General Nigel G.
Sharpe
Male
England
1904-12-23
Paddington, London, England
1962-10-03
London, England


About

From The Times, 5 October 1962

Obituary – Mr Nigel Sharpe – A tennis player of repute

Brigadier Sir John Smyth, V.C., writes:

Nigel Sharpe, Chairman of Queen’s Club and the International Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain, died on Wednesday at the age of 57, only 48 hours after he had taken the chair at a committee meeting of the International Club in London. He had battled nobly to the last against a grievous illness which only his closest friends knew must prove fatal.

Nigel Sharpe had been a Wimbledon and British Davis Cup player of considerable repute. He was probably seen at his best on the fast covered courts of Queen’s Club, where he won the London Covered Court singles title in 1928, 1934 and 1938.

But the greatest triumph of his career was undoubtedly his amazing victory over the brilliant French player Henri Cochet in the first round of the Wimbledon Championships of 1931. Every year since 1928 Cochet had been ranked as the premier player in the world. He had won the Wimbledon title in 1927 and 1929, and was expected to do so again in 1931. But he was apt to take the earlier rounds a bit casually and had not been in the best of health.

He was relying on playing himself into form as the championships progressed. In this situation he could not have met a more difficult opponent than Nigel Sharpe, with his relentless accuracy and command of length and direction. Cochet only managed to get six game in three sets played. He played brilliantly with “Toto” Brugnon in the doubles, so he had no excuses. This was undoubtedly the biggest upset which has ever happened on the first day of Wimbledon and it left the crowd gasping with amazement.

After his first-class playing days were over, Nigel Sharpe devoted his energies and his enthusiasm for law tennis to the administrative side – particularly to Queen’s Club and the British International Lawn Tennis Club. He was captain of the latter in 1937, and he succeeded that great British player, Lieutenant-Colonel Algernon Kingscote, as chairman in 1960. But for many years before that he had given devoted service to the International Club, which became the chief interest of his life.

Just before he died he had been immersed in the planning of the annual match between the International Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain and France, which is due to take place at Queen’s Club on the 26th and 27th of this month. Although it will be a sad occasion without Nigel Sharpe, both clubs have agreed that the match should go on, as they feel sure that would be his wish.

Nigel Sharpe’s death will leave a big gap in the lawn tennis world and he will be much missed by a host of friends – particularly in the international clubs of the amateur game to which he has contributed so much.



Media


Archive statistics 1924 - 1939
29
132
82


Tournament wins 1938 - British Covered Court Championships (Amateur)
1938 - St. George's Hill (Amateur)
1938 - Bedford (Amateur)
1937 - Bedford (Amateur)
1936 - London Covered Court Championships (Amateur)
1936 - Cinque Ports Championships (Amateur)
1936 - Norfolk (Amateur)
1936 - Hythe (Amateur)
1936 - Bedford (Amateur)
1935 - Norfolk (Amateur)
1935 - Bury and West Suffolk (Amateur)
1934 - London Covered Court Championships (Amateur)
1934 - St. Anne's on Sea (Open)
1934 - South of England Championships (Amateur)
1933 - Bedford (Amateur)
1932 - Surrey Championships (Amateur)
1932 - Winchester (Amateur)
1932 - Norfolk (Amateur)
1931 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1931 - Norfolk (Amateur)
1930 - West Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1930 - Melbury Club (Amateur)
1929 - Gipsy (Amateur)
1928 - London Covered Court Championships (Amateur)
1926 - Surrey Hard Court Championships (Open)
1925 - West Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1925 - Cheltenham (Amateur)
1925 - South Herefordshire Championships (Amateur)
1925 - Warwick (Amateur)


Tournaments Wimbledon - 1939 International Club Matches - FRA - 1939 Wimbledon - 1938 British Hard Court Championships - 1938 Kent Championships - 1938 British Covered Court Championships - 1938 Melbury Club - 1938 St. George's Hill - 1938 London Covered Court Championships - 1938 Bedford - 1938 Wimbledon - 1937 British Covered Court Championships - 1937 International Club Matches - GBR - 1937 Melbury Club - 1937 London Covered Court Championships - 1937 Bedford - 1937 Wimbledon - 1936 Cinque Ports Championships - 1936 International Club Matches - FRA - 1936 International Club Matches - GBR - 1936 Melbury Club - 1936 London Covered Court Championships - 1936 Hythe - 1936 Bedford - 1936 Norfolk - 1936 Wimbledon - 1935 British Hard Court Championships - 1935 British Covered Court Championships - 1935 London Covered Court Championships - 1935 Bury and West Suffolk - 1935 Norfolk - 1935 Wimbledon - 1934 South of England Championships - 1934 British Covered Court Championships - 1934 London Covered Court Championships - 1934 Welsh Covered Court Championships - 1934 St. Anne's on Sea - 1934 French Covered Court Championships - 1933 London Covered Court Championships - 1933 Bedford - 1933 Wimbledon - 1932 Surrey Championships - 1932 Hungarian International Championships - 1932 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1932 Winchester - 1932 Norfolk - 1932 Highbury - 1932 Wimbledon - 1931 German International Championships - 1931 West of England Championships - 1931 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1931 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1931 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1931 Norfolk - 1931 Wimbledon - 1930 Melbury Club - 1930 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1930 Angmering-on-Sea - 1930 West Sussex Championships - 1930 Wimbledon - 1929 Gipsy - 1929 British Covered Court Championships - 1929 Frinton-on-Sea - 1929 Wimbledon - 1928 Roland Garros - 1928 London Covered Court Championships - 1928 Wimbledon - 1927 Surrey Championships - 1927 Wimbledon - 1926 Roland Garros - 1926 Irish Championships - 1926 Cinque Ports Championships - 1926 Surrey Hard Court Championships - 1926 Wimbledon - 1925 Le Touquet - 1925 Cheltenham - 1925 Cinque Ports Championships - 1925 Warwick - 1925 Coupe Albert Canet - 1925 Felixstowe Hard Courts - 1925 South Herefordshire Championships - 1925 West Sussex Championships - 1925 Coupe Albert Canet - 1924 Ealing Hard Court Autumn Meeting - 1924

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *