Charles Delahaye

Charles Delahaye , also known as "Biboche," (born July 24, 1825 and died 1906 ) was a jeu de paume player in 19th-century France.

Background Henri Delahaye, Biboche's father, kept a court in Amiens and previously had a court in Geneva. With his father's tuition, Biboche's game soon improved and by the age of 15 he was attached to the court in the Passage Sandrié. Here, he played with J. Edmond Barre and the amateur, M. Mosneron, and soon came second in prowess only to Barre himself. He was known as the best living teacher of the gamę, and as the able and courteous manager of the French courts. In 1848 he defeated Peter Tompkins at Hampton Court and in 1851 twice defeated his son, Edmund, at Oxford and James Street.

In 1861, Napoleon III tasked Delahaye with overseeing the construction of the Jeu De Paume. Delahaye commissioned Melchior Viraut to design the building and it opened on January 15th, 1862. Fifteen years later, Delahaye had Viraut design a second court on the East side of the building. Unfortunately, Delahaye's court fell into disuse by the early twentieth century and became an exhibition space in 1909.