This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by William Murphy. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 21 June 1866, Ireland
Died: 21 June 1907
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Helena Bertha Grace Rice
Rice, Helena Bertha Grace (‘Lena’) (1866–1907), tennis player, was born 21 June 1866 at Marhill, New Inn, Co. Tipperary, second youngest child among three daughters and five sons born to Spring Rice (d. 1868), landowner, and Ann Rice (neé Gorde). The family was distantly related to the Monteagles; her brother, Maj.-gen. Sir Robert Spring Rice, fought in the Boer war and was chief engineer to the British Expeditionary Force in France during the first world war.
Rice began to play tennis at home with her sister Annie before joining Cahir lawn tennis club, where she often played with visiting British army officers. Her assets were a powerful service and a particularly effective forehand side. In May 1889 she competed at the Irish championships at Fitzwilliam, Dublin, where she was defeated in the semi-final by Blanche Hillyard. She and Hillyard lost the doubles final and she won the mixed doubles title with Willoughby Hamilton. Later that year she competed at Wimbledon, playing Hillyard in the final. She had three match points, and led 5–3 and 40–15, but still managed to lose 4–6, 8–6, 6–4.
In 1890 she lost the final of the Irish singles championship, but won a tournament at Lansdowne Tennis Club. She then travelled to Wimbledon. The early 1890s were a good period for the Irish at Wimbledon, but a poor period for the tournament. There were only four entrants for the women’s singles competition, the lowest ever. Neither Hillyard nor Charlotte Dodd, the finest players of the era, competed. In the semi-final Rice defeated Miss Steedman and in the final she beat Miss Jacks 6–4, 6–1. She promptly retired.
She never married and lived at Marlhill throughout her life. Having contracted a tubercular condition, she died 21 June 1907 at home.