General Rodney Wilfrid
Heath
Male
Australia
1884-06-15
Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
1936-10-26
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia


About

Heath was the second son of F. W. Heath who was the official timekeeper at the Victorian Racing Club and Victorian Amateur Turf Club. In June 1915 Heath left Australia to join the Royal Flying Corps in England. He was promoted to the rank of major two years later.[2][3] In 1916 Heath was injured when he crash-landed his plane after flying into a snowstorm en route from England to France.[4]
Heath was the Men's Singles champion at the inaugural Australasian Championships in 1905 defeating Albert Curtis in four sets. He won again it five years later, in 1910, after a victory in the final against Horace Rice in three straight sets.[5][6][7]

In 1911 he played in the Davis Cup challenge round in New Zealand against the United States and defeated William Larned in four sets.[8]

In 1919 he reached the final of the Wimbledon Men's Doubles tournament with Randolph Lycett.


From The Age (Melbourne), 27 October 1936

Obituary – Mr Rodney W. Heath

Tennis circles particularly will regret to learn of the death yesterday of Mr Rodney W. Heath, who was 53 years of age. Deceased came to Australia as a youth, and in 1905 gained his first Australian singles tennis championship. The next year he won the doubles title with Anthony Wilding; in 1910 he was again singles champion; in 1911, partnered by Randolph Lycett, he secured the doubles title again.

He held inter-state singles titles up till 1914, and before retiring from first-class tennis about ten years ago had represented Australia three times in the Davis Cup. Heath played in the challenge round against the United States at Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1912, defeating by three sets the American champion, William Larned. His last appearance in Davis Cup tennis was against Briatin in 1920. In 1911, he won several European titles, and his last title was in 1925 when, with Miss Daphne Akhurst, he won the mixed doubles title at Deauville, France.

Deceased, who was not married, served with the R.A.F. during World War One, attaining the rank of major. He was a director of Gaunt’s (jewellers), of Bourke Street, Melbourne.




Media


Archive statistics 1901 - 1925
9
130
87


Tournament wins 1914 - City of Sydney Championships (Amateur)
1913 - Victorian Championships (Amateur)
1911 - Wiesbaden Championships (Amateur)
1910 - Australian Open (Grandslam)
1910 - South Australian Championships ()
1909 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1909 - Geelong Easter Tournament (Amateur)
1908 - New South Wales Championships (Amateur)
1905 - Australian Open (Grandslam)


Tournaments Wimbledon - 1925 Roland Garros - 1925 Deauville - 1925 Metropolitan Cricket (MCC ) Autumn Tournament - 1923 Metropolitan Cricket (MCC ) Autumn Tournament - 1922 Victorian Championships - 1921 Victorian Championships - 1920 New Zealand Championships - 1920 Metropolitan Cricket (MCC ) Autumn Tournament - 1920 Wimbledon - 1919 Queens Club Tournament - 1919 Inter-Allied Tournament - 1919 Australian Open - 1914 Victorian Championships - 1914 City of Sydney Championships - 1914 Metropolitan Cricket (MCC ) Autumn Tournament - 1914 Victorian Championships - 1913 Victorian Championships - 1912 Davis Cup - Challenge Round - 1912 Australian Open - 1911 Wimbledon - 1911 Victorian Championships - 1911 New Zealand Championships - 1911 Cannes Championships - 1911 Côte d'Azur Championships - 1911 Queens Club Tournament - 1911 Championships of Berlin - 1911 Wiesbaden Cup - 1911 Kent Championships - 1911 Wiesbaden Championships - 1911 Parioli - 1911 Davis Cup - Challenge Round - 1911 Australian Open - 1910 South Australian Championships - 1910 Victorian Championships - 1910 Geelong Easter Tournament - 1910 Victorian Championships - 1909 New South Wales Championships - 1909 Geelong Easter Tournament - 1909 Victorian Championships - 1908 New South Wales Championships - 1908 Geelong Easter Tournament - 1908 Victorian Championships - 1907 Australian Open - 1906 South Australian Championships - 1906 Victorian Championships - 1906 New Zealand Championships - 1906 Australian Open - 1905 Geelong Easter Tournament - 1905 South Australian Championships - 1904 Victorian Championships - 1904 New South Wales Championships - 1901

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