Charles Williams (rackets)

Last updated
Charles Williams
Soutar and Williams, tennis LCCN2014692446.jpg
Williams (r)
Full nameCharles Eugene Williams
Country (sports) England
Born(1888-07-28)July 28, 1888
East Fulham, London
DiedOctober 27, 1935(1935-10-27) (aged 47)
Chicago, United States

Charles Williams (1888-1935) was English rackets world champion.

Contents

Rackets career

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.

Personal life

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]

References and notes

  1. ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 14 Jan. 1911". Times Digital Archive.
  2. ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 26 Jan. 1911". Times Digital Archive.
  3. ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 1 May 1911". Times Digital Archive.
  4. ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 15 May 1911". Times Digital Archive.
  5. ""Names Of The Survivors." Times [London, England] 17 Apr. 1912". Times Digital Archive.
  6. 1 2 "Death of Charles Williams". The Times. 6 December 1935. p. 6 via Times Digital Archive.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squash (sport)</span> Racket sport

Squash, sometimes called squash rackets, is a racket-and-ball sport played by two or four players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball. The players alternate in striking the ball with their rackets onto the playable surfaces of the four walls of the court. The objective of the game is to hit the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. There are about 20 million people who play squash regularly world-wide in over 185 countries. The governing body of squash, the World Squash Federation (WSF), is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the sport is included in the Olympic Games, after a number of applications. Squash has been added for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Professional Squash Association (PSA) organizes the pro tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real tennis</span> Racquet sport played in a walled court.

Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United States, royal tennis in England and Australia, and courte-paume in France. Many French real tennis courts are at jeu de paume clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rackets (sport)</span> Indoor racquet sport

Rackets or racquets is an indoor racket sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. It is infrequently called "hard rackets" to distinguish it from the related sport of squash.

James Patrick St. George Dear MBE (1910–1981) was an English racquets, court tennis, and squash player who effectively won world titles in three different sports during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racquet Club of Philadelphia</span>

The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (RCOP) is a private social club and athletic club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has facilities for squash, real tennis, and racquets. The club is ranked in the Top 20 Athletic Clubs on the Platinum Club of America list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Hadow</span> British tennis player

Patrick Francis "Frank" Hadow was an English tennis player, who won the Wimbledon championship in 1878.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Foster (cricketer)</span> English cricketer

Henry Knollys Foster MBE was an English first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University and Worcestershire. He first played for Worcestershire in 1888 at the age of only 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince's Club</span>

The Prince's Club was a socially exclusive gentlemen's multisports club in London, England. The original 'Prince's Club' was founded in 1853 in Chelsea by George and James Prince and its main sports were rackets and real tennis. Cricket, croquet and lawn tennis were also played. After most of its ground was lost to building developments it closed in 1887. Its successor, the 'New Prince's Club', located in Knightsbridge, opened in 1888 and kept its focus on rackets and real tennis, but no longer had any outdoor sports. In 1896 the Prince's Skating Club was opened. The Prince's Club was in operation until the 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Hart Dyke</span> English politician and tennis pioneer

Sir William Hart Dyke, 7th Baronet PC, DL, JP was an English Conservative politician and tennis pioneer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Norris Williams</span> American tennis player

Richard "Dick" Norris Williams II, generally known as R. Norris Williams, was an American tennis player and RMS Titanic survivor. He won the U.S. National Tennis Championships in men's singles in 1914 and 1916. He was ranked the U.S. No. 1 player for 1916 by the USLTA, and world No. 2 for 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Brougham (sportsman)</span> English sportsman

Major Henry Brougham was an English rugby union and rackets player.

John Moyer Heathcote was an English barrister and real tennis player. He was one of the committee members at the Marylebone Cricket Club responsible for drafting the original rules of lawn tennis and is credited with devising the cloth covering for the tennis ball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farren Soutar</span> English actor and singer

Farren Soutar, was an English actor and singer who became known for his performances in Edwardian Musical Comedies in the West End and on Broadway. Later he acted in some serious plays. His mother was Nellie Farren, the famous principal boy in Victorian burlesque.

The 1935 Open Championship featured the defending open champion F. D. Amr Bey of Egypt being challenged by Jim Dear the professional champion. The first leg was held at the Bath Club on 25 November. Bey from the Bath Club won the first leg three games to two. The second leg took place at Dear's home club the Royal Automobile Club on 2 December. Bey wrapped up his third consecutive Open Championship title by clinching the second leg three games to one.

Jamsetji Merwanji was an Indian professional racquets player, who was world champion of the sport from 1903 to 1911.

Edward Montagu Butler was an English first-class cricketer and schoolmaster.

The Rackets World Championships is the rackets leading event organised by the Tennis and Rackets Association.

The 2018 Real Tennis World Championship was a real tennis tournament held at the Queen's Club in London, England. 12-time world champion Rob Fahey regained the world title defeating the defending champion Camden Riviere by a score of 7–5.