If you have viewed the sections on W.V.Eaves and E.B.Dewhurst, you will learn of some early Australian players who travelled back to the UK and USA respectively and accounted themselves on the tennis scene very well.
Recently, one of our researchers and tennis book collector, Keith Jenkins, uncovered the story of yet another Australian that may well have had a significant influence on tennis in the 1890′s in England, not just directly by his own hand, but in deeds which influenced others. I say uncovered because a mention in one sentence in a book was made about an Australian player named Robert B Scott and from there considerable research effort by Keith brought the following story to light.
Thanks Keith, for your stirling investigative journalism.
Robert was born at Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 11 Feb. 1868. He was the son of Thomas King Scott of Kenley, Melbourne, and Emmeline Fincham Baldock. The family owned properties in Buninyong, Victoria, and Walgett, NSW and on the death of Thomas the probate on his will was some 20,369 pounds, which was a huge amount in those days.
Being obviously from a very wealthy family, Robert was educated at Toorak and Scotch Colleges, attending Scotch from 1876 -1882 [where he also won the Bible Prize in 1880] and then attended Ormond College, Melbourne.
In relation to tennis, Robert was already playing at a top grade in Australia before leaving for the UK. An R.B.Scott was playing doubles with his brother in an Adelaide tournament at aged 15 and is recorded as playing for Victoria in 1890 in an early Interstate carnival event. While not quite in the top rank, he was a competent all round player.
As many Australian lads did, he travelled back to the UK to further his education and entered Trinity College at Cambridge on 7 Oct. 1892. He graduated with a BA in 1895, but he is not listed among the students who took honours. He is also listed as having studied at Edinburgh.
At Trinity, there is an early record of an R.B.Scott playing for the second tennis team (Grasshoppers) in 1893 and then going on to play for the first team in the Varsity match. In the 1893 Varsity Match he beat W.V.Doherty 6-4, 7-5, beat J.W.Steadman 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 and lost to A.D.Kelly 2-6,4-6.
He also won two out of three doubles rubbers playing with H.V.Fedden (also of Trinity). They lost to Doherty and Kelly 13-15, 1-6, beat Hinde and Steadman 6-2,6-4 and beat Pritchard and Mears 6-2, 6-4.
While at Cambridge University, R.B. Scott was Hon. Secretary of CULTC (Lawn tennis club) and in 1894-1895 R.B.Scott was President of CULTC. In the following years, R.F. Doherty was President in (1896) and H.L. Doherty in 1897. Both of these gents after the Renshaw brothers, virtually dominated tennis for a decade and in the process with a huge public following stimulated ongoing interest and growth in Wimbledon and the first Davis Cup matches.
As to Robert Scott’s involvement with these champions, in reading the book, “Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in Scotland” edited by A.Wallace MacGregor in 1927, Scott is first mentioned as an “Australian player” in the 1892 Scottish Championships. Then MacGregor tells of the 1895 Champs where he played with “RB Scott, then President of Cambridge, one of the finest doubles players I have ever been privileged to partner, and one to whose enthusiasm and advice at Cambridge much of the Dohertys’ devotion to the game was ascribable”.
Apart from a huge enthusiasm for the game, Robert played at Wimbledon (at the same time as Eaves) in 1894 losing in the second round to Harry Barlow 11-9, 4-6, 2-6, 4-6. In 1896 he lost in the first round against top player Charles Allen 6-3, 0-6, 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 and then teamed with H.L.Doherty to lose in the 3rd round against the Allen brothers 6-3, 1-6, 1-6, 2-6.
In the Scottish Championships of 1897, Scott and his partner, R. Hamblin Smith were beaten by the Doherty brothers in the semi finals, losing 1-6, 13-15, 0-6.
Robert was licensed by the Presbyterian Church of Edinburgh May 1899; assistant at St Cuthbert’s, Edinburgh, North Berwick, and to garrison chaplain, Edinburgh; ordained minister at Humbie, 18 Jan. 1905 and was transferred to Rhu 9 Nov. 1922 and died there 7 May 1924.
To assist relatives in contacting us with additional information, our Robert Scott married on 31 Aug.1904 an Alexa Evelyn MacLeod, born 21 Feb. 1872 died 18 Mar. 1937. She was the daughter of Rev. John Macleod, D.D., minister of Govan.
Children of RB & Alexa – Mary Alexa Baldock, born 12 Aug. 1908; Celia Helen Baldock, born 9 July 1911.
We only have the one photo and any new information would be gratefully received.
References:
“Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in Scotland” edited by A.Wallace MacGregor. 1927 [photo]
Cambridge University Lawn Tennis Club – contact Nick Jenkins [no relation!!]
Jonathan Smith – Trinity College Archivist, Cambridge University.
Scottish Ministers – Humbie p.377
“The MacLeods-the Genealogy of a Clan” by Rev. Dr. Donald MacLeod/Alick Morrison 1970, p.33
“Wimbledon Championships” by John Barrett
“50 Years of Wimbledon” by A. Wallis Myers p.37, p.92.
Dr. Jim Mitchell – Scotch College Archivist
The Argus – 4 Jan. 1868 [List of old colonists]
The Argus – 17 Dec. 1880 [Scotch College prize]
The Argus – 27 Aug. 1889 [TK Scott - death notice]
The Sydney Morning Herald 27 Aug. 1889 [TK Scott - death notice]
The Argus – 8 Nov. 1889 [TK Scott - probate]
The Argus – 3 April 1890 [Ormond College concert]
Sydney Morning Herald – 13 Nov. 1890. [Intercolonial Tennis results]
The Argus – 2 Sept. 1904 [Wedding notice]
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