Do you know this mystery company?

Like many of you, I’ve been involved in tennis for much of my life. During that time, I’ve come to know many of the major players when it comes to tennis racquets but there’s still a few that pop up from time to time that continue to surprise me. Through the years, I’ve accumulated a large collection of older racquets and I’m surprised sometimes at what I come across. I scour the antique shops and flea markets and often find several older racquets but far too often, they’re the same racquets that I always see and racquets that I already have. Classic Wilson Chris Everet, T2000, Jack Kramer, Mo Connollly or Billie Jean King or some Spaulding frames for example.

Yesterday, my wife and I visited Black Dog Salvage here where we live, a place we visit at times when we just want something different to do and we want to check out what’s new in the store. You may have seen their show on cable TV called Salvage Dogs and over the years I’ve found several old wooden tennis racquets there. As I was strolling around my wife came up to me with a wooden tennis racquet, complete with the press and in remarkable condition. She asked if I’d ever heard of this company and to my surprise, the answer was no. When I got back to the office I decided to do deep dive, did some research on the company and I was surprised to see how long they had been around. It was hard to believe I’d never heard of this company. Have you guessed the name yet? Here’s some clues:

• Established in 1871
• 1942 official apparel for the Masters
• 1971 racquet used by Wimbledon champion
• For over 60 years was the official ball of the U.S. Tennis Championships
• Twenty-five times between 1886 until 1916, the National All-Comers champion wielded one of their racquets
• Of all of their equipment manufactured in the 19th and early 20th century it’s Lawn Tennis equipment received the greatest acclaim
• The founder of the company is in the baseball hall of fame
• A fellow hall of famer proclaimed  the owner of the company never had any equal as a fielder, base runner and batsman, he was really in a class by himself.
• Founder is credited with setting up New England’s first nine-hole golf course in 1890.

The company is Wright and Ditson and as it turns out, they have a remarkable history in the sporting goods industry. Tennis racquets, tennis balls, golf balls, baseball bats and golf clubs seem to be their primary focus in the beginning but if you look at their online store now, you can get an idea of how the company has evolved over time.

Below are some photos of the racquet I purchased. The image with the screw in the side of the yoke piqued my interest and I wondered “What’s the purpose of the screw?” My guess was that the racquet was designed with three separate pieces and the head had a wooden insert/extension that was screwed to the handle. If you know the real purpose of the screw leave your comments and share with the group.