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| Country (sports) |  Great Britain and Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1881-07-26)26 July 1881 Clones,County Monaghan, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 27 February 1946(1946-02-27) (aged 64) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1900 (amateur tour) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1925[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 193–40 (82.83%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No.1 (1914,P.A. Vaile)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (1912) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | SF (1910,1913) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (1912) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1920) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1914) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team competitions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davis Cup | W (1912) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby player | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Cecil Parke (26 July 1881 – 27 February 1946) was anIrishrugby union player, tennis player, golfer, solicitor andWorld War I veteran.[4] He became an Olympic silver medallist,Davis Cup champion,Wimbledon Mixed Doubles winner andAustralasian Championships winner in both Singles and Doubles. He has often been referred to as Ireland's greatest ever sportsman.[5][6]
James Parke was born in the town ofClones located inCounty Monaghan, Ireland. He was one of eight children to Emily (née Pringle) and William Parke.[5] When he was nine years old, Parke played for his hometown's chess team.[7] He attended the Portora Royal School inEnniskillen and after graduation he attended Trinity college to study law.[5] Having been a part of the Irish golf team in 1906, Parke was also considered a top-class track and fieldsprinter and acricketer.
From 1901 to 1908, Parke played on the rugby teams ofMonkstown,Dublin University. He also played on the provincial level forLeinster.[7] Between 1903 and 1909, he also played in twenty games for theIrish national team.[8] Parke captained Ireland on three occasions.[6] He helped Ireland win two of their three1906 Home Nations matches, resulting in a shared championship with Wales.[9] 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.[5]
As a tennis player, Parke was a baseliner whose best shot was a running down-the-line forehand.[10] 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 the1908 Olympics in men's doubles, the Australian men's singles and doubles tennis titles in 1912, and the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1914.[11] 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 byA. Wallis Myers ofThe Daily Telegraph.[7][12] He was described as having the strongest claim to the "championships of the world" by P.A. Vaile for the 1914 season.[2]
Having already played in theDavis Cup (then known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge), he defeatedNorman Brookes andRodney Heath 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 beatMaurice McLoughlin andRichard Norris Williams 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.[5]
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.[5] He was wounded twice, at Gallipoli and on the Western front.[5]
Parke married Sybil Smith in 1918 and moved to her hometown ofLlandudno,Wales in 1920 where he joined Chamberlain and Johnson law practice.[5] He died in Llandudno in 1946 following a heart attack.[5]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1912 | Australasian Championships | Grass | Alfred Beamish | 3–6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 7–5 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1912 | Australasian Championships | Grass | Charles Dixon | Alfred BeamishGordon Lowe | 6–4, 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1920 | Wimbledon | Grass | Algernon Kingscote |  Chuck GarlandR. Norris Williams | 6–4, 4–6, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1913 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ethel Thomson Larcombe | Agnes TuckeyHope Crisp | 6–3, 3–5 retired |
| Win | 1914 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ethel Thomson Larcombe |  Marguerite Broquedis Anthony Wilding | 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
