Antique Lawn Tennis Racket, Frank Sugg, Liverpool

About the Item

Wooden Lawn Tennis Racket, Frank Sugg, Liverpool. A fine example of a wooden framed lawn tennis racket by Frank Sugg Ltd., Liverpool. A nice ash framed racket with convex wedge. The walnut wedge is embossed in gilt 'Frank Sugg, Liverpool' on one side with a wonderful gilt logo decal on the other. The decal reads 'Frank Sugg Ltd., Lord St., Liverpool. County F.H.S., Sheffield, Leeds & Cardiff'. The racket has a good straight frame with the original red and white gut stringing with two central double main strings, four rows of black trebling top and two rows on the bottom. The leather butt cap is original and is with Sugg logo. A great wooden lawn tennis racket, the strings are all there but some of the horizontals are broken. The last image shows a copy of one of Frank Sugg Ltd. adverts. Frank Howe Sugg was what you could call a true all-round sportsman, Although cricket was his first sporting love being a first-class cricketer, he was also an English footballer, excelled as a long distance swimmer, held the record for throwing the cricket ball, reached the final of the Liverpool Amateur Billiards Championship, won prizes all over the country for rifle shooting, bowls, and the shot putt and was famed as a weight lifter. Born in Ilkeston, in 1862, Frank was raised in Pitsmoor, Sheffield from the age of four, along with his elder brother, Walter. Frank played twice in the Ashes tests against Australia in 1888, both of which England won by an innings. He played for three county cricket clubs - Yorkshire in 1883, Derbyshire from 1884 to 1886 and had the audacity to play for York's greatest rivals Lancashire from 1887 to 1899. In 1890 he was one of the "Nine Great Professional Batsmen" profiled in Wisden. He also played for five football clubs, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County, Burnley and Bolton Wanderers, captaining the first three sides. He finally ended up playing for Everton, which made sense as he had recently established a sports equipment business in Whitechapel, Liverpool, with his brother Walter, later moving the store around the corner to Lord Street. Frank Sugg Ltd. had s chain of sports shops, one in Sheffield, Leeds and Cardiff with the headquarters being at 12 Lord Street, Liverpool, they prospered in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Frank died in Waterloo, Liverpool at the age of 71.

Dimensions:

Height: 27.17 in (69 cm)Width: 9.26 in (23.5 cm)Depth: 1.58 in (4 cm)

Style:

Sporting Art (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Ash

Period:

1900-1909

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1905

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Frame in excellent condition, some horizontal string broken.