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 The 1881 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 2 to 13 July.2010 Wimbledon Compendium, by Alan Little (The All ...

, and in 1883 was a finalist at the Northern Championships. 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 Ri ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

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 area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

against Spencer Cox. In July 1881 he took part in the

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly called Wimbledon, is a tennis tournament organised by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in collaboration with the Lawn Tennis Association annually in Wimbledon, London. It is chronologically the ...

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 The Teignmouth Open or Teignmouth and Shaldon Open Tournament was combined men's and women's grass court or sometimes Hardcourt, hard court tennis tournament founded in 1880 that ran until 1939. It was staged by the Teignmouth Lawn Tennis Club at T ...

Teignmouth Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14 ...

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 in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

where he was beaten by Michael Gallwey McNamara. In 1883 at his second major tournament at the Northern Championships 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 and later vice-president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from 1911 to 1921, and served as its president from 1921 to 19 ...

in the final in four sets. In 1888 he played his last tournament at the

Essex Championships The Essex Championships also known as the Essex County Lawn Tennis Championships or Essex Grass Court Championships was a combined men's and women's grass court tennis tournament established in 1881 at Brentwood, Essex. In 1946 it was moved to the ...

Chingford Chingford is a suburban town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The centre of Chingford is north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walt ...

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 died 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