The early years
Great Britain · born Harrow, 1864 · died 1946 · first Wimbledon ladies' champion
All playersBack to the rankings
2
Wimbledon singles titles, 1884 and 1885
13
Players in the first ladies' singles, 1884
19
Her age at the first title
20
Guineas, value of the 1884 silver basket
1
Set lost in singles all through 1885
Born in Harrow on 9 October 1864, Maud Watson grew up at Berkswell in Warwickshire, where her father, the Reverend Henry Watson, was rector. She began competing in 1881, the year open events for women were introduced in England, and won the first Edgbaston tournament that year. In 1884, at 19, she won the first Wimbledon ladies' singles, beating her elder sister Lilian in the final, and took the Irish title. She was unbeaten in tournament play that year, and in 1885 she lost only one set in singles while defending both titles. Blanche Bingley beat her in the 1886 Challenge Round, her last match at Wimbledon. She played her last tournament at Edgbaston in 1889. She nursed in the First World War, was made MBE, and died at Charmouth, Dorset, in 1946.
| Wimbledon singles | Champion 1884 and 1885; lost the 1886 Challenge Round to Blanche Bingley 3-6, 3-6 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon finals | 1884: beat Lilian Watson 6-8, 6-3, 6-3 in a field of 13. 1885: beat Blanche Bingley 6-1, 7-5 in a field of 10 |
| Irish Championships | Singles 1884, beating the holder May Langrishe 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, and 1885, beating Louise Martin 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; mixed doubles 1884 with William Renshaw |
| Other grass titles | Edgbaston singles, and doubles with Lilian, 1881; Northern Championships 1885, beating Edith Davies in straight sets; Edgbaston doubles, mixed and handicap singles 1889 |
| Unbeaten seasons | No tournament defeat in 1884; unbeaten in singles in 1885, losing one set |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1884 | Women's singles | |
| 1885 | Women's singles | |
| Irish Championships | ||
| 1884 | Mixed doubles†| with William Renshaw |
| 1884 | Women's singles†| |
| 1885 | Women's doubles†| with Lilian Watson |
| 1885 | Mixed doubles†| with William Renshaw |
| 1885 | Women's singles†| |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1884 | Women's singles†| |
| 1885 | Women's singles†| |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1885 | Women's singles†| |
| 1886 | Women's singles†| |
| Welsh Championships | ||
| 1887 | Women's singles†| |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"It is really rather more of a basket than a bowl and is really rather a beautiful design."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1884
Thirteen women entered the first ladies' singles. The final brought together the Watson sisters from Berkswell, and Maud, the younger, beat Lilian 6-8, 6-3, 6-3, playing in white corsets and petticoats. The prize was a silver flower basket worth 20 guineas. The Warwick Advertiser gave the result a small paragraph and did not mention the sister.
Source: Our WarwickshireDublin 1884
That summer she also won the Irish Championships, beating the holder May Langrishe, and took the mixed doubles with William Renshaw, then Wimbledon's men's champion. Years later the two rivals were neighbours on the Dorset coast, where they often met to talk over old matches.
Source: St Andrew's Church, CharmouthWimbledon 1886
In 1886 the women's event adopted the Challenge Round, so the holder waited for the winner of the All-Comers' event. Blanche Bingley came through and won 6-3, 6-3. It was the only Wimbledon defeat of Watson's singles career and her last match there. Her final tournament came at Edgbaston in 1889, where she won all three events she entered.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 1926
At the Jubilee Championships, King George V and Queen Mary presented commemorative medals on Centre Court to the surviving champions. Watson, the first ladies' champion, was the first to receive one and took the place of honour among the women. By then she had also been made MBE for nursing in the First World War.
Source: St Andrew's Church, CharmouthEdgbaston 1934
In 1934 Edgbaston Priory made her a life member, and she gave the club the Wimbledon trophy she had won fifty years before. Her letter of April 1934 explained that it had been kept safely at the Midland Bank in Coventry and had been taken great care of all those years. It is now the prize at the Birmingham Classic.
Source: Edgbaston Priory ClubFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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