LATE MR DOHERTY.
FAMOUS TENNIS PLAYER'S DEATH
LONDON, December 30
Mr Reginald Frank Doherty, who died last Thursday in London at the premature age of 37 from aneurism ot the heart, was one of the most famous of English lawn tennis players, both for style and effect. Opinions differ as to whether he was a.-: brilliant as Willie Renshaw at his best. Everybody is ready to concede that "R. F." had a greater variety of strokes at his command, and that f or grace of movement and ease of stroke execution he never had an equnl. No tennis player was quite so to watch as "R. F." in his prime, and his death will be sincerely m.mrned by thousands of lawn vermis players who admired his wonderful play at Wimbledon year after year. Mr Doherty's list of successes both in singles and doubles play with his brother Mr H. J. Doherty, would fill a full column. He began tennis early in life, and as a boy at Westminster School showed great promise. Y/hen he went up to Cambridge he justified the opinion of those who prophesied his attainment of the highest honors In 1895 and 1896 he was the mainstay of Cambridge in their wins over Oxford, and in the same year he won the Scottish f.nd Essex championships. The following year saw his first win at Wimbledon, when he defeated H. S. Mahony in the challenge round of the singles championship. He held the title for four years until A. W. Gore wr-ested it from him in 1910. Doherty made no further attempt tc regain the singles championship, but with his brother, H. L. Doherty, he created a record in the doubles championship by winning eight times in the nine years from 1897 to 1905, the sequence being broken by S. H. (Smith and F. L. Riseley in 1902.
R. F. Doherty represented the British Isles in the "Davis" Cup contest from 1902 to 1906 (inclusive) without being once defeated, and with his brother he held the covered court championship from 1898 to 1103, and again in 1906. Among his other successes in conjunction with his brother were the winning of the United States of America doubles championship and the Irish doubles championship. Partnered by Miss C. Cooper (Mrs Sterry) Le won the covered court mixed doubles in 189S, and 1900, and again in 1905 with Miss Eastlake Smith. Of late years Mr Doherty had playec little in public, but last year he played in handicaps at Leicester, and won several matches after conceding big edds in a manner that gave hopes of his once again striving after the highest honors, but the wheels were down, and after Nottingham, where he won, with Mrs Winch the open mixed doubles, and with his brother, the invitation doubles, the public saw him no more.
He was not, however, thought to be seriously ill until about two months ago. and it was then decided that he should take a rest in Switzerland. He went to Davos, but instead of his health improving it became worse, and he returned home on Wednesday night only to die at one o'clock the following morning.
Of the fifteen players who had won the lawn tennis championship since iff institution in 1870, five have come to an untimely end. Mr S. W. Gore, the first winner, shot himself in r. seaside hotel. Mr W. Renshaw died of heart disease. Mr E. Renshaw took poison by mistake, and Mr H. S. Mahony was found dead by the side of his bicycle on a mountain pass in Kerry.
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LATE MR DOHERTY., Northern Advocate, 14 February 1911
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599LATE MR DOHERTY. Northern Advocate, 14 February 1911
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