A former Wimbledon star, who brought her coaching skills to Ledbury five years ago, will be greatly missed by the town's tennis community.

Molly Blair died suddenly last week, aged 85, and her funeral took place at Hereford Crematorium on Wednesday, with many members of Ledbury Tennis Club in attendance.

Club member Catharine Luck said: "She was an angel, a saintly person, who gave me extra coaching. She set up the junior club at Ledbury Tennis Club, and was still playing well at 85. She was so strong. We never thought she would leave us."

Derrick Masters, the club's membership secretary, said: "The passing of such a wonderful character should not go unnoticed."

Mrs Blair, who reached the headlines as Molly Lincoln, won the National School-girls' Tournament at the Queen's Club in London in 1935, when she was 17.

The following year, she reached the Junior Wimbledon Final, then moved on to the adult tournament before war intervened.

Mrs Blair's son Chris said: "Her very first match at Wimbledon was against Alice Marble, the No 1 seed, when mum was only 19. She lost 6-0, 6-1. But she was always really proud of that game she won."

When Wimbledon restarted in 1946, Mrs Blair appeared in both the singles and doubles tournament and met her husband, Norman Blair. The couple played together in the mixed doubles in 1949.

She twice reached the ladies' doubles semi-final and was beaten in the singles semi-final in 1949 by Louise Brough, who went on to become ther champion.

Mrs Blair represented Britain in the Wightman Cup in the USA for four years, from 1945 to 1949.

Her greatest Wightman Cup triumph was when she and Jean Bostock beat the Wimbledon doubles champions, Doris Hart and Pat Todd, 6-4, 7-5.

When she was in her late 70s, Mrs Blair enjoyed a friendly doubles match with Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon. Until the last, she made a point of regular visits to Wimbledon, to play on the All England courts.

Always active, Mrs Blair bought her first pair of walking boots at the age of 82 and recently took up computer lessons at the Ledbury Community Volun-tary Action base at Salter's Yard.

She leaves three children, Chris, Jonathan and Jocelyn, and seven grandchildren.