Queenie Mary Allen (December 1911 — 2 August 2007), later Queenie Webber, was an English badminton player from the 1930s into 1950s. She won the women's doubles title at the All England Open Badminton Championships in 1949 with Betty Uber. She also won international competitions in Denmark, Scotland, South Africa, Ireland, and France.

Queenie Allen
BornDecember 1911
Died2 August 2007(2007-08-02) (aged 95)
NationalityEnglish
Other namesQueenie Webber (married name), Queenie Allen-Webber, Q. M. Allen
Occupationbadminton player

Career

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Allen competed in the 1934 All England Badminton Championships. At the 1948 South African Badminton Championships, Allen won in the women's doubles category, with her partner Betty Uber. In 1947, 1948, and 1949, she won the women's singles category at the Irish Open; she also won the women's doubles category at the Irish Open in 1947 and 1949 with Betty Uber, and the mixed doubles category in 1949 with Harold Marsland. She won the women's singles category at the Scottish Open in 1948, 1949, and 1950; she also won the women's doubles category at the Scottish Open with Betty Uber in 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1953.[1] At the French Open, she won the mixed doubles title with Malaysian player Eddy Choong in 1951 and 1952, and the ladies doubles title with Audrey Stone in 1951.

At the 1949 All England Badminton Championships, Allen won in the women's doubles category, with her partner Betty Uber, and finished as a runner-up in the mixed doubles category, with her partner T. Wynn Rogers.[2][3] At the 1951 All England Badminton Championships, Queenie Webber (using her married name) finished as a runner-up in the women's doubles category, with her partner Mavis Henderson.[2][4]

She played in the first badminton games broadcast on television in the United Kingdom, and her colleague recalled, "We had been told that white did not televise well, so that we must all wear colours no matter what they were. Queenie wore a blue skirt and yellow shirt, and I wore a black skirt and red-and-white shirt."[5]

Singing

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Queenie Allen-Webber was also a contralto singer. She performed in concert at Wigmore Hall in 1955.[6]

Personal life

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Queenie Allen married F. G. Webber.[7] She died at a rest home in Sussex in 2007, aged 95 years.[8]

Career wins

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Season Challenge Class Place Name
1947 Irish Open ladies singles 1 Queenie Allen
1947 Irish Open ladies doubles 1 Q. M. Allen / Betty Uber (ENG)
1948 Scottish Open ladies singles 1 Queenie Allen
1948 Irish Open ladies singles 1 Queenie Allen
1948 South African Championship ladies doubles 1 Betty Uber / Queenie Allen (ENG)
1948 Scottish Open ladies doubles 1 Queenie Allen / Betty Uber (ENG)
1948 All England ladies doubles 2 Betty Uber / Queenie Allen
1949 Scottish Open ladies singles 1 Queenie Allen
1949 Irish Open mixed doubles 1 Queenie Allen / Harold Marsland
1949 Irish Open ladies singles 1 Queenie Allen
1949 Irish Open ladies doubles 1 Q. M. Allen / Betty Uber (ENG)
1949 Scottish Open ladies doubles 1 Queenie Allen / Betty Uber (ENG)
1949 All England ladies doubles 1 Betty Uber / Queenie Allen
1950 Scottish Open ladies singles 1 Queenie Allen
1950 All England ladies doubles 2 Betty Uber / Queenie Allen
1950 Scottish Open ladies doubles 1 Queenie Allen / Betty Uber (ENG)
1951 Scottish Open ladies doubles 1 Queenie Webber/ Betty Uber (ENG)
1951 French Open ladies doubles 1 Queenie Webber/Audrey Stone
1951 French Open mixed doubles 1 Eddy Choong/Queenie Webber
1951 All England ladies doubles 2 Queenie Webber/Mavis Henderson
1952 All England ladies doubles 2 Betty Uber /Queenie Webber
1952 French Open mixed doubles 1 Eddy Choong/Queenie Webber
1953 Scottish Open ladies doubles 1 Queenie Webber/Mrs A M Horner

References

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  1. ^ "Roll of Honour: Post-War Scottish Open Championship Winners" Badminton Scotland.
  2. ^ a b "All England Bandminton Championship Winners", All England Badminton.
  3. ^ "Freeman Wins Singles Event" The Baltimore Sun (March 6, 1949): 30. via Newspapers.com
  4. ^ BadmintonEngland, Facts and Records.
  5. ^ Betty Uber, A Brief History of Badminton from 1870 to 1949 (Read Books Ltd 2016). ISBN 9781473357280
  6. ^ Concert listings, The Observer (June 5, 1955): 6. via Newspapers.com
  7. ^ Scottish Open Women's Doubles, Badminton Scotland.
  8. ^ "Deceased Estates notice for Queenie Allen-Webber" The Gazette(September 2007).