Richard Richardson (tennis)

Richard Richardson
Full nameRichard Taswell Richardson
Country (sports) United Kingdom
Born9 August 1852 [1]
Broughton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Died16 May 1930 (1930-05-17) (aged 77) [2]
Capenhurst, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Turned pro1880 (amateur tour)
Retired1884
Singles
Career titles4
Grand Slam singles results
WimbledonF (1881, 1882)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon1R (1884)

Richard Taswell Richardson (9 August 1852 – 16 May 1930) was a British tennis player in the early years of Wimbledon. He also played cricket.

Tennis career

Richardson's tennis career was brief but successful. He won the important Northern Championships three times in 1880, 1881 and 1882 (beating Ernest Renshaw in 1882).[3] At the Wimbledon Championships in 1880, Richardson lost to Herbert Lawford in five sets in round three.

In May 1881, he was defeated by Herbert Lawford again in the final of the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships in Dublin (at the time considered as prestigious a title to win as Wimbledon).[4]

In June 1881, he was a finalist at the Waterloo LTC Tournament in Liverpool, on 18 June he also won the inaugural Liverpool Cricket Club Lawn Tennis Tournament against Reginald Herbert Jones.[5] In July 1881, at the Wimbledon Championship's he beat Ernest Renshaw in the final play off before losing to William Renshaw in the All comer's final at Wimbledon.[6]

At Wimbledon Championship's in 1882 Richardson beat Otway Woodhouse before losing to Ernest Renshaw in the All comer's final.[6] At Wimbledon 1883 he lost his first match to Charles Grinstead and didn't play the tournament again. Richardson was also a fine cricketer. He played 5 matches for the MCC from 1876 to 1877.[7]

He played his last career tournament at Waterloo in Liverpool in June 1884 losing to Donald Stewart in four sets in the semi-finals.[8]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runners-up)

Result Year Championship Opponent Score
Loss 1881 Wimbledon Championships United Kingdom William Renshaw 4–6, 2–6, 3–6
Loss 1882 Wimbledon Championships United Kingdom Ernest Renshaw 5–7, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6

Career finals

Singles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runners-up)

Note: (L) denotes Liverpool as location (M) Manchester tournament alternated till 1929

Legend (3-4)
Winner
Runner up
Result No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent Score
Win 1. May 1880 [9] Northern Lawn Tennis Championships (M) Grass United Kingdom Walter Edwin Fairlie 6–0, 6–3, 6–0
Loss 1. May 1881 [9] Irish Championships Grass Scotland Herbert Lawford 7–5, 5–7, 6–3, 4–6, 7–9
Win 2. Jun 1881 [9] Waterloo Tournament Grass England N. C. Jones 6–0, 6–0
Win 3. Jun 1881 [9] Northern Lawn Tennis Championships (M) Grass United Kingdom John Comber 6–1, 6–1, 6–0
Loss 2. Jul 1881 [9] Wimbledon Championships Grass United Kingdom William Renshaw 4–6, 2–6, 2–6
Win 4. May 1882 [9] Northern Lawn Tennis Championships (L) Grass United Kingdom Ernest Renshaw 6–1, 3–6, 5–7, 6–4, 11–9
Loss 3. Jul 1882 [9] Wimbledon Championships Grass United Kingdom Ernest Renshaw 5–7, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6

Cricket career

Richardson also played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1876 and 1877, making five appearances.[10] He scored 160 runs in these five matches, averaging 22.85 and with a high score of 48.[11]

Personal life

He was the son of Richard Richardson of Broughton, Hampshire. He graduated B.A. at University College, Oxford in 1876;[12] and 1879 he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He was a Justice of the Peace.[13]

References

  1. ^ "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk.
  2. ^ "Wills and Estates: 8830" (PDF). London Gazette. H.M. Government UK. 12 December 1930. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  3. ^ Archives, Tennis. "Richard Taswell Richardson". www.tennisarchives.com.
  4. ^ Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. ABC-CLIO. p. 198. ISBN 9781598843002.
  5. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) Lawn Tennis in 1881. George Routledge and Son. London. p.68.
  6. ^ a b "Wimbledon player archive – Richard Richardson". AELTC.
  7. ^ "Richard Richardson". Cricinfo.
  8. ^ "Richard Taswell Richardson: 1884 tournament activity". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Richard Taswell Richardson". archive.is. Tennis Archives, 14 February 2016. February 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Richard Richardson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  11. ^ "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Richard Richardson". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  12. ^ Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Richardson, Richard Taswell" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  13. ^ Zhulin, Denis Larionov & Alexander. "Read the eBook The county families of the United Kingdom; or, Royal manual of the titled and untitled aristocracy of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland .. (Volume ed.59, yr.1919) by Edward Walford online for free (page 305 of 415)". www.ebooksread.com.

Sources

  • Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598843002.