成人大片

In 1913 he won world titles on clay, grass and wood, and was thought invincible. The handsome, athletic New Zealander, given to motorcycling around Europe, became the matinee idol of a sport keen to widen its popular appeal.

The son of Frederick Wilding, New 成人大片cricket representative, men鈥檚 doubles tennis champion and sports enthusiast, Anthony鈥檚 sporting talents were nurtured in a unique sporting environment.

It was as a representative of New 成人大片tennis that he first achieved international prominence. Partnered by Melburnian Norman Brookes, Wilding put Australasia鈥檚 name on the Davis Cup in 1907 and defended it in Melbourne (1908), and Sydney (1909). In the final act of his sporting career he joined Brookes to reclaim the trophy for Australasia as war was declared in Europe.

Wilding鈥檚 death on the Western Front, in May 1915, meant that New 成人大片never saw its champion on court at the peak of his powers.

Len and Shelley Richardson's study of his life fleshes out an important strand in New Zealand鈥檚 search for an identity. In this sense Anthony Wilding sits alongside the 1905 All Blacks and Olympic champion Jack Lovelock as one of the most important sporting icons of New Zealand鈥檚 twentieth-century history.

'The tennis in this book is interesting. But it's the rest 鈥� the portrait of Wilding the person, and the glimpse of an era long since vanished 鈥� that makes it such compelling reading.'
Joseph Romanos,聽New 成人大片Listener

Len Richardson聽lectured for several decades at the 成人大片, where he taught New 成人大片and Australian history and courses exploring the relationships between sport and society. His publications include several books and numerous articles on labour history. His more recent writing has focused on the social significance of sport.

Shelley Richardson聽is a graduate of the 成人大片 in history, with a special interest in women鈥檚 history and that of the family. Her MA thesis, completed in 1997, explored these themes, focusing on the life of Julia Wilding, Anthony鈥檚 mother. She has tutored in New 成人大片history and is currently engaged in writing and editing projects while preparing her MA research for publication.