Peter Cawthorn

John W. Peter Cawthorn (17 February 1931 – 2002) was an Australian amateur tennis player who later turned professional in 1953. As an amateur he competed at the 1950 Australian Championships and the 1951 Wimbledon Championships.[1] As a professional he was a two time quarter finalist at the Wembley Professional Championships in 1957 and 1958, and a quarter finalist at the French Professional Championship in 1956. He was active from 1949 to 1968 and won 21 career amateur and pro singles titles. He later became a tennis coach.

Peter Cawthorn
Full nameJohn W. Peter Cawthorn
Country (sports) AUS
Born17 February 1931
Melbourne, Australia
Died2002 (age 71)
Melbourne, Australia
Turned pro1949 (amateur tour)
1953 (pro tour)
Retired1968
Singles
Career titles21
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open2R (1950)
Wimbledon1R (1951)
Wembley ProQF (1957, 1958)
French ProQF (1956)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon3R (1951)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon4R (1952)

Tennis career
Amateur

Peter was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1931. In the 1940s he was educated at Box Hill High School, where he became captain of the football, tennis and swimming teams.[2]

Cawthorn played his first senior tournament in 1949 at the New South Wales Hard Court Championships where he reached the quarter finals. He then competed in Australian state and national tournaments over the next two years.[2] In 1950 he played at the Australian Championships where he lost in the second round to George Worthington. In 1951 he left Australia to play on the international ILTF Circuit[2] After he arrived in England he played at the South Shore Open in Blackpool where he won the title against Pakistan's Adel Ismail. Cawthorn mainly played at leading regional tournaments in England throughout 1951.[2]

That year he won the singles titles at the Welsh Championships, Sutton Coldfield Hard Courts Championship,[2] Ulster Grass Court Championships, Bedford Open, Cumberland Hard Court Championships[2] and the Moseley Championship.[3] In July 1951 he took part in the Wimbledon Championships, but lost in the second round to French player Paul Rémy.[4]

In 1952 Cawthorn won eight titles including the Cinque Ports Championships, Cumberland Hard Court Championships, Sutton Coldfield Hard Courts, East Gloucestershire Championships, Havant Open, Worthing Hard Courts, Hull Open and Worthing Open.[5] He also competed at 1952 Wimbledon Championships, where he was in the top half of the draw, but lost in the first round to the American player Harry Likas.[4] Additionally he was also losing finalist at the Cumberland Hard Court Championships and Pakistan International Championships in 1951, and the West Sussex Championships in 1952.

Professional

In 1953 Peter turned professional and played his first tournament at the Slazenger Pro Championships in Scarborough, England, where he reached the quarter finals before losing to Frank Sedgman.[2] He won multiple pro titles including the Slazenger Pro Championships three times in 1954, 1956 and 1960 and the German Pro International Championships four times consecutivley from 1959 to 1962. In 1961 whilst on the Pro tour he was hired by the Tennis Club of Rochester in the United States as their resident pro coach.[6]

In major professional tournaments of the time he was a two time quarter finalist at the Wembley Professional Championships in 1957 and 1958, and a quarter finalist in singles at the French Professional Championship in 1956, and a semi-finalist in the men's doubles partnering Tony Mottram.[7]

Coaching

During his amateur period he was hired as a short term coach for the Irish and Pakistan Davis Cup teamsvarious Davis Cup teams in 1955,[2] the Spanish, Irish and Dutch teams in 1956,[2] and Dutch and German teams in 1958.[2] Additionally he was also hired as a tennis coach for the Rochester Country Club in 1958 in Rochester, New Hampshire, United States that lasted into his professional career and beyond til 1983.[2] In 1961 whilst on the Pro tour he was hired by the Tennis Club of Rochester in Pittsford, NY the United States as their resident pro coach.[6]

Singles titles (21)

Amateur (14)
Result No. Date Tournament Location Surface Opponent Score
Amateur titles
Win 1. 1951 Welsh Championships Newport Grass India Naresh Kumar 2–6, 6–2, 6–3
Win 2.[8] 1951 Sutton Coldfield Hard Courts Championship Sutton Coldfield Clay Poland Ignacy Tloczynski 6–2, 8–10, 6–3
Win 3. 1951 Ulster Grass Court Championships Belfast Grass Australia Albert Hartley Maggs 4–6, 6–0, 6–0
Win 4. 1951 South Shore Open Blackpool Grass Pakistan Adel Ismail 6–2, 6–4
Win 5. 1951 Bedford Open Bedford Grass United Kingdom Dick Guise[9] 6–0, 6–3
Win 6.[10] 1951 Moseley Championship Moseley Grass South Africa Owen Williams 6–2, 6–2
Win 7. 1952 Cinque Ports Championships Folkestone Grass United Kingdom Derrick Layland[11] 6–1, 6–1
Win 8. 1952 Cumberland Hard Court Championships Hampstead Clay United Kingdom Gerry Oakley 6–3, 6–1
Win 9.[12] 1952 Sutton Coldfield Hard Courts Championship (2) Sutton Coldfield Clay Australia Don Tregonning 6–4, 6–4
Win 10. 1952 East Gloucestershire Championships Cheltenham Grass Southern Rhodesia Basil Katz 6–0, 6–3
Win 11. 1952 Havant Open Havant Grass United Kingdom Bill Threlfall 6–1, 4–6, 6–2
Win 12.[13] 1952. Worthing Hard Courts Worthing Clay Sweden Bosse Andersson 6–3, 6–2
Win 13. 1952 Hull Open Kingston upon Hull Grass United States Stephen Potts[14] 6–2, 7–5
Win 14. 1952 Worthing Open Worthing Grass United Kingdom Erik Bullmer[15] 6–2, 8–10, 6–4

Professional (7)
Result No. Date Tournament Location Surface Opponent Score
Professional titles
Win 1.[16] 1954 Slazenger Pro Championships Scarborough Grass United Kingdom Paddy Roberts 6–4, 7–5, 7–5
Win 2.[17] 1956 Slazenger Pro Championships (2) Eastbourne Grass Egypt Salem Khaled 6–0, 6–4, 6–3
Win 3. 1959 German Pro International Championships Bad Ems Clay Australia Peter Malloy[18] 6–0, 4–6, 6–0, 3–6, 6–3
Win 4. 1960 German Pro International Championships (2) Bad Ems Clay Australia Peter Malloy 6–1, 6–1, 6–3
Win 5. 1960 Slazenger Pro Championships (3) Eastbourne Grass Australia George Worthington 10–8, 6–3, 6–4
Win 6. 1961 German Pro International Championships (3) Bad Ems Clay West Germany Rupert Huber[19] 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 1–6, 6–3
Win 7. 1962 German Pro International Championships (4) Bad Ems Clay West Germany Rupert Huber 6–2, 6–2, 6–0

Family

Peter Cawthorn announced his engagement to the English tennis player Lorna Cornell in January 1953,[20] and they married on 18 February 1953 in Kensington, London.[21] They had three children but later divorced.

References
  1. "Player Profile: Peter Cawthorn". www.wimbledon.com. AELTC. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  2. "A tennis journey in the Fifties: John (Peter) Cawthorn". tennishistory.com.au. Australian Tennis Historical Society. 17 August 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. "P. CAWTHORN AN EASY WINNER AT MOSELEY". Birmingham Daily Gazette. Warwickshire, England: British Newspaper Archive. 8 August 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  4. AELTC
  5. "Player – John W (Peter) Cawthorn". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. "Our History". www.tcr1886.com. Pittsford, NY: Tennis Club of Rochester. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  7. "PARIS TENNIS Tony Mottram in doubles semi-final". Express and Echo. Devon, England: British Newspaper Archive. 15 September 1956. p. 6. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  8. "P. CAWTHORN WINS TENNIS TITLE". Advocate. Burnie, Tasmania, Australia: Trove National Library of Australia. 28 May 1951. p. 9. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  9. "Dick Guise: Overview". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  10. Birmingham Daily Gazette (1951)
  11. "Derrick Leyland: Overview". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  12. "CAWTHORN KEEPS TITLE John W. Peter Cawthorn (Australia) beat his compatriot D. P. Tregonning 6.4. 6–4 to retain the singles titlein the Sutton Coldlield tennis tournament today". Ireland's Saturday Night. Antrim, Northern Ireland: British Newspaper Archive. 24 May 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  13. "BOMBAY TENNIS TOURNAMENT Bobb Retains Hard Courts Title". Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore). Lahore, Pakistan: British Newspaper Archive. 19 February 1935. p. 14. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  14. "Stephen Potts: Overview". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  15. "Erik Bulmer: Overview". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  16. "CAWTHORN IS PRO. CHAMPION". Dundee Courier. Angus, Scotland: British Newspaper Archive. 2 August 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  17. "Cawthorn Tops Khaled In British Tennis Final". The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. 5 August 1956. p. 7. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  18. "Peter Molloy: Overview". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  19. "Rupert Huber: Overview". ATP Tour. Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  20. "TENNIS PLAYER TO MARRY". Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia: Trove National Library of Australia. 30 January 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  21. "TENNIS STARS WED". Dundee Courier. Angus, Scotland: British Newspaper Archive. p. 5. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
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