Sir George Thomas, 7th Baronet
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Full name | George Alan Thomas |
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Country (sports) | ![]() ![]() |
Born | Tarabya, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire | 14 June 1881
Died | 23 July 1972 London, England, U.K. | (aged 91)
Singles | |
Career record | 320–156 (67.2%)[1] |
Career titles | 26[1] |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Wimbledon | QF (1911) |
Doubles | |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Wimbledon | SF (1907, 1912) |
Mixed doubles | |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Wimbledon | 2R (1920, 1921) |
Sir George Alan Thomas, 7th Baronet (14 June 1881 – 23 July 1972) was a British
Badminton
Counting both singles and doubles titles, Thomas is the most successful player ever in the All England Open Badminton Championships, considered the unofficial World Badminton Championships, with 21 titles from 1903 to 1928. Four of those titles were in men's singles (consecutive titles from 1920 to 1923), nine in men's doubles and eight in mixed doubles. He won his titles both before and after a hiatus in the competition from 1915 to 1919 due to World War I.
He was part of the English team that toured Canada in 1925 to promote the sport on behalf of the Canadian Badminton Association which had recently been formed in 1921.[3][4] He captained the team again when a second tour was organised during 1930. A match was held at the Granite Club in Toronto which England won 7–2.[3][5]
In 1934 he was co-founder of the
Inspired by tennis' Davis Cup, first held in 1900, and football's World Cup, first held in 1930, Thomas had the idea of organizing an international competition for country teams in badminton. In 1939 his idea was well received at the general meeting of the International Badminton Federation.[6][7] In the same year, Sir George presented the Thomas Cup, officially known as The International Badminton Championship Challenge Cup, produced by Atkin Bros of London at a cost of £1700. The Cup stands 28 inches in height and 16 inches across at its widest, and consists of three parts: a plinth (pedestal), a bowl, and a lid with a player figure.[7] The first tournament was originally planned for 1941–42, but due to World War II was not realized until 1948–49, when ten national teams participated in the first Thomas Cup competition. Despite its British origins, England's best finish in the Thomas Cup has been a third place in 1984.
Thomas was inducted into the
Chess
Thomas was
His 'lifetime' scores against the world's elite were however less flattering: he had minuses against
Domestically, he held a plus score against his great rival
In 1950 he was awarded the
References
- ^ a b Garcia, Gabriel (2018). "George Alan Thomas: Career match record". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SAL. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Europe have yet to lift trophy". Malay Mail. 6 May 2004.
- ^ a b "Badminton in The 1930 | PDF | Games Of Physical Skill | Olympic Sports". Scribd.
- ^ "UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, Southampton, England 1926". Ancestry UK.
- ^ "UK, Outward Passenger Lists, Liverpool 1930 November". Ancestry UK.
- ^ "The Thomas Cup". Retrieved 13 April 2007.
- ^ a b "Mengenal Sejarah Piala Thomas" (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 22 December 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
- ^ "Max Euwe vs George Alan Thomas (1946)". chessgames.com.
External links
- Sir George Thomas by Bill Wall at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 October 2009).
- 445 chess games of Sir George Thomas