Frederick Wilding
Frederick Wilding played first-class cricket for Canterbury in the 1880s and 1890s. He also played tennis and was a noted athlete.
Wilding was born in Montgomery, Wales, and gained his experience as an athlete in the west of England. He and his wife, Julia Wilding emigrated from Herefordshire, England, in 1879. Wilding became a well-to-do lawyer in Christchurch, New Zealand, and was appointed a King's Counsel in 1913. Their house, "Fownhope" in St Martins, Christchurch, had two tennis courts, an asphalt winter court and a summer grass court. He founded Wilding Park, which is today the largest tennis centre in Canterbury. He won the New Zealand doubles title five times between 1887 and 1894 with his partner Richard Harman.
Their son Tony Wilding, was a world champion tennis player, and played cricket for Canterbury, but was killed in action during the First World War. Their daughter Cora Wilding was an artist and outdoor enthusiast, and founded the Youth Hostel Association of New Zealand in 1932.
He died, aged 92, in Christchurch on 5 July 1945, and was buried at Bromley Cemetery.
