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When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES School of Education Women’s Sporting Lives: A biographical study of elite amateur tennis players at Wimbledon by Janine van Someren Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2010 ABSTRACT The history of amateur tennis pre and post the Second World War is dominated by the sporting biographies of male players with women’s stories largely ignored. This research addressed the issue of women tennis players’ marginalisation through a biographical analysis of the women’s amateur circuit with particular emphasis on the previously untold story of four British tennis players: Mrs. Phyllis King (née Mudford, who competed at the Wimbledon Championships 1928-1953), Mrs. Joan Hughesman (née Curry, Wimbledon 1939-1960), Mrs. Joy Michelle (née Hibbert, Wimbledon 1947- 1957), Mrs. Christine Janes (née Truman, Wimbledon 1957-1974). The lives of the women were investigated utilising biographical methods of life story interviews and analysis of life documents including published biographies and archival and media sources. Gender and social class emerged as key themes which were explored through the microcosm of women’s tennis shedding new light on a wide range of issues from the influence of family, gender role expectations and life on the amateur tennis circuit. The findings reveal the significance of fashion in British tennis whereby it is argued that choice of clothing was a form of gender compliance. Further to this the contributions of fashion designer Teddy Tinling is recognised as a key factor in changing the shape of women’s tennis post the Second World War. The research reveals the key role sport played in shaping the women’s identity from the onset of their playing careers through to their retirement from sport. i ii Contents Chapter 1: Women’s Sporting Lives Introduction 1 My sporting life 3 Outline of the thesis 4 Chapter 2: Getting Involved in Women’s Tennis Introduction 8 Perceptions of female tennis players 9 The emergence of lawn tennis clubs 13 Tennis coaching and the “Ladies” game 16 School sport and women’s tennis 20 Tennis in the family 23 Women’s changing role 24 Concluding remarks 26 Chapter 3: The Amateur Tennis Circuit Introduction 28 Amateur tennis 29 The tennis circuit for women 32 The ‘shamateur’ amateur 39 Women’s tennis fashion 43 Amateur tennis to ‘Open’ tennis 53 Concluding remarks and clarification of the research questions 55 Chapter 4: Researching Women’s Sporting Lives Introduction 57 Biographical research 58 Discovery of the players 59 Meeting the players: The interview process 62 Analysing life story interviews 66 Life documents and women’s sporting lives 68 Trustworthiness of findings 70 Trustworthiness and memory 73 Concluding remarks 76 iii Chapter 5: Pen Portraits Introduction 78 Mrs. Phyllis King née Mudford (Wimbledon 1928-1953) 80 Mrs. Joan Hughesman née Curry (Wimbledon 1939-1960) 87 Mrs. Joy Michelle née Hibbert (Wimbledon 1947-1957) 93 Mrs. Christine Janes née Truman (Wimbledon 1957-1974) 98 Concluding remarks 110 Chapter 6: The Road to Wimbledon Introduction 111 Early sporting lives 112 Participation in other sports 114 Tennis coaching 117 School sport 120 Junior tennis tournaments 123 Recognition from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) 125 Transition to senior tennis 128 Tennis and gender role expectations 130 Concluding remarks 133 Chapter 7: From Amateurism to Shamateurism Introduction 134 Memories of Wimbledon 135 Life as an amateur player 138 Tennis training on the women’s tour 142 Gender differences on the tennis circuit 143 Travelling on the amateur circuit 146 Camaraderie on the tour 148 Hollywood stars and tennis players 150 Influence of the Second World War on amateur tennis 152 Feminine versus athletic identity and women tennis players 154 Changing tennis fashions 157 Tennis fashions following the Second World War 158 Influence of Teddy Tinling 159 Media coverage on the women’s tour 161 Turning points in the player’s careers 165 Influence of tennis on identity upon retirement 167 Concluding comments 168 iv Chapter 8: Conclusion: Aces, Places and Faults Overview 170 Key features of the study 171 Reflection on the data collection of the women’s sporting lives 172 Reflection on the analysis of the women’s sporting lives 173 Reshaping the story 174 Reflection on trustworthiness of the women’s stories 174 The Keeper of Stories: Reflections on the role of the researcher 176 References 178 Appendices Appendix 1: Sample letter to players 194 Appendix 2: Information sheet and consent form 196 Appendix 3: Interview schedule for Christine Janes née Truman 198 Appendix 4: Sample interview summary with reflections and field notes 202 Appendix 5: Sample interview summary based on the interview with Joy Michele 203 Appendix 6: Sample of raw data themes 204 Appendix 7: Sample of raw data themes to general dimensions 205 Appendix 8: List of biographies and autobiographies analysed 206 Appendix 9: Raw data themes from biographical text analysis 209 v List of figures Fig. 1 Sample of Christine Truman’s biography catalogued using Mindjet MindManager 70 Fig. 2 Sample of Mindjet MindManager used to track developments in women’s tennis fashions 70 vi DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, Janine van Someren declare that the thesis entitled Women’s Sporting Lives: A biographical study of elite amateur tennis players at Wimbledon and the work presented in the thesis are both my own, and have been generated by me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that: this work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work; I have acknowledged all main sources of help; where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; part of this work have been published as: van Someren, J. (2008). White Ladies: The Dressing of Elite Amateur Players at Wimbledon (1884-1968). Auto/Biography Yearbook 2008. 50-68. Signed: ……………………………………………………………………….. Date:……………………………………………………………………………. vii viii Acknowledgements Thank you to Dr Gill Clarke for her encouragement, insightful comments and guidance throughout the research process. Gill’s enthusiasm for the project combined with her postal updates of newspapers articles and book reviews helped me regain focus amidst life’s distractions of moving home, getting married and having children. Special thanks must go to my husband Ken for his constant support and patience. While I immersed myself in the world of women’s tennis he kept me fed and watered, re-arranged our social life, entertained Toby and essentially kept our family functioning – my love and thanks to him. Finally I would like to dedicate this research to the women who shared their life stories with me. Their generosity, openness and sense of humour aptly reflect many of the characteristics of the Golden Age of amateur tennis. I will always be indebted to them and hope that in sharing their stories this unique period of tennis will not be forgotten. ix x Janine van Someren Chapter 1: Sporting Lives Chapter 1: Sporting Lives Introduction Women’s sporting lives have traditionally been under-represented within the subjects of sport sociology, sport history and sporting biographies. Their participation has received scant analysis and it has been widely acknowledged that within the history of women’s sport in Britain, relatively little is known about what sportswomen actually did. Moreover, women’s sporting lives from the turn of the twentieth century have been largely ignored (Parratt, 1989). This research seeks to redress this gap within tennis and in so doing examines the sporting lives of a small group of British women pre and post World War II who competed at the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) Wimbledon and thereby offers important new insights into the world of women’s tennis. In the past sporting texts focussed primarily on men’s sporting lives with the result that women’s sporting lives were marginalised. It is important to move beyond these restrictive texts to gain a better understanding of how women felt about themselves and their experiences within and beyond the sporting world. Biographical research presents an opportunity to do so and provides a much needed depth of understanding through its consideration of the individual and appreciation of the value of personal experience. Parratt (1989) recognises the usefulness of autobiographies in particular for gaining an understanding of how sport contributed to the reshaping of women’s lives in Victorian and Edwardian England. Indeed, when examining women’s sporting lives it is essential to understand the impact of the wider social, historical and geographical contexts.