Ruth Durlacher

Durlacher was born Ruth Dyas in Malahide on 22 July 1876.Belfast, Northern Ireland, The Belfast Newsletter (Birth, Marriage and Death Notices), 1738-1925Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911 Durlacher was daughter to Jacob Dyas and Sophia Dyas. Durlacher was baptised Protestant (Church of Ireland) on the 16 November 1900 in St. James Paddington.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} Durlacher had one brother and one older sister. The Durlachers were a wealthy family. Their original family home was Heathstown House. Durlacher grew up in England. She entered her first competition at 18. She married fellow tennis player Neville John Durlacher in Rathdown on 17 December 1898 at the age of 23. They had two children: Patrick Durlacher who was a successful cricket player and Nora Durlacher who was a successful tennis player.1911 England Census

The Irish Championships were first established in 1879 and took place in Pembroke Place, and it moved on to Wilton Place from 1880 till 1902. Following Wilton Place, the tournament took place in Fitzwilliam Square, where it remained until its final location in 1972 at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Appian Way, Dublin.{{cite web |last1=Ulick |first1=O'Connor |title=Club History |url=https://www.fltc.ie/Aboutus |website=Fltc |publisher=Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club |access-date=20 November 2019}}{{cite book |last1=J.J |first1=Treacy |title=Fitzwilliam's First Fifty |date=1927 |publisher=The Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club |location=Dublin |page=5 |edition=1st }} It was in this year that the tournament changed its name to the Irish Open due to sponsorship reasons.

As her success grew, she further took part at the Wimbledon Championships between 1897 and 1919. Come 1899, Durlacher triumphantly reached the ‘all-comers’ final’ but lost to her opponent Blanche Bingley,{{cite web |title=The Queen |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002627/18990701/327/0063?browse%20=%20false |website=The British Newspaper Achieve |publisher=Findmypast Newspaper Archive Limited |access-date=12 November 2019}}{{cite web |title=Draws Archive-Ladies' All-Comers' Singles |url=https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/draws_archive/index.html |website=Wimbledon |publisher=IMB Corp. |access-date=23 October 2019}} who managed to beat her two years prior in the Irish Championships {{cite book |last1=O'Connor |first1=Ulick |title=The Fitzwilliam Story |date=1977 |publisher=Richview Browne & Nolan LTD |location=Dublin |page=87 |edition=1st }} and who later won six Wimbledon championships.{{cite web |title=Blanche Bingley(GBR) |url=https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/static/pdfs/archive/players/6a117805-648c-4a73-ae64-332504fcdcf8_LS.pdf |website=Wimbledon |publisher=IMB Corp |access-date=19 November 2019}}

File:Fitzwilliam.jpg

Durlacher was a finalist four times in the women singles in the Irish Championships , taking place is Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club. In 1897, Blanche Bingley successfully beat Durlacher, 7–5, 2–6, 6–3. Following two years’ time, Louisa Martin won the singles tournament, 6-1, 6-2, against her opponent Durlacher. in 1899, Muriel Robb beat Durlacher in the final, 9-7, 6-1. Louisa Martin beat Ruth Durlacher in the final in 1902, 6-8, 6-4, 7-5.

Durlacher played in the doubles category of the Irish Championships, and her partners were Alice Pickering in 1896; Mollie Martin in 1898, 1899 and 1901; and Ms.Hazlett in 1902.

Durlacher took part in the mixed doubles under the Irish Open. Kn 1898, Durlacher won the mixed doubles with partner Harold Nisbet. In 1901 and 1902, she won the same title with partner Laurence Doherty.{{cite book |last1=O'Connor |first1=Ulick |title=The Fitzwilliam Story |date=1977 |publisher=Richview Browne & Nolan LTD |location=Dublin |page=89 |edition=1st }}

Durlacher played at the Wimbledon Championships from 1897 to 1907. In 1899, she won the doubles tournament.Dorothea Chambers (1910): Lawn Tennis for Ladies. Methuen & Co. Ltd., London. ([https://archive.org/details/lawntennisforla00chamgoog online]) In singles, Durlacher reached the finals of the all-comers competition, losing to Blanche Bingley. She won the Irish Championships mixed doubles title along with Harold Nisbet in 1898, and with Laurence Doherty 1901 and 1902.

She died in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire in 1946. She also played for the Irish golf team in the Women's Home Internationals, being part of the winning team in 1907.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Vvw9AAAAIBAJ&pg=4615%2C480753 |title=Ladies' international matches |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=10 |date=4 May 1907}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Vvw9AAAAIBAJ&pg=4629%2C604546 |title=Ladies championship meeting |newspaper=The Glasgow Herald |page=12 |date=6 May 1907}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002446/19110603/297/0062|title=Irish Ladies Championship|date=3 June 1911|work=Field Newspaper|access-date=20 November 2019}}

Durlacher played in the Irish Championships in 1895 for the first time when she was 18 years old. Durlacher also played golf for the Irish ladies golf team and played in the Irish Ladies Championships.

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Category:1876 births

Category:1946 deaths

Category:19th-century female tennis players

Category:19th-century Irish sportswomen

Category:People from Malahide

Category:Sportspeople from Fingal

Category:British female tennis players

Category:Irish female tennis players