Blanche Duncan

{{short description|Welsh golfer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox golfer | name = Blanche Duncan | image = | imagesize =  | caption = | fullname = | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1879|10|7|df=y}} | birth_place = Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales | death_date = {{Death date and age|1927|10|26|1879|10|7|df=y}} | death_place = London, England | height =  | weight = | nationality = {{WAL}} | spouse = | children = | college = | status = Amateur | yearpro =  | retired =  | awardssection =  }} '''Blanche Duncan''' (married name Ivor-Jones, 7 October 1879 – 26 October 1927) was a Welsh amateur golfer. She won the Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship four times in a row from 1906 to 1909 and again in 1912.

== Golf career == Duncan won the Welsh Ladies' Amateur Championship five times, in 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1912, having been the runner-up in the augural event in 1905.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welsh Ladies' Amateur Close Champions |url=https://www.walesgolf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Past-Champions.pdf |publisher=Wales Golf |access-date=15 July 2022}}</ref> In 1905, she lost to Evelyn Young, 2 and 1, in the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10107/4153665 |title=Ladies at golf |newspaper=Evening Express and Evening Mail |date=1905-06-24 |page=4 |access-date=2021-10-17}}</ref> In 1906, she beat Beatrice Storry, 5 and 4, in the final and beat Florence Wenham, Nest Lloyd-Williams and Mary Ellis-Griffith in the final in the following three years <ref>{{cite news |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10107/4163928 |title=Golf at Radyr |newspaper=Evening Express and Evening Mail |date=1906-06-01 |page=3 |access-date=2021-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10107/4177157 |title=Golf at Porthcawl |newspaper=Evening Express and Evening Mail |date=1907-05-31 |page=3 |access-date=2021-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10107/4194283 |title=Welsh ladies' meeting |newspaper=Evening Express and Evening Mail |date=1908-09-12 |page=3 |access-date=2021-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10107/4205036 |title=Miss Duncan wins again |newspaper=Evening Express and Evening Mail |date=1909-06-12 |page=4 |access-date=2021-10-17}}</ref> She won the title again in 1912, beating Polto Williams in the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1g8-AAAAIBAJ&pg=3626%2C6821164 |title=Welsh ladies' championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=14 |date=22 June 1912}}</ref>

Duncan represented Wales in the Women's Home Internationals in the first five events that Wales contested, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910 and 1912. Wales were the weakest team and lost all 15 matches in that period. Players were seeded and she was always in the first three, playing one of the leading players in the other teams. Duncan lost all her matches in 1907 and 1908, but won her final match in 1909, beating Maud Titterton, the Women's Amateur Champion, 2 and 1, although England won the match 7–2.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Vvw9AAAAIBAJ&pg=4615%2C480753 |title=Ladies' international matches |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=10 |date=4 May 1907}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Vvw9AAAAIBAJ&pg=4629%2C604546 |title=Ladies championship meeting |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=12 |date=6 May 1907}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=weBAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5841%2C1889431 |title=Ladies' open championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=12 |date=16 May 1908}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wuBAAAAAIBAJ&pg=4042%2C2031416 |title=Ladies' open championship |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=14 |date=18 May 1908}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a89AAAAAIBAJ&pg=6371%2C1698408 |title=Ladies international tournament |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=12 |date=15 May 1909}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bM9AAAAAIBAJ&pg=1344%2C1832479 |title=Ladies international |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=13 |date=17 May 1909}}</ref> In 1910, she beat Amy Ormsby, the Irish champion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7ctAAAAAIBAJ&pg=1504%2C7372606 |title=Ladies' championship meeting |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=12 |date=30 April 1910}}</ref> Wales were unable to raise a team in 1911 but competed again in 1912. Duncan won all her three matches, including another win over Maud Titterton, competing as Mrs. Gibb.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sw8-AAAAIBAJ&pg=1464%2C1479369 |title=Lady golfers at Turnberry |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=14 |date=11 May 1912}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tA8-AAAAIBAJ&pg=4471%2C1612243 |title=Ladies' international matches |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=13 |date=13 May 1912}}</ref>

==Personal life== Duncan was the daughter of John Duncan, later Sir John Duncan of Dros-y-Mor, Penarth. In October 1913, she married Thomas Ivor-Jones.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105636032/western-mail/ |title=Daughter of Sir John Duncan |newspaper=Western Mail (Wales) |page=5 |date=24 October 1913 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Sir John Duncan was ill at the time and died the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jd2387.wordpress.com/sir-john-duncan-1846-1914/ |title=Sir John Duncan (1846 – 1914) |access-date=16 July 2022}}</ref> She died in London in October 1927, aged 48.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105635660/obituary-for-mrs-t-ivor-jones/ |title=Mrs. T. Ivor-Jones |newspaper=Western Mail (Wales) |page=10 |date=28 October 1927 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Thomas Ivor-Jones died in 1943.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105636451/the-daily-telegraph/ |title=Ivor Jones |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=4 |date=1 January 1944 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G9R6-F4Y |title=Blanche Duncan |access-date=16 July 2022}}</ref>

Her brother John Duncan was Welsh amateur champion in 1905 and 1909, while John's wife Margery was Welsh ladies champion in 1922, 1927 and 1928. Their sons Tony and George were also noted amateur golfers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105702089/the-daily-telegraph/ |title=Colonel Tony Duncan |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |page=27 |date=17 January 1998 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

==Team appearances== *Women's Home Internationals (representing Wales): 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan Blanche}} Category:Welsh female golfers Category:Amateur golfers Category:1879 births Category:1927 deaths

Blanche Duncan

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