Minden Fenwick (18 December 1864 – 8 February 1938) was an English then later New Zealand tennis player active during the late 19th century and early 20th century. His best results in major tournaments came at the 1881 Wimbledon Championships where he reached the third round in the men' singles. Between 1881 and 1904 he contested 13 career singles finals, and won 5 titles.

Career

In 1881 Minden played his first event at the Darlington Association Tournament at

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, County Durham where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to his brother Mark Fenwick. The same year he reached the semi-finals stage of 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 ...

. In July 1881 he played at 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 third round stage, before he was beaten by George S. Murray Hill. In 1882 he was a finalist at the Portland Park LTCC Tournament at

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

where he lost to E.A. Simpson, he also reached the finals of the Darlington Association Tournament where he was beaten by Arthur Wellesley Hallward. The same year he also took part in the prestigious

Prince's Club Championships The Prince's Club Championships also known as the Prince's Club tournament was an outdoor grass court tennis tournament held in London during the first half of the 1880s. History The Prince's Club was one of the earliest lawn tennis locations whe ...

where he lost to Ireland's Peter Aungier in the second round. In 1883 he won his first notable title at the

Derbyshire Championships The Derbyshire Championships originally known as the Championship of Derbyshire was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament held at the Buxton Lawn Tennis Club, Buxton, Derbyshire, Great Britain from 1883 to 1953 History A tennis tournam ...

held at

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.

where he defeated Robert Parsons Earwaker. The same year he reached the finals of the

Northumberland Championships The Northumberland Championships or Northumberland Lawn Tennis Championships or Northumberland County Championships and later known as the ESAB Northumberland Open for sponsorship reasons was a men's and women's open grass court tennis tournament ...

at Newcastle upon Tyne before he was beaten by his brother Mark Fenwick. In 1884 he was a losing finalist at two events that year, the first at the Northumberland Cricket Club Open tournament where he lost to E.M. Sinclair for the second time, and at the Northumberland County Club Tournament. Around 1885 Minden emigrated to New Zealand with most members of his family. He did not play another event until 1886 when he took part in the Napier Tournament at

Napier, New Zealand Napier ( ; mi, Ahuriri) is a city on the eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Hawke's Bay Region, Hawke's Bay region. It is a beachside city with a Napier Port, seaport, known for its sunny climate, esplanade lin ...

where he reached the final before losing to Eric Pollard Hudson. The same year he played at the Christchurch Tournament which he won defeating W.V. Millton in the final. In 1888 he took part in the

New Zealand Championships The New Zealand Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1885 in Napier, New Zealand also known as the New Zealand National Lawn Tennis Championships or the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association Championships. The ...

where he reached the final, but lost to his brother Percival Clennell Fenwick. In 1889 he won the New Zealand Championships against Joy Marriott Marshall. In 1890 he failed to defend his New Zealand national title where he was beaten by Joy Marshall who avenged his previous years defeat. In 1892 he entered for play at the

where he reached the final for the third time, this time winning his second title against Richard Dacre Harman. In 1893 he retained his New Zealand national title for the third and final time. In 1904 he played his last singles event at the Ashburton tournament at

Ashburton, New Zealand Ashburton ( mi, Hakatere) is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satellit ...

where he exited early in the first round. He retired from playing tennis thereafter.

Career Finals

Singles 13 (5 titles, 8 runners-up)

Work career

Minden later found employment as an electoral

Returning officer In various parliamentary systems, a returning officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies. Australia In Australia a returning officer is an employee of the Australian Electoral Commission or a state electoral c ...

Mangateretere Mangateretere is a rural community in the Hastings District and Hawke's Bay Region of New Zealand's North Island. The area is northeast of Hastings city and southwest of Clive. The area was the Mangateretere Block in the 1860s. of this const ...

near

Hastings, New Zealand Hastings (; mi, Heretaunga) is an inland city of New Zealand and is one of the two major urban areas in Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of the North Island. The population of Hastings (including Flaxmere) is (as of with a further people in H ...

. In that capacity, he oversaw the

Hawkes Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

petition against voting irregularities that occurred 24 February 1915. He retired thereafter.Wellington Dominion. Newspaper Archives. 24 February 1915. p.6.

References

External links

Official Player Profile: Wimbledon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fenwick, Minden 1864 births 1938 deaths 19th-century male tennis players British male tennis players New Zealand male tennis players Sportspeople from Newcastle upon Tyne British emigrants to New Zealand