Richard Taswell Richardson

Richard Taswell Richardson (9 August 1852 – 16 May 1930) was a British tennis player in the early years of Wimbledon. He also played cricket.

Tennis career Richardson's tennis career was brief but successful. He won the important Northern Championships three times in 1880, 1881 and 1882 (beating Ernest Renshaw in 1882). At the Wimbledon Championships in 1880, Richardson lost to Herbert Lawford in five sets in round three.

In May 1881, he was defeated by Herbert Lawford again in the final of the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships in Dublin (at the time considered as prestigious a title to win as Wimbledon).

In June 1881, he was a finalist at the Waterloo LTC Tournament in Liverpool, on 18 June he also won the inaugural Liverpool Cricket Club Lawn Tennis Tournament against Reginald Herbert Jones. In July 1881, at the Wimbledon Championship's he beat Ernest Renshaw in the final play off before losing to William Renshaw in the All comer's final at Wimbledon.

At Wimbledon Championship's in 1882 Richardson beat Otway Woodhouse before losing to Ernest Renshaw in the All comer's final.

He played his last career tournament at Waterloo in Liverpool in June 1884 losing to Donald Stewart in four sets in the semi-finals.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runners-up)

Career finals Singles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runners-up) Note: (L) denotes Liverpool as location (M) Manchester tournament alternated till 1929 Legend (3-4) Winner Runner up

May 1880 Northern Lawn Tennis Championships (M) Grass Walter Edwin Fairlie 6–0, 6–3, 6–0

May 1881 He scored 160 runs in these five matches, averaging 22.85 and with a high score of 48.

Personal life He was the son of Richard Richardson of Broughton, Hampshire. He graduated B.A. at University College, Oxford in 1876; and 1879 he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He was a Justice of the Peace.