James Cecil Parke (26 July 1881 – 27 February 1946) was an Irish
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player, tennis player, golfer, solicitor and
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
veteran. He became an Olympic silver medallist,
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
champion,
Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
Mixed Doubles winner and
Australasian Championships
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...
winner in both Singles and Doubles. He has often been referred to as Ireland's greatest ever sportsman.
Early life
James Parke was born in the town of
Clones
Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to:
Places
* Clones, County Fermanagh
* Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland
Biology
* Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...
located in
County Monaghan
County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Cou ...
, Ireland. He was one of eight children to Emily (nee Pringle) and William Parke.
When he was nine years old, Parke played for his hometown's chess team.
He attended the Portora Royal School in
Enniskillen
Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...
and after graduation he attended Trinity college to study law.
Having been a part of the Irish golf team in 1906, Parke was also considered a top-class track and field
sprinter and a
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er.
Rugby career
From 1901 to 1908, Parke played on the rugby teams of
Monkstown,
Dublin University
The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...
. He also played on the provincial level for
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
.
Between 1903 and 1909, he also played in twenty games for the
Irish national team. Parke captained Ireland on three occasions.
He helped Ireland win two of their three
1906 Home Nations matches, resulting in a shared championship with Wales.
In his final international cap, Parke kicked a penalty and a conversion to help seal a 19–8 victory in Ireland's first match against France.
Tennis career
As a tennis player, Parke was a baseliner whose best shot was a running down-the-line forehand.
Through his career, Parke achieved a number of feats. Having already became the European singles champion in 1907, Parke later won a silver medal in the
1908 Olympics in men's doubles, the Australian men's singles and doubles tennis titles in 1912, and the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1914.
He won eight Irish Lawn Tennis Singles titles, four doubles and two mixed titles. Parke was ranked world No. 4 in both 1913 and 1920 by
A. Wallis Myers of
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
.
[United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). ''Official Encyclopedia of Tennis'' (First Edition), p. 422.] He was described as having the strongest claim to the "championships of the world" by P.A. Vaile for the 1914 season.
Having already played in the
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...
(then known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge), he defeated
Norman Brookes
Sir Norman Everard Brookes (14 November 187728 September 1968) was an Australian tennis player. During his career he won three Grand Slam singles titles; Wimbledon in 1907 and 1914 (the first non-British individual to do so) and the Austral ...
and
Rodney Heath
Rodney Wilfred Heath (15 June 1884 – 26 October 1936) was an Australian tennis player.
Personal
Heath was the second son of F. W. Heath who was the official timekeeper at the Victorian Racing Club and Victorian Amateur Turf Club. Rodney's ...
in the Challenge Round on 28–30 November 1912, helping the British Isles capture the Cup in one of his greatest accomplishments. The following year he beat
Maurice McLoughlin
Maurice Evans McLoughlin (January 7, 1890 – December 10, 1957) was an American tennis player. Known for his powerful serve, overhead, and volley, McLoughlin was the first male tennis champion from the western United States.
Biography
He was ...
and
Richard Norris Williams
Richard "Dick" Norris Williams II (January 29, 1891 – June 2, 1968), generally known as R. Norris Williams, was an American tennis player and RMS ''Titanic'' survivor.
Biography
Williams was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the son of Philadel ...
in the Challenge Round on 25–28 July 1913. However, the British Isles lost the meeting against the USA. Parke wore a four-leaved shamrock during every match he played.
Military
At the outset of World War 1, Parke enlisted in the Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians) with the rank of captain (1914), before switching to the Essex regiment where he was promoted to Major in 1917.
He was wounded twice, at Gallipoli and on the Western front.
Personal life
Parke married Sybil Smith in 1918 and moved to her hometown of
Llandudno
Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2011 UK census, the community – which includes Gogarth, Penrhyn Bay, Craigsi ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
in 1920 where he joined Chamberlain and Johnson law practice.
He died in Llandudno in 1946 following a heart attack.
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 title
Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Mixed doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)
See also
*
Frank Stoker
Francis Owen Stoker (29 May 1867 – 8 January 1939) was an Irish tennis and rugby union player.Fran Cotton (ed.) ''The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records'' (Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. 1984. )[ ...]
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Parke, James Cecil
1881 births
1946 deaths
Australasian Championships (tennis) champions
British male tennis players
Dublin University Football Club players
Ireland international rugby union players
Irish male golfers
Irish male tennis players
Irish rugby union players
Leinster Rugby players
Monkstown Football Club players
Olympic tennis players of Great Britain
Sportspeople from County Monaghan
Tennis players at the 1908 Summer Olympics
Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)
Olympic medalists in tennis
Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles
Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
World number 1 ranked male tennis players
Rugby union players from County Monaghan
Rugby union centres