Obituary: Violet Owen

VIOLET OWEN was one of the great stalwarts of lawn tennis and women's hockey.

She was born Violet Chamberlain in 1902, in the village of Ramsbury, Wiltshire, and learnt to play tennis on the court which divided her home from that of the young L.G. Owen, who later, in 1930, became her husband.

Tennis was her great love from almost the moment that she could hold a racket. It led to her becoming a sports teacher, after attending Bedford College of Physical Training.

In 1928 she led the British women's hockey team on a tour of Canada and America, and she went on to become one of the greatest enthusiasts in the tennis world, with an enviable playing record, although she never achieved the greatest achievement of a Wimbledon title.

Throughout the 1920s and into the mid-1930s, however, she enjoyed plenty of success, playing at Wimbledon every year from 1926 to 1933 and reaching No 8 in the British rankings.

Her best result was in winning the women's doubles at the British Hard Court Championships in 1927.

In those days the women's game took a back seat to the men's. Play was in a more subdued style, and was mainly from the baseline. Owen had a challenging approach compared with most women.

She played an all-round game and, although she lacked the power of modern players, this made her more effective at the net. A solid backhand enabled her to retrieve the unexpected. She was skilled at reading her opponent's game of her opponent and anticipating the return.

Above all, her coolness in the battle was her greatest strength. Unlike many of today's players she had a cool calculating temperament and refused to be rattled. She partnered many of the great players of her era and her close friend and frequent partner was Henry Billington, the Davis Cup player and grandfather of Britain's current No 1, Tim Henman.

After retiring in the 1930s as a player, Violet Owen took up coaching to pass her knowledge and skills on to others. She would take players of under 10 years old and help them through to county level. Even if they proved unable to reach the higher levels, she would still encourage them, pointing out that there is a lot of fun to be gained from playing tennis. This is the work for which she will probably be best remembered.

Violet Owen and her husband lived in Ramsbury all their lives; she served on the parish council and took an enthusiastic part in the life of the community. They had three children to carry on their sporting enthusiasms, John, Geoffrey and Ann. Ann and Geoffrey were both Wimbledon players, and Geoffrey also went on to become the Editor of the Financial Times and was knighted in 1989. That grass court in Ramsbury where it all started has now been relaid by him.

Violet Chamberlain, tennis and hockey player: born Ramsbury, Wiltshire 15 February 1902; married 1930 L.G. Owen (died 1947; two sons, one daughter); died Ramsbury, Wiltshire 22 October 1998.