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

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 ...

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