General Sidney Howard
Smith
Male
England
1872-02-03
Stroud, Gloucestershire, England
1947-03-27
Stroud, Gloucestershire, England


About

Sidney Howard Smith was a successful tennis and badminton player. As with many of the players at the turn of the century he played badminton in the winter and tennis in the summer and excelled at both. He won the men's singles, the first year that singles was included, in the Badminton Association restricted Tournament taking the title in 1900. the following year the tournament became an Open Tournament and was then known as the All England Badminton Championships, and Sydney Smith is therefore regarded as the first winner of the All England men's singles title.

After this success he dropped out of badminton, but continued to have much success on the tennis courts. Between 1902 and 1906 he and Frank Risely played the Doherty brothers in the Wimbledon tennis finals, winning in 1902 and 1906 but losing on the other three occasions. He won the mixed in 1903 and 1904 and was runner up in the singles in 1900 losing to Reggie Doherty. He was a member of the British Davis Cup team in 1905 and 1906.

However, something that we have learned as a result of query from Gloucestershire archives is that he had to play in a leg iron. It is recorded that anything he lacked in getting to the ball was made up with the ferocity of his forehand which he played like a pile driver that was dubbed as the Smith Punch!

This remarkable man whose name is the first recorded All England badminton men's singles winner, and although in badminton there is less court to cover with a bad leg it was in lawn tennis that he recorded much more success.



Media


Archive statistics 1891 - 1906
56
439
374


Tournament wins 1906 - Surrey Championships (Amateur)
1906 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1905 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1905 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1905 - Surrey Championships (Amateur)
1905 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1904 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1904 - South of England Championships (Amateur)
1904 - Surrey Championships (Amateur)
1904 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1904 - Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1904 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1903 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1903 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1902 - Northumberland Championships (Amateur)
1902 - Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1902 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1902 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1902 - South of England Championships (Amateur)
1902 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1901 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1901 - Northumberland Championships (Amateur)
1901 - Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1901 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1901 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1901 - South of England Championships (Amateur)
1900 - Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1900 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1900 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1900 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1899 - Sussex Championships (Amateur)
1899 - Wolverhampton (Amateur)
1899 - Burton on Trent (Amateur)
1899 - Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament (Open)
1899 - South of England Championships (Amateur)
1899 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1899 - Gloucestershire (Amateur)
1898 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1898 - Northumberland Championships (Amateur)
1898 - South of England Championships (Amateur)
1898 - Burton on Trent (Amateur)
1898 - Buxton (Amateur)
1898 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1897 - Sheffield (Amateur)
1897 - Northumberland Championships (Amateur)
1897 - Midland Counties Championships (Amateur)
1897 - Burton on Trent (Amateur)
1897 - Buxton (Amateur)
1897 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1897 - Wolverhampton (Amateur)
1896 - Wolverhampton (Amateur)
1895 - Edgbaston (Amateur)
1894 - North of Wales (Amateur)
1893 - North of Wales (Amateur)
1892 - North of Wales (Amateur)
1891 - Taunton (Amateur)


Tournaments Wimbledon - 1906 Monte Carlo - 1906 Surrey Championships - 1906 Championships of Wales - 1906 Northumberland Championships - 1906 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1906 Davis Cup - Challenge Round - 1906 Wimbledon - 1905 Sussex Championships - 1905 Surrey Championships - 1905 Championships of Wales - 1905 Midland Counties Championships - 1905 Northumberland Championships - 1905 South of England Championships - 1905 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1905 Davis Cup - Challenge Round - 1905 Wimbledon - 1904 Sussex Championships - 1904 Surrey Championships - 1904 Championships of Wales - 1904 Midland Counties Championships - 1904 Northumberland Championships - 1904 South of England Championships - 1904 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1904 Wimbledon - 1903 Monte Carlo - 1903 South of France Championships - 1903 Championships of Wales - 1903 Midland Counties Championships - 1903 Northumberland Championships - 1903 South of England Championships - 1903 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1903 Wimbledon - 1902 Irish Championships - 1902 Sussex Championships - 1902 Championships of Wales - 1902 Midland Counties Championships - 1902 Northumberland Championships - 1902 South of England Championships - 1902 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1902 Buxton - 1902 Wimbledon - 1901 Irish Championships - 1901 Sussex Championships - 1901 Championships of Wales - 1901 Midland Counties Championships - 1901 Northumberland Championships - 1901 South of England Championships - 1901 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1901 Wimbledon - 1900 Sussex Championships - 1900 Championships of Wales - 1900 Midland Counties Championships - 1900 Northumberland Championships - 1900 South of England Championships - 1900 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1900 Buxton - 1900 Wimbledon - 1899 Sussex Championships - 1899 Championships of Wales - 1899 Midland Counties Championships - 1899 Northumberland Championships - 1899 South of England Championships - 1899 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1899 Buxton - 1899 Burton on Trent - 1899 Gloucestershire - 1899 Wimbledon - 1898 Irish Championships - 1898 German International Championships - 1898 Sussex Championships - 1898 Championships of Wales - 1898 Midland Counties Championships - 1898 Northumberland Championships - 1898 Homburg Cup - 1898 South of England Championships - 1898 Bournemouth - 1898 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1898 Sheffield - 1898 Middlesex Championships - 1898 Buxton - 1898 Burton on Trent - 1898 Edgbaston - 1898 Fitzwilliam Plate - 1898 Wimbledon - 1897 Irish Championships - 1897 Championships of Wales - 1897 Midland Counties Championships - 1897 Northumberland Championships - 1897 Northern Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1897 Sheffield - 1897 Buxton - 1897 Wolverhampton - 1897 Burton on Trent - 1897 Edgbaston - 1897 Kent Championships - 1896 North of England Championships - 1896 West of England Championships - 1896 Midland Counties Championships - 1896 Northumberland Championships - 1896 South of England Championships - 1896 Wolverhampton - 1896 Edgbaston - 1896 North of England Championships - 1895 West of England Championships - 1895 Championships of Wales - 1895 Midland Counties Championships - 1895 Suffolk Championships - 1895 East of England Championships - 1895 Warwickshire Championships - 1895 Edgbaston - 1895 Clifton - 1895 Kent Championships - 1894 Championships of Wales - 1894 North of Wales - 1894 Wimbledon - 1893 Queens Club Tournament - 1893 Kent Championships - 1893 North of Wales - 1893 Cheltenham - 1892 North of Wales - 1892 Cheltenham - 1891 Taunton - 1891 Gloucestershire - 1891

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