Colyer. In September he won the North London Hard Courts Championships on clay at the Gipsy Lawn Tennis Club, Stamford Hill against Harry Lewis-Barclay.{{cite web |last1=Nieuwland |first1=Alex |title=Edition – Highbury 1925 |url=https://www.tennisarchives.com/edition/?v=24629 |website=www.tennisarchives.com |publisher=Tennis Archives |access-date=7 January 2023 |location=Netherlands}} In October he successfully defended his covered courts title against Edward Higgs.{{cite journal|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article.aspx?articleid=straitstimes19251028.2.74.4|page=10|journal=The Straits Times|date=28 October 1925|title=Covered Court Tennis|publisher=Straits Times Press|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}} That month he failed to capture the Drive Club Open Tournament title.{{cite journal|url=http://newspapers-stg.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19251001-1.2.77.4.aspx|page=10|journal=The Straits Times|date=1 October 1925|title=Lawn Tennis|publisher=Straits Times Press|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In 1926 he was a finalist for the Kent Championships.{{cite web|url=http://www.beckenhamtennisclub.co.uk/photos/Beck_M_Roll.pdf|date=17 February 2011|title=Kent All-Comers' Championships|publisher=Beckenham Tennis Club|work=beckenhamtennisclub.co.uk|author=J Buddell|access-date=20 October 2012|location=Beckenham, United Kingdom}}

In 1927 Spence reached the semi-finals of the French championships, beating Frank Hunter before losing to René Lacoste.{{cite web|title=French Open 1927|url=http://www.tennis.co.nf/FRENCH%20OPEN%201927.htm|website=www.tennis.co.nf}} He met Lacoste for his second British Hard Court Championships trophy but was subdued in straight sets. He also lost the doubles against the French team of Lacoste and Brugnon.{{cite journal|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3852005|format=PDF|page=4|journal=The Argus|issue=25,186|date=2 May 1927|title=Hard court tennis|location=Melbourne, Australia|access-date=21 October 2012}} The next year they had their rematch also in the final and Lacoste overcame Spence for the second time.{{cite journal|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/berkeley-daily-gazette/1928-05-05/page-11/|page=10|journal=Berkeley Daily Gazette|date=5 May 1928|title=Lacoste captures British net title|publisher=Gazette Pub. Co.|location=Berkeley, California, United States|access-date=21 October 2012}}

In 1928, he was upset in the final of the Kent Championships for the second time. He also lost the Middlesex Championships to Randolph Lycett.{{cite journal

| date = 4 June 1928

| title = Lawn Tennis

| journal =The Sydney Morning Herald

| location = Sydney, Australia

| page = 9

| volume = 98

| issue = 28,210

| access-date = 21 October 2012

| url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16469665

}} However, he was more successful in his mixed doubles matches, including the final of the Nottingham Championships, which he won with Betty Nuthall.{{cite journal

| date = 31 August 1928

| title = Mrs. Beamish does well at Nottingham

| journal =Kingston Gleaner

| location = Kingston, Jamaica

| publisher = Gleaner Company

| page = 34

| volume = XCIV

| issue = 200

| access-date = 21 October 2012

| url = https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-gleaner/1928-08-31/page-34/

}} One of his bigger accomplishments came when he took the 1928 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles contest with Elizabeth Ryan.{{cite book

|author = John Grasso

|title = Historical Dictionary of Tennis

|location = Lanham, Maryland United States

|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=W39oSS7c2xAC

|access-date = 19 October 2012

|year = 2011

|isbn = 9780810872370

|pages = 333, 357

|publisher = Scarecrow Press

}}

In 1930, as a member of the International Tennis Club of Great Britain, he participated in the team challenge against Rot-Weiss Club of Berlin, winning all of his four matches (two singles and two doubles) and defeating high-profile players such as Daniel Prenn and Heinrich Kleinschroth.{{cite journal|editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00032/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1930_2_017.pdf|issue=17|volume=II|page=346|journal=Tennisz és Golf|date=16 September 1930|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|publisher=Bethlen Gábor Irod. és Nyomdai RT|location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=21 October 2012}} Also in 1930 he lost the London Covered Courts Championships to Yoshiro Ohta, but as many times before he was triumphant in the mixed contest with his recurring partner Nuthall.{{cite journal|editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00021/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1930_2_006.pdf|issue=6|volume=II|page=97|journal=Tennisz és Golf|date=22 March 1930|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|publisher=Bethlen Gábor Irod. és Nyomdai RT|location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=22 October 2012}}

In 1931, he was a runner-up for the doubles tournament of the West-England Championships with Edward Avory, losing to the Japanese pair of Jiro Satoh and Ryuki Miki.{{cite journal|editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00052/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1931_3_020.pdf|volume=20|series=III|pages=16–17|journal=Tennisz és Golf|date=1 November 1931|publisher=Egyesült Kő-, Könyvnyomda. Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt.|location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=21 October 2012}} He was also runner up in the Championship of London in doubles.{{cite journal

| date = 11 March 1931

| title = El Campeonato de Londres

|trans-title=London Championships

| journal =La Vanguardia

| page = 12

| location = Barcelona, Spain

| publisher = Carlos Godó Valls

| language = es

| access-date = 21 October 2012

| url = http://hemeroteca.lavanguardia.com/preview/1931/03/11/pagina-12/33167090/pdf.html

}} As in his previous years his breakthrough came in the mixed doubles competitions; first he and Betty Nuthall went for the British Hard Court Championships in April and were only eliminated in the final,{{cite journal|editor=Béla Kehrling|editor-link=Béla Von Kehrling|title=Külföldi hírek|trans-title=International news|url=http://epa.oszk.hu/02100/02127/00045/pdf/EPA02127_tennis_es_golf_1931_3_010.pdf|issue=10|volume=III|pages=186|journal=Tennisz és Golf|date=15 May 1931|publisher=Egyesült Kő-, Könyvnyomda. Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt.|location=Budapest, Hungary|language=hu|access-date=21 October 2012}} while in May they won the mixed title at the French Championships (now the French Open).

A couple of years later, in 1935, he reached the final of the Surrey Grass Court Championships, where he was stopped by New Zealand's Eskell D. Andrews.{{cite journal|editor=Alexander Heldring|url=http://resources3.kb.nl/010660000/pdf/DDD_010663967.pdf|volume=108|page=14|journal=Algemeen Handelsblad|issue=35,311|date=28 May 1935|title=Nieuwe baan-indeling|trans-title=New rule classification|publisher=Daniel Johannes von Balluseck|location=Amsterdam, Netherlands|language=nl|access-date=21 October 2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The importance of that particular match was the test of a new service rule implemented for the first time there, which allowed the server to swing his leg over the baseline on serve but introduced the service box.{{cite journal

| date = 27 May 1935

| title = New Tennis rule

| journal =The Sydney Morning Herald

| location = Sydney, Australia

| page = 10

| volume = 105

| issue = 30,388

| access-date = 21 October 2012

| url = http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1116857

}} In 1936 he won the Queen's Club hard court doubles with John Olliff.{{cite journal

|journal = The New York Times

|title = Olliff-Spence Win Final In Queen's Club Doubles

|url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30A10F6395D13728DDDAE0994DD405B868FF1D3

|access-date = 22 October 2012

|date = May 1936

}}

In the Davis Cup, he set a 14–7 match record (66% winning ratio) and represented South Africa from 1924 to 1931.

Personal life

Patrick Spence was born 11 February 1898 in Queenstown, Cape Colony. He moved to Edinburgh after the First World War.{{cite journal|url=http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Article/singfreepressb19300127-1.2.80.2.aspx|page=12|journal=The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser|date=27 January 1930|title=Miss Nuthall and Dr. Spence|location=Singapore, Straits Settlements|access-date=21 October 2012}} He graduated from Edinburgh University with a doctorate in medicine. Apart from playing tennis, he was an amateur rugby player. He worked at Guy's Hospital in London and then in Richmond, London in 1930. Later with several colleagues, he was in private practice in Kingston-on-Thames as Howlett, Kemp, Carson and Spence, from which he retired in 1934.{{cite journal|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34085/page/5721/data.htm|format=pdf|page=12|journal=The London Gazette|date=7 September 1934|title=The London Gazette|publisher=Office of Public Sector Information|location=London, United Kingdom|access-date=21 October 2012}} He formed a real-life couple with his 18-year-old doubles partner Betty Nuthall,{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=Betty Engaged? That's What England Hears|url=http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper%2011/Corning%20NY%20Evening%20%20Leader/Corning%20NY%20Evening%20%20Leader%201930%20%20Jan-Nov%201930%20Grayscale/Corning%20NY%20Evening%20%20Leader%201930%20%20Jan-Nov%201930%20Grayscale%20-%200272.pdf|newspaper=Evening Leader|location=Corning, N.Y.|date=25 January 1930|page=9|via=fultonhistory.com}} with whom he won the French Open mixed doubles tournament in 1931.

He married Joy Robson, a ballerina with Sadler Wells Ballet, and had four children: Mikael, Stephen, Mandy and Charles

Playing style

British Davis Cup team member Nigel Sharpe described him as an attacking type of player. He preferred to pace the ball rather than give it a spin. He tended to go to the net, but his volley showed indecisiveness. He possessed a severe overhead shot. He had a long-swinged forehand, on which he applied a moderate topspin. His backhand was weak, and he always placed himself to receive the ball to his forehand side.

Grand Slam finals

= Mixed doubles (2 titles) =

class="sortable wikitable"
style="width:45px"\|Result !style="width:50px"\|Year !style="width:200px"\|Championship !style="width:60px"\|Surface !style="width:180px"\|Partner !style="width:180px"\|Opponents !style="width:140px" class="unsortable"\|Score
style="background:#ccffcc" \| style="background:#98FB98"\|Win \|1928 \|Wimbledon Championships	Grass \|{{flagicon\|USA\|1912}} Elizabeth Ryan \|{{flagicon\|AUS}} Daphne Akhurst {{flagicon\|AUS}} Jack Crawford \| 7–5, 6–4
style="background:#EBC2AF" \| style="background:#98FB98"\|Win \|1931 \|French Championships	Clay \|{{flagicon\|GBR}} Betty Nuthall \|{{flagicon\|GBR}} Dorothy Shepherd Barron {{flagicon\|GBR}} Bunny Austin \| 6–3, 5–7, 6–3

class="sortable wikitable"

style="width:45px"|Result

!style="width:50px"|Year

!style="width:200px"|Championship

!style="width:60px"|Surface

!style="width:180px"|Partner

!style="width:180px"|Opponents

!style="width:140px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#ccffcc"

| style="background:#98FB98"|Win

|1928

|Wimbledon Championships