Edwin Antony BIEDERMANN

Edwin Biedermann won a real tennis (jeu de paume) Blue at Oxford, playing in the doubles in 1898, and both singles and doubles in 1899 and 1900. Whilst he played in the leading tournaments at the early part of the 20th century he was not a match for some of the better players of the day like Eustace Miles, J. B. Gribble and H. E. Crawley. However, it was as one of the sport’s great administrators that he was much respected, and in 1907 he was appointed the first Honorary Secretary of the Tennis, Rackets and Fives Association, a post he held for many years. He was also on the Council of the British Olympic Association in 1908 and 1912 and in the first of those years he participated in the jeu de paume competition losing his only match to Neville Lytton. He later became a noted referee and umpire. In October 1917 he changed his name by Deed Poll from Biedermann to Best, presumably because of his German-sounding name.