Champion Branfill Russell (April 1860 – 8 September 1945), was an English tennis player in the later half of the 19th century. In the most notable tournaments of the time he reached the second round of the
1881 Wimbledon Championships, and in 1883 was a finalist at the
Northern Championships
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
. He was active from 1880 to 1888 and he contested 5 career finals won 2 titles.
Career
Champion played his first tournament at the
Essex County Cricket Club Tournament at
Leyton
Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
in 1880.
The same year he then reached his first event final at the
Leicester Lawn Tennis Club Tournament, in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
where he lost to Stuart Macrae.
In June 1881 he won his first title at the
Victoria Park Lawn Tennis Tournament at
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
against Spencer Cox.
In July 1881 he took part in the
Wimbledon Championships
The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England Club in ...
where he reached the second round before losing to HC Jenkins.
In the late summer of 1881 he won his second and final title at the
Teignmouth Open in
Teignmouth
Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about 12 miles south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14,749 at the ...
defeating Charles John Cole.
In the autumn of 1881 he reached the final of the
Sussex County Lawn Tennis Tournament that was played on outdoor asphalt courts at Brighton and Hove Rink,
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
where he was beaten by
Michael Gallwey McNamara.
In 1883 at his second major tournament at the
Northern Championships
Northern may refer to the following:
Geography
* North, a point in direction
* Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe
* Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States
* Northern Province, Sri Lanka
* Northern Range, a ra ...
he defeated two time Wimbledon champion
John Hartley in the semi-finals, before losing to
Herbert Wilberforce
Sir Herbert William Wrangham Wilberforce (8 February 1864 – 28 March 1941) was a British male tennis player. He was vice-president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from 1911 to 1921 and served as its president from 1921 to 1936. ...
in the final in four sets.
In 1888 he played his last tournament at the
Essex Championships
The Essex Championships was a combined men's and women's grass court tennis tournament last held at Frinton Lawn Tennis Club, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, Great Britain from 1881 to 1973.
History
The ''Essex Championships'' were established in 1881 a ...
at
Chingford
Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to the ...
where he lost in the quarter-finals to FOS Reade.
Personal
Champion B. Russell was born in North Ockendon, Essex, in April 1860 to Lt Col Champion Edward Branfill Russell and Emily Augusta Way.
[Ancestry USA] He was landowner and gentleman farmer by profession.
Champion Branfill Russell married Isabel Ellen Bruce and had 6 children.
He passed away on 8 September 1945 in Romford, Essex, England.
References
External links
Official Player Profile: Wimbledon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Champion
1860 births
1945 deaths
19th-century English people
19th-century male tennis players
English male tennis players
British male tennis players
Tennis players from Essex