Charles Hoadley Ashe Ross (22 July 1852 – 5 February 1911) was an English sportsman who played both cricket and tennis, the latter of which was more extensive. Ross was a quarter finalist in singles at the

1886 Wimbledon Championships The 1886 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 3 July until 17 July.2010 Wimbledon Compendium, by Alan Little (The All Engla ...

, and a two time semi finalist in men's doubles in 1885 and 1886. He played competitive tennis from 1884 to 1891, and reached fifteen finals, and won seven titles.

Tennis career

Ross entered his first tournament at the

Sussex County Lawn Tennis Tournament The Sussex County Lawn Tennis Tournament was an early men's tennis tournament held from 1880 to 1885. It consisted of a spring tournament usually held in April and another held in autumn usually September. It was a forerunner event for the later ...

in 1884, and progressed to the final before losing to

Charles Lacy Sweet Charles Lacy Sweet (1861–1892) was a British tennis player in the early years of Wimbledon. He was a semi finalist at the 1887 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles. He was active for ten years from 1882 to 1892, and won 11 singles titles ...

3–1 in sets. In a period when international travel was difficult, he chose to play at the inaugural Ceylon Championships held at the

Hill Club The Hill Club is a gentlemen's club in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Established 1876 by British coffee planters in the hill station of Nuwara Eliya. History The Hill Club was founded in 1876 by W.H. Walker, J. Wickwar and H. Saunders and started wit ...

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

British Ceylon British Ceylon ( si, බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය ලංකාව, Britānya Laṃkāva; ta, பிரித்தானிய இலங்கை, Biritthāṉiya Ilaṅkai) was the British Crown colony of present-day Sri Lanka between ...

where he won the title. In 1885 he competed at the

London Championships London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

staged at the London Athletic Club, Stamford Bridge, where he won the title against

Ernest Wool Lewis Ernest Lewis may refer to: * Ernest Lewis (tennis) (1867–1930), British amateur lawn tennis player * Ernest Lewis (footballer), Welsh footballer * Ernest W. Lewis (1875–1919), American jurist * Ernie Lewis Ernest Clayton Lewis (November 20, ...

. He then won the

by a walkover against William C. Taylor. Ross was also finalist at

Brighton Lawn Tennis Club Tournament The Brighton Lawn Tennis Club Tournament was an early men's tennis tournament held from 1880 through 1885. History The Brighton Lawn Tennis Club Tournament was established in 1880. In 1882, it became an open event for men and women called the Br ...

losing 3–1 in sets to the American No 2 player

James Dwight James Dwight (July 14, 1852, France – July 13, 1917) was an American tennis player who was known as the "Founding Father of American Tennis". Biography Dwight won the first recorded tournament in the U.S. (and probably in the world, before the ...

, he also reached the finals of the very first

British Covered Court Championships The British Covered Court Championships (BCCC) was an indoor tennis event held from 1885 through 1971 and played in London, England. The dates of the tournament fluctuated between October and March. History For its first five years the tournament ...

played on indoor

wood courts A wood court is one of the types of tennis courts on which the modern sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Wood courts are generally a form of hardwood flooring. These courts were once used for indoor "covered court" ten ...

, before losing to Herbert Lawford. At the

Bournemouth Open Tournament Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the English ...

he progressed to the final of that event, but lost to Ernest Wool Lewis again in straight sets. He also a losing finalist at the

East Gloucestershire Championships The East Gloucestershire Championships also called the Cheltenham Lawn Tennis Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament held from 1879 through 1969. History The East Gloucestershire Championships was played at the Cheltenha ...

at Cheltenham to Irelands Ernest Browne. In 1886 he won the

Leicester Lawn Tennis Club Tournament 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 ...

against

John Redfern Deykin John Redfern Deykin born (27 July 1867 – 30 March 1899) also known as Redfern Deykin or J.R. Deykin was an English tennis player of the late 19th century. In 1884 competed at both the Irish Championships and Wimbledon Championships, then consi ...

. At the

he made it the quarter-finals stage, but was beaten by Herbert Wilberforce. He then won

East Grinstead Open The East Grinstead Open was a combined grass court tennis tournament held at the East Grinstead Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club(f.1882), East Grinstead, West Sussex, England from 1882 to 1939.Nieuwland, Alex (2011–2022). Sourchttps://www.tennisarch ...

against W.E. Seldon. He failed to defend his London Championship title to

who avenged his previous years loss. He then played at the

East of England Championships The East of England Championships also called the East of England Lawn Tennis Championships was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1885 as the Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament. In 1889 the event had by this time beco ...

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London. His ...

where he reached the final, but lost to Alfred Penn Gaskell. In 1888 he won another two titles, and reached the final of another. At the

Cambridgeshire Lawn Tennis Tournament The Cambridgeshire Lawn Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament first established in 1884 at Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, and played on outdoor grass courts. The tournament was played at until 1892. History Cambridge University Lawn Tenn ...

he won that title defeating Alfred E. Walker. He then reached the final of

Edgbaston Open Tournament The Edgbaston Open Tournament was an early Victorian era men's and women's grass court tennis tournament first staged in June 1881, at the Edgbaston Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club, Edgbaston, Warwickshire, England. This distinct tournament ran until ...

, before losing to James Baldwin. His final title win was at the Warwickshire Championships held at

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

against

. The same year he reached the quarter-finals stage of the

South of England Championships The South of England Championships, also known as the South of England Open Championships, was an outdoor tennis event held on grass courts at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, United Kingdom from 1881 until 1972. History The ...

held at

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, but was beaten by Harry Sibthorpe Barlow. In 1890 he reached the semi-finals of the

Sussex Championships The Sussex Championships or Sussex County Championships was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament that were first staged in 1889. By 1972 it was known as the Sussex Tennis Open Championships. The championships were first held in Bright ...

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 ...

, before losing

Herbert Baddeley Herbert Baddeley (11 January 1872 – 20 July 1931) was a British male tennis player and the younger of the Baddeley twins. Herbert reached the singles semi finals at Wimbledon three times. In 1894 he beat Harry S. Barlow before losing to Ern ...

. Ross played his final tournament at the

Colchester Championships Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

in 1891, where he progressed to the semi-finals, before losing to Herbert William Kersey.

Cricket career

Charles Ross was also a first class cricketer and played for Middlesex County Cricket Club during the later half of the 19th century.Charles Ross at CricketArchive
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References

Sources

* Player Profile: Charles Ross". www.wimbledon.com. All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. * Silva, Revatha (23 August 2018). "103rd Tennis Nationals – The past champions". The Morning - Sri Lanka News. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Charles 1852 births 1911 deaths English cricketers Middlesex cricketers 19th-century male tennis players English male tennis players Tennis players from Somerset British male tennis players