Full name | Charles Eugene Williams |
---|---|
Country (sports) | England |
Born | East Fulham, London | July 28, 1888
Died | October 27, 1935 47) Chicago, United States | (aged
Charles Williams (1888-1935) was English rackets world champion.
Williams became a professional rackets player and the school coach at a young age, playing from the Harrow Club at Harrow School. [1] In January 1911 he competed in and won the Open Championship of England defeating Edgar Maximilian Baerlein. [2] Just over three months later he was the challenger for the World Championship against the holder Jamsetji Merwanji from India. Williams won the first leg at the Queen's Club [3] and then in the second leg played out a draw at the Prince's Club after he had already secured the one game he needed to claim the title outright. He had become the world champion aged just 22. [4]
He lost the Championship to Jock Soutar from the United States in 1913 before failing to regain the title in a rematch in 1922. He finally regained the Championship after beating Soutar in 1929.
Born in East Fulham in 1888, he was a ball boy at the Prince's Club before turning professional. During the journey to defend his title in 1912 he boarded the RMS Titanic as a second class passenger. After it sank he was rescued by the RMS Carpathia and developed pneumonia. [5] [6] He resided in the United States from 1924 and was married and had six children.
He died in 1935 while living in Chicago aged 47. [6]
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