Otway Woodhouse


Otway Woodhouse was a British tennis player in the early years of Wimbledon. Woodhouse worked for the Great Eastern Railway and later the London & South Western Railway. In 1881 Woodhouse and F. L. Rawson founded Woodhouse & Rawson. Woodhouse first entered the Wimbledon singles in 1879 and lost in the first round. In 1880 he reached the all comer's final. William Renshaw won the first of his seven titles the following year and beat Woodhouse in the quarter finals. Woodhouse reached the quarter finals again in 1882, losing to Richard Richardson. In 1883 Woodhouse lost in the first round. In 1880 he entered the first unofficial U. S. Championships men's singles event at Staten Island, New York and won the tournament. By 1885 his workaholic nature was putting a strain on his health, so he went on a sabbatical to Cannes. However, whilst there he caught an illness. He died aged just 31 in 1887.