Charles Gladstone Allen

Charles Gladstone Allen (1868 – 1924) was a British tennis player in the early years of Wimbledon.[1] He was an all comers finalist at 1896 Wimbledon Championships in men's doubles event partnering with his brother Roy Allen, where the lost to Reginald Doherty and Harold Nisbet.[2] He was active from 1887 to 1914 and contested 17 career finals in singles and won 8 titles.

Charles Allen
Full nameCharles Gladstone Allen
Country (sports) United Kingdom
Born28 December 1868
Saint Neots, Bedfordshire, England
Died21 December 1924 (Age 56)
Prestbury, Gloucestershire, England
Turned pro1887 (amateur tour)
Retired1914
Singles
Career record414/273 (60.2%)
Career titles8
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon2R (1896), (1899)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonF (1896) QF (1899)

Career

Charles played his first event at the 1887 Stevenage LTC Tournament where he reached the quarter-finals.[3] In 1890 he won his first singles title in Saxmundham LTC Tournament (later known as the Suffolk Championships) against his brother Roy Allen.

He was a semi finalist at the Northern Championships in 1893, then considered the third most important tournament in the world at that time,[4] and a quarter finalist at the Irish Championships in 1895. At the 1896 Wimbledon Championships he reached the all comers final of the men's doubles event partnered with his brother Roy Allen, but were defeated by Reginald Doherty and Harold Nisbet.

In 1898 won his last singles title at the Boulogne International Championship held at the Tennis Club Boulogne Sur Mer,[5] Boulogne-sur-Mer, France on clay courts. In 1914 he played his final tournament at the Monte Carlo Championships held at La Condamine, Monaco (known today as the Monte Carlo Masters)

His career singles highlights include winning the Saxmundham LTC Tournament two times (1890–1891), the Bradford LTC Tournament two times (1893, 1897), the East of England Championships (1890), the Chichester Open (1893), the Craigside LTC Tournament at Edinburgh (1896) and the Boulogne International Tournament[6] (1898).[7]

Additionally he was also a finalist at the North of England Championships (1893), the Sheffield and Hallamshire Championships (1894), the Colchester Championship (1895), the Warwickshire Championships (1898), the Riviera Championships (1902), Mid-Kent Championships (1905), the Yorkshire Championships (1905), the Leicestershire Championships (1905), the Swiss International Championships (1908)

Personal

Charles was born in 1868 Saint Neots, Bedfordshire, England. He was one of the twin sons of Rev. Hunter Bird Allen, the Rector of Colmworth Parish,[8] and Adelaide Mary Gladstone.[9] His twin brother was the other notable tennis player Roy Allen[10] It was Hunter Bird who taught the Charles and Roy how to play tennis which proved very successful for both of them.[11] He died on 24 December 1924.[12]

References
  1. Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England. "Player Profile: Charles Allen". www.wimbledon.com. Lawn Tennis Association. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  2. Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England. "Draws Archive: Gentleman's All Comers Doubles". www.wimbledon.com. Lawn Tennis Association. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  3. Nieuwland, Alex. "Player – Charles Gladstone Allen". www.tennisarchives.com. Netherlands: Tennis Archives. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  4. Myers, Arthur Wallis (1903). "The Northern Championship". Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. London: Scribner's sons. p. 55.
  5. "History:TCB". tennisclubboulognesurmer.net (in Canadian French). Tennis Club Boulogne Sur Mer.
  6. Tennis Club Boulogne Sur Mer
  7. Nieuwland
  8. "Bedfordshire". Kelly's directory of Bedfordshire, Hunts, and Northamptonshire. Kellys Directories Limited. 1885. p. 48.
  9. Council, Bedford (21 June 2019). "The Allen Family of Colmworth". bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk. Bedfordshire Archives. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  10. Bedfordshire Archives
  11. Bedfordshire Archives
  12. "Tennis Players Death". The Age Newspaper. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Trove: National Library of Australia. 1924. p. 15. Retrieved 9 October 2022.

Sources
  • Council, Bedford (21 June 2019). "The Allen Family of Colmworth". bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk.
  • Kelly's (1885). directory of Bedfordshire, Hunts, and Northamptonshire. Kellys Directories Limited.
  • Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England. "Player Profile: Charles Allen". www.wimbledon.com. Lawn Tennis Association.
  • Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, All England. "Draws Archive: Gentleman's All Comers Doubles". www.wimbledon.com. Lawn Tennis Association.
  • Myers, Arthur Wallis (1903). "The Northern Championship". Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. London: Scribner's sons.
  • Nieuwland, Alex. "Player – Charles Gladstone Allen". www.tennisarchives.com. Netherlands: Tennis Archives. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  • The Age Newspaper. (1924). Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Trove: National Library of Australia.
  • Tennis Club Boulogne Sur Mer, "History:TCB". tennisclubboulognesurmer.net.
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