Thelma Kingsbury

Thelma Kingsbury (1911–1979), (later, in succession: Thelma Scovil, Thelma Welcome, Thelma Lougheed) was an English-born, naturalised American sportswoman who won major badminton titles in the British Isles and then in the US from the early 1930s to the early 1950s.

Thelma Kingsbury
Kingsbury, circa 1942
Personal information
Country	England United States
Born	(1911-01-12)12 January 1911 Portsmouth, England
Died	27 August 1979(1979-08-27) (aged 68) Los Angeles, United States
Handedness	Left[1]

Badminton career

Equally adept in singles and doubles she won two women's singles titles and four women's doubles titles at the prestigious All-England Championships between 1933 and 1937.^[2]

In the 1935–1936 season, she achieved a British "Grand Slam" by winning the open singles titles of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.^[3] After emigrating from Britain to the US, she won the U.S. women's singles title in 1941 and shared the U.S. women's doubles title with Janet Wright in 1941, 1947, 1948, 1949, and 1950.^[4] Though reaching 40 in the early 1950s, she continued to play highly competitive singles matches against such formidable opponents as Ethel Marshall, Margaret Varner, and a teenage Judy Devlin (Hashman). Thelma Kingsbury was among the initial class of players elected to the U.S. Badminton Hall of Fame in 1956.

Personal life

Her sister Leoni Kingsbury was also a leading badminton player.

Achievements

International tournaments (24 titles, 11 runners-up)

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1931	Welsh International	Marian Horsley	11–4, 11–3	Winner
1933	All England Open	Alice Woodroffe	7–11, 5–11	Runner-up
1933	Welsh International	Betty Uber	1–11, 11–8, 9–11	Runner-up
1934	Irish Open	D. Kenny	11–2, 11–2	Winner
1934	All England Open	Leoni Kingsbury	4–11, 6–11	Runner-up
1934	Welsh International	Alice Teague	11–8, 11–6	Winner
1935	Scottish Open	Betty Uber	8–11, 11–5, 11–7	Winner
1935	Welsh International	Greta Graham	11–5, 11–4	Winner
1936	Scottish Open	Daphne Young	11–3, 11–4	Winner
1936	Irish Open	Diana Doveton	11–1, 11–3	Winner
1936	All England Open	Betty Uber	5–11, 11–3, 11–2	Winner
1936	Welsh International	Greta Graham	2–11, 10–13	Runner-up
1937	Scottish Open	Daphne Young	7–11, 6–11	Runner-up
1937	All England Open	Diana Doveton	11–0, 11–0	Winner

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1931	Welsh International	Hazel Hogarth	Nora Coop Diana Doveton	15–6, 15–11	Winner
1933	All England Open	Marje Bell	L. W. Myers Brenda Speaight	10–15, 15–11, 15–9	Winner
1933	Welsh International	Betty Uber	Craddock Leoni Kingsbury	15–8, 15–6	Winner
1934	Irish Open	Marje Henderson	Marian Horsley Betty Uber	6–15, 10–15	Runner-up
1934	All England Open	Marje Henderson	L. W. Myers Brenda Speaight	15–8, 15–5	Winner
1934	Welsh International	Betty Uber	L. W. Myers Alice Teague	15–10, 15–8	Winner
1935	Scottish Open	Marje Henderson	C. T. Duncan Betty Uber	17–14, 15–12	Winner
1935	All England Open	Marje Henderson	Betty Uber Diana Doveton	15–5, 9–15, 15–8	Winner
1935	Welsh International	Betty Uber	Mavis Henderson Marian Horsley	15–6, 15–8	Winner
1936	Scottish Open	Marje Henderson	Elizabeth Anderson E. W. Greenwood	15–11, 15–6	Winner
1936	Irish Open	Diana Doveton	Marian Horsley Betty Uber	7–15, 10–15	Runner-up
1936	All England Open	Marje Henderson	Betty Uber Diana Doveton	15–10, 5–15, 15–7	Winner
1936	Welsh International	Marian Horsley	Dorothy Graham Greta Graham	7–15, 17–18	Runner-up
1937	Scottish Open	Marje Henderson	Elizabeth Anderson M. K. Morton	15–6, 15–11	Winner
1937	All England Open	Marje Henderson	Betty Uber Diana Doveton	18–17, 1–15, 2–15	Runner-up
1955	U.S. Open	Janet Wright	Judy Devlin Susan Devlin	10–15, 9–15	Runner-up

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1936	Scottish Open	Ian Maconachie	James Rankin Marian Horsley	15–3, 17–15	Winner
1936	All England Open	Ian Maconachie	Donald C. Hume Betty Uber	15–18, 8–15	Runner-up
1936	Welsh International	Raymond M. White	Ian Maconachie Marian Horsley	15–7, 5–15, 15–12	Winner
1937	Scottish Open	Ian Maconachie	Donald C. Hume Betty Uber	15–6, 15–11	Winner
1937	All England Open	Ian Maconachie	Ralph Nichols J. W. Stewart	15–11, 15–12	Winner