All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are invited to become members. The patron of the club is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the President is The Duke of Kent. The Club was founded by six gentlemen at the offices of "The Field" on 23 July 1868 at the height of a croquet craze as the "All England Croquet Club," and held its first croquet competition in 1870. Its original ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon. Croquet was very popular there until the then-infant sport of lawn tennis (a game introduced by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so prior, and originally called "Sphairistikè") was
1885 Wimbledon Championships 1885 Wimbledon Championships The 1885 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament ran from 4 July until 17 July. It was the 9th staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the first Grand Slam tennis event of 1885. There was a change in the draw method, to use the Bagnall Wild system, in which all byes were restricted to the opening round, instead of being distributed through all the rounds until the final. There were 3500 spectators for the Challenge Round. William Renshaw defeated Herbert