Mary Russell Vick

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(1922–2012) was a mathematician, field hockey player, and administrator. She won Oxford Blues in several sports and toured the US as part of the England Hockey team. She was President of the All England Women's Hockey Association. She was the first chair of the Great Britain Women's Olympic Hockey Board.

Career

Russell Vick (née de Putron) was born on 16 July 1922 in

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. Her father held the office of Jurat of the Royal Court of Guernsey and was in charge of food and fuel on the island during the wartime occupation. She was sent to boarding school in Bexhill, where her aunt had a school. She excelled at all sports from an early age, playing in the junior tennis championships of Great Britain at Wimbledon in 1938. She played for the University of Oxford hockey team for four seasons whilst studying Mathematics at Somerville College between 1940 and 1943. She won further Blues in lawn tennis, cricket and squash and also excelled at athletics. From 1946 she played hockey for Sussex and in January 1947 she was selected to play territorial hockey for the South. Shortly afterwards she was selected to play for the England women's hockey team. That team toured the US in 1947. Fellow players were Bridget and

Barbara Winifred West Barbara "Bar" Winifred West (9 November 1913 – 4 November 2014) was a British hockey player, coach, and administrator. She and her twin Bridget West played Hockey for England and she was involved with British hockey for 50 years. Life West ...

. Known for her athleticism and style on the pitch, she was a prolific goal scorer; scoring 70 goals in 30 international matches until her retirement in 1953. Vick later served as president of the All England Women's Hockey Association from 1976 to 1986. She was the first chair of the Great Britain Women's Olympic Hockey Board. She was appointed an OBE for services to hockey administration in 1980.

References

External links

AEWHA (Hockey) Collection at the University of Bath Library

The Hockey Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell Vick, Mary English female field hockey players Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford 1922 births 2012 deaths Guernsey sportswomen