{{Short description|English badminton player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} {{Infobox badminton player | name = Heather Ward <br> (married name Heather Nielsen) | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1938|10}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=177496454:9375&d=bmd_1588661647|title=1938 births|publisher=Free BMD}}</ref> | birth_place = [[Surrey]] | death_date = | death_place = | height = | weight = | event = | highest_ranking = | date_of_highest_ranking = | current_ranking = | date_of_current_ranking = | country = England | coach = | handedness = | best_result = | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{flag|ENG}} }} {{MedalCompetition|[[All England Open Badminton Championships]]}} {{MedalGold | [[1958 All England Badminton Championships|1958 London]] | [[1958 All England Badminton Championships|doubles]] }} {{MedalGold | [[1959 All England Badminton Championships|1959 London]] | [[1959 All England Badminton Championships|singles]] }} }}
'''Heather Maureen Ward''' (later '''Heather Nielsen'''; born October 1938) is a former English [[badminton]] player who won international championships and competed at an elite level during a two decade span from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s.
==Biography== Noted for her grace and athleticism, she won women's doubles with American [[Margaret Varner]] at the [[1958 All England Badminton Championships]] (then the world's most prestigious tournament for individual competitors).<ref>Herbert Scheele ed., The ''International Badminton Federation Handbook for 1971'' (Canterbury, Kent, England: J. A. Jennings Ltd., 1971) 166.</ref> The following year Ward interrupted the reign of the great [[Judy Devlin|Judy Devlin (Hashman)]] by defeating her in the [[1959 All England Badminton Championships]] women's singles final.<ref>Scheele, 163.</ref> During the 1960s her badminton career was hampered by a variety of factors including athletic injury, marriage and motherhood, and residence in South Africa. In 1970, however, she returned to the [[1970 All England Badminton Championships]] to reach the final of women's singles before bowing to Japan's [[Etsuko Toganoo|Etsuko Takenaka]].<ref>Scheele, 164.</ref> Continuing to compete, she was an All-England singles quarter-finalist as late as 1975.<ref>Pat Davis, The ''Guinness Book of Badminton'' (Enfield, Middlesex, England: Guinness Superlatives Ltd., 1983) 162.</ref>
She married Egon Nielsen and they had four children Bjorn, Gorm, Belinda and [[Anders Nielsen (badminton)|Anders Nielsen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.badmintonengland.co.uk/news/badminton-mourns-anders-nielsen/|title=Badminton mourns Anders Nielsen|publisher=Badminton England}}</ref>
==Achievements== ===International tournaments (11 titles, 10 runners-up)=== ''Women's singles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- | align="center" | 1956 | align="left" | [[Scottish Open (badminton)|Scottish Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Iris Rogers]] | align="left" | 11–6, 4–11, 5–11 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1957 | align="left" | [[Irish Open (badminton)|Irish Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers | align="left" | 9–12, 12–11, 1–11 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1958 | align="left" | Scottish Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers | align="left" | 6–11, 11–3, 11–4 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1958 | align="left" | [[Welsh International]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[P. E. Broad]] | align="left" | 11–1, 11–4 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1959 | align="left" | Irish Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers | align="left" | 11–4, 11–8 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | [[1959 All England Badminton Championships|1959]] | align="left" | [[All England Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Judy Devlin]] | align="left" | 11–7, 3–11, 11–4 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1966 | align="left" | [[Dutch Open (badminton)|Dutch Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Angela Bairstow]] | align="left" | 7–11, 11–8, 5–11 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | [[1970 All England Badminton Championships|1970]] | align="left" | [[All England Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Etsuko Takenaka]] | align="left" | 3–11, 4–11 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |}
''Women's doubles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Partner ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- | align="center" | 1956 | align="left" | [[Scottish Open (badminton)|Scottish Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[M. Crockett]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Iris Rogers]]<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} [[June Timperley]] | align="left" | 7–15, 3–15 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1957 | align="left" | [[Irish Open (badminton)|Irish Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barbara Carpenter (badminton)|Barbara Carpenter]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} June Timperley | align="left" | 13–18, 15–11, 2–15 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1957 | align="left" | [[Swedish Open (badminton)|Swedish Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Hanne Roest]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} June Timperley | align="left" | 2–15, 7–15 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1958 | align="left" | Scottish Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Barbara Carpenter | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} June Timperley | align="left" | 13–15, 7–15 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | [[1958 All England Badminton Championships|1958]] | align="left" | [[All England Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|USA}} [[Margaret Varner Bloss]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} June Timperley | align="left" | 15–12, 15–2 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1958 | align="left" | [[Welsh International]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[P. E. Broad]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[B. Maxwell]]<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} [[J. Davidson (badminton)|J. Davidson]] | align="left" | 15–5, 15–6 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1959 | align="left" | Irish Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Barbara Carpenter | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Iris Rogers<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} June Timperley | align="left" | 6–15, 5–15 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1959 | align="left" | [[Belgian International]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Barbara Carpenter | align="left" | {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Tonny Holst-Christensen]]<br />{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Inger Kjærgaard]] | align="left" | 15–8, 15–9 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1966 | align="left" | [[Denmark Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|NED}} [[Imre Rietveld]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Karin Jørgensen]]<br />{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Ulla Strand]] | align="left" | 4–15, 12–15 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{silver2}} '''Runner-up''' |- | align="center" | 1966 | align="left" | [[Dutch Open (badminton)|Dutch Open]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Jenny Horton]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|NED}} [[Agnes Geene]]<br />{{flagicon|NED}} [[Imre Rietveld]] | align="left" | 17–14, 15–3 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1974 | align="left" | Swedish Open | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barbara Giles]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Brigitte Steden]]<br />{{flagicon|FRG}} [[Marieluise Wackerow]] | align="left" | 6–15, 15–13, 15–10 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |}
''Mixed doubles'' {| class="sortable wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" ! Year ! Tournament ! Partner ! Opponent ! Score ! Result |- | align="center" | 1958 | align="left" | [[Welsh International]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Hugh Findlay (badminton)|Hugh Findlay]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Tony Jordan (badminton)|Tony Jordan]]<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} [[P. E. Broad]] | align="left" | 15–11, 15–7 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |- | align="center" | 1959 | align="left" | [[Belgian International]] | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} Hugh Findlay | align="left" | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Ronald Lockwood]]<br />{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Barbara Carpenter (badminton)|Barbara Carpenter]] | align="left" | 15–11, 15–11 | style="text-align:left; background: white" | {{gold1}} '''Winner''' |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Footer All England Open Championships Badminton Singles Women}} {{Footer All England Open Championships Badminton Doubles Women}} {{Footer World Invitation Tournament Champions Badminton Doubles Women}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Heather}} [[Category:English female badminton players]] [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:20th-century English sportswomen]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Surrey]]