Hope Crisp (6 February 1884 – 25 March 1950), was an English

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. With

Agnes Tuckey Agnes Katherine Raymond Tuckey (née Daniell, 8 July 1877 – 13 May 1972) was an English tennis player. With Hope Crisp, she was the winner of the first Wimbledon mixed doubles in 1913. In 1906 she married Charles Orpen Tuckey who taught ...

he was the first winner of the Wimbledon

mixed doubles Mixed doubles or mixed pairs is a form of mixed-sex sports that consists of teams of one man and one woman. This variation of competition is prominent in curling and racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and badminton (where it is known as ...

in 1913.

Education

Educated at

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet is a boys' grammar school in Barnet, northern Greater London, which was founded in 1573 by Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and others, in the name of Queen Elizabeth I. It is consistently ranked as one o ...

, he went up to St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he captained the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

tennis team.

Tennis career

1913

In the 1913 Wimbledon Championships, he won with Agnes Tuckey the first mixed doubles final at Wimbledon in an unusual fashion - one of their opponents

Ethel Thomson Larcombe Ethel Larcombe (née Ethel Warneford Thomson, 8 June 1879 – 11 August 1965) was a British female tennis player and badminton player. She won the ladies' singles tennis title at the 1912 Wimbledon Championships as well as 11 badminton titles ...

was struck in the eye by her partner's miss-hit smash and unable to continue the match. The incident occurred when the second set was 5–3 for Crisp and Tuckey, the first having been won by the opposing pair of

James Cecil Parke James Cecil Parke (26 July 1881 – 27 February 1946) was an Irish rugby union player, tennis player, golfer, solicitor and World War I veteran. He became an Olympic silver medallist, Davis Cup champion, Wimbledon Mixed Doubles winner and A ...

and Mrs Larcombe. In the

1914 Wimbledon Championships The 1914 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 22 June until 4 July.2010 Wimbledon Compendium, by Alan Little (T ...

Crisp and Tuckey were the losing semi-finalists.

1915

During the First World War, he received a commission in The Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment. In April 1915 while attached to the

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

, he was wounded at Hill 60 near

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

and his right leg was amputated.

1919

However, with a prosthesis, he returned to Wimbledon to play in the 1919 Championships with Mrs Perrett, losing in the second round after a bye in the first. ''The Times'' wrote; "It was interesting to see how he managed. He is a strong volleyer and naturally half volleys many balls which a two-legged player would drive. The artificial leg is the right; accordingly service is fairly easy and when there is no hurry, he walks with a fair speed, approaching a run. Other times, he hops. His cheerful temperament makes the game a real pleasure to himself and others."

1923

After the war, Captain Hope Crisp was employed as a Regional Awards Officer for the

Ministry of Pensions Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

; for this work he received an award of the OBE in 1923.SUPPLEMENT to THE LONDON GAZETTE, 29 JUNE 1923; p460
/ref>

Grand Slam finals

Mixed doubles (1 title)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crisp, Hope People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge English male tennis players Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) 1884 births 1950 deaths Duke of Wellington's Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War I English amputees Members of the Order of the British Empire Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles People from Roehampton British male tennis players Tennis people from Greater London