Heather Ward

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). The following year Ward interrupted the reign of the great Judy Devlin (Hashman) by defeating her in the 1959 All England Badminton Championships women's singles final. 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 Takenaka. Continuing to compete, she was an All-England singles quarter-finalist as late as 1975.

She married Egon Nielsen and they had four children Bjorn, Gorm, Belinda and Anders Nielsen.

Achievements

International tournaments (11 titles, 10 runners-up)

Women's singles

Year	Tournament	Opponent	Score	Result
1956	Scottish Open	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers	11–6, 4–11, 5–11	Runner-up
1957	Irish Open	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers	9–12, 12–11, 1–11	Runner-up
1958	Scottish Open	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers	6–11, 11–3, 11–4	Winner
1958	Welsh International	Template:Flagicon P. E. Broad	11–1, 11–4	Winner
1959	Irish Open	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers	11–4, 11–8	Winner
1959	All England Open	Template:Flagicon Judy Devlin	11–7, 3–11, 11–4	Winner
1966	Dutch Open	Template:Flagicon Angela Bairstow	7–11, 11–8, 5–11	Runner-up
1970	All England Open	Template:Flagicon Etsuko Takenaka	3–11, 4–11	Runner-up

Women's doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1956	Scottish Open	Template:Flagicon M. Crockett	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers Template:Flagicon June Timperley	7–15, 3–15	Runner-up
1957	Irish Open	Template:Flagicon Barbara Carpenter	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers Template:Flagicon June Timperley	13–18, 15–11, 2–15	Runner-up
1957	Swedish Open	Template:Flagicon Hanne Roest	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers Template:Flagicon June Timperley	2–15, 7–15	Runner-up
1958	Scottish Open	Template:Flagicon Barbara Carpenter	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers Template:Flagicon June Timperley	13–15, 7–15	Runner-up
1958	All England Open	Template:Flagicon Margaret Varner Bloss	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers Template:Flagicon June Timperley	15–12, 15–2	Winner
1958	Welsh International	Template:Flagicon P. E. Broad	Template:Flagicon B. Maxwell Template:Flagicon J. Davidson	15–5, 15–6	Winner
1959	Irish Open	Template:Flagicon Barbara Carpenter	Template:Flagicon Iris Rogers Template:Flagicon June Timperley	6–15, 5–15	Runner-up
1959	Belgian International	Template:Flagicon Barbara Carpenter	Template:Flagicon Tonny Holst-Christensen Template:Flagicon Inger Kjærgaard	15–8, 15–9	Winner
1966	Denmark Open	Template:Flagicon Imre Rietveld	Template:Flagicon Karin Jørgensen Template:Flagicon Ulla Strand	4–15, 12–15	Runner-up
1966	Dutch Open	Template:Flagicon Jenny Horton	Template:Flagicon Agnes Geene Template:Flagicon Imre Rietveld	17–14, 15–3	Winner
1974	Swedish Open	Template:Flagicon Barbara Giles	Template:Flagicon Brigitte Steden Template:Flagicon Marieluise Wackerow	6–15, 15–13, 15–10	Winner

Mixed doubles

Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponent	Score	Result
1958	Welsh International	Template:Flagicon Hugh Findlay	Template:Flagicon Tony Jordan Template:Flagicon P. E. Broad	15–11, 15–7	Winner
1959	Belgian International	Template:Flagicon Hugh Findlay	Template:Flagicon Ronald Lockwood Template:Flagicon Barbara Carpenter	15–11, 15–11	Winner