John Mycroft Boucher[1] born (16 May 1870 – 7 May 1948) was an English tennis player. In 1898 he was a semi-finalist at Irish Championships and competed at Wimbledon Championships,[2] then considered two of the most important major tennis events.[3][4][5] He active from 1896 until 1923 and won 22 career singles titles.
| Full name | John Mycroft Boucher |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 16 May 1870 Clifton, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 7 May 1948 (aged 77) Bristol, Gloucestershire, England |
| Turned pro | 1896 (amateur) |
| Retired | 1923 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 22 |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1898) |
Career edit
John played his first tournament in 1896 at the Bristol and Clifton Open Lawn Tennis Championships featuring the West of England Championships in Bristol where he reached the quarter finals, but was beaten by the three time U.S. National Championships finalist William Larned.[6]
His career singles highlights included winning the Welsh Championships[7] five times (1903, 1906–1908, 1923), the Warwickshire Championships eight times (1897, 1900–1904, 1906–1907), the Midland Counties Championships[8] three times (1906–1908) and the Northumberland Championships[9] two times (1907–1908.
In 1897 he won the Exmouth Open and Trefriw Challenge Cup, and again in 1900. In 1898 he reached the semi-finals of the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships in Dublin, but was beaten by Harold Mahony. In 1899 he took part in the Scottish Championships, but was defeated in the quarter finals by the American player Clarence Hobart. 1900 he won the Gloucestershire Championships. In 1923 played his final tournament at the Welsh Championships held at Newport, Wales which he won.
After John retired he later became a company director at his father's firm Ferris & Co. John Myscroft Boucher died on 7 May 1948 in Bristol, England.[10]
Philanthropy edit
In April 1932 he donated funds for the building of three hard tennis courts (shale), pavilions, practice grounds etc. to the Bristol Central Conservative Association, the club is known as the Brisol Central Tennis Club.[11]
Family edit
John was the son of John and Julia Boucher, his father was a pharmaceutical chemist and director of Ferris & Co.[12] His younger sister was Edith Margaret Boucher born (28 November 1878) she was also a tennis player.[13]
References edit
- ^ "Club History". bctc.org.uk. Bristol Central Tennis Club. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ "Player Profile: John Boucher". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 266, 267. ISBN 9780047960420.
- ^ Meyers, A. Wallis (1903). Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. New York: Charles Scribner and Sons. p. 55.
- ^ Lake, Robert J. (2014). A Social History of Tennis in Britain. Routledge. p. 49. ISBN 9781134445578.
- ^ "LAWN TENNIS. The second annual Bristol and Clifton Open Lawn Tennis Championships: The play was most interesting. Naturally the championships attracted great attention a report follows. In the Gentlemen's West of England Championship H. S. Mahony (Ireland) and W. A. Larned (United States) met in the final". Clifton Society. Bristol, England: British Newspaper Archive. 9 July 1896. p. 15. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ Bristol Central Tennis Club
- ^ Bristol Central Tennis Club
- ^ Bristol Central Tennis Club
- ^ "FUNERAL OF MR JOHN MYCROFT BOUCHER: The funeral service for Mr John Mycroft Boucher was held at St. Mary's Church, Leigh Woods yesterday, and was conducted by Canon H. M. Fitzgerald. Interment was at Failand Church". Western Daily Press. Bristol, England: British Newspaper Archive. 12 May 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ Brisol Central Tennis Club
- ^ "Advertisers". The Medical Times and Gazette: A Journal of Medical Science, Literature, Criticism, and News. London: John Churchill. 1870.
- ^ Bristol Central Tennis Club