1879 men's tennis season

The 1879 men's tennis season [2][3] was composed of the fourth annual pre-open era tennis season and incorporated 26 tournaments. The 1879 Wimbledon Championships was won by John Hartley defending champion Patrick Francis Hadow, defending champion could not participate in the Challenge Round. This year saw the inaugural [4] Irish Championships that in its early stages of development was considered as important that of the Wimbledon Championships the event was won by Vere St. Leger Goold who defeated in Charles David Barry in the final by Charles David Barry 8–6, 8–6. Important this year was the staging of six hard court tournaments some of which included the Dublin University Championships the East Gloucestershire Championships held in Cheltenham Great Britain,[5] Nice Tennis Tournament in Nice, France and the first tournament to be held outside of Europe in Australia with the Victorian Championships.

1879 men's tennis season
William Renshaw wins first hardcourt title this year
Details
Duration2 June – 28 December
Edition4th
Tournaments26 (Amateur) [1]
CategoriesImportant (2)
National (1)
Provincial/State/Regional (3)
County (4)
Local/other (16)
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titlesIreland Vere St. Leger Goold (3)
Most tournament finalsIreland Vere St. Leger Goold (5)
1878
1880

The tour started in Nice, France in May and ended in Melbourne, Australia in December.

Calendar edit

Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921),[6] in some tournaments not all.

* Indicates challenger

Notes 2:Tournaments in italics were events that were staged only once that season

Key

Important.[7][8][9][10][11]
National
Provincial/State/Regional
County
Local/other

January to April edit

No events

February edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
14 - 15 May.[12] Nice Tennis Tournament
St. Philippe Rink
Nice, France
Hard
Singles - Doubles
 Henry Lyle Mulholland
6-3, 6-1
  Mr. Harrison

May edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
28 April - 2 May.[13] Earlsfort Terrace Tournament
Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, Ireland
Asphalt
  Vere Thomas Saint Leger Goold
?
  J.C. Roberts
14 - 15 May.[14] Bournemouth CLTC Spring Tournament
Bournemouth CLTC
Dean Park Cricket Ground
Bournemouth, England
Grass
Singles - Doubles
  Sir Hubert James Medlycott
?
?

June edit

Week Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
16 June[15] Irish Lawn Tennis Championships[16]
[17] Dublin, Ireland
Grass
Singles
  Vere St. Leger Goold[18]
8–6, 8–6
  David Charles Barry   Henry Evelyn Toombe
  John Jameson Cairnes
  F J Joyce
  J J Sherrard
  L McDonnell
  A Hodgson
30 Jun -30 Jul Grand National Lawn Tennis Tournament[19]
Hendon, London, Great Britain
Grass
Singles
  Edgar Lubbock
6-1 6-0 8-6
  Lestocq Robert Erskine

July edit

Date Tournament Winner All comers' finalist Semifinalist Quarterfinalist
7–16 July Wimbledon Championship[20]
London, Great Britain
Grass
Singles
  John Hartley
walkover
  Vere St. Leger Goold   Vere St. Leger Goold
Bye
  Cecil Francis Parr
  Charles Gilbert Heathcote
  C D Barry
  G E Tabor
Challenge round
  Patrick Francis Hadow
14-15 July.[21] Staffordshire County Cricket Club Lawn Tennis Tournament.
Lichfield, Great Britain
Grass
Singles
  Henry W. J. Gardner
6-4 6-3
  E. W. Burnett   William Arthur Briscoe
  J.H. Lonsdale
  N. Bailey
  J.C. Keene
  W.W. Jacks
14-15 July Essex County Cricket Club Tournament[22]
Knighton, Essex, Great Britain
Grass
Singles
 
Nalton Womersley
6-4 6-5
 
Dale Womersley

August edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
August Scottish Championships[23]
St Andrews, Great Britain
Grass
Singles
  Leslie Balfour-Melville[24][25]
def
?
27 July- 2 August.[26] County Kildare Tournament
Naas Military Barracks
Naas, County Kildare, Ireland
Grass
-
  Algernon Ambrose Michael Aylmer
4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
  James G. Kennedy
29 July - 2 August.[27] County Kildare Closed Tournament
Naas Military Barracks
Naas, County Kildare, Ireland
Grass
-
  George Edward Devere Kennedy
6-4, 6-5
  H. Mitchell
6 - 8 August.[28] County Galway LTC Tournament
County Galway Lawn Tennis Club
Lisbeg, County Galway,Ireland
Grass
-
  W.G. Eyre
?
  W. Peebles
12 - 13 August.[29] Armagh Lawn Tennis Tournament
Archery Lawn Tennis Club
Armagh, Ireland
Grass
Singles - Doubles
  F.L. Cope
?
  Robert Shaw Templer
15–16 August[30] Dorchester Kingston Park Tournament
Kingston Park CLTC
Kingston Park, Kingston Maurward House, Dorchester, Dorset, England
Grass
Singles
  Montague Hankey
6-5 6-5 6-5
  Captain James J. Glascott   Captain James J. Glascott
  James H. Medlycott
  Captain Bradford
  James C. Pipon
 
22–25 August Waterford Tournament
Waterford, Ireland
Grass
Singles
  Vere St. Leger Goold
?
  J. M. Brown   Henry Joseph Gallwey
  J. C. Roberts
  Patrick Joseph Gallwey
  William Joseph Gallwey
  Pierce Barron-Newell

September edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
2 September.[31][32] Teifiside LTC Championship
Teifiside Lawn Tennis Club
Newcastle Emlyn, Wales
Grass
Singles - Doubles
  Gwyn Saunders Davies
?
  Frank Miles
3–9 September South of Ireland Championships[33][34] Limerick, Ireland
Grass
Singles
 Joseph Fritz James Heffernan Considine
6–4, 6–3
  Henry Evelyn Tombe   Joseph Fritz James Heffernan Considine[35]
  T. J. Johnston
  Major Richard de Ros Rose
  W. Ryan
  Charles R B Heaton-Armstrong
  Henry Evelyn Tombe
  Mrs. R B Heaton-Armstrong
6-3, 6-5, 6-2
  Mr. Baker
  Miss Annie Rice
2 - 5 September.[36] Yare LTC Tournament
Yare Lawn Tennis Club
Fritton, Great Yarmouth
Surface ?
Singles - Doubles
  Percy Lucas
?
  Julian Marshall
23 September.[37] North of Ireland Championships
Ormeau Cricket Ground
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Grass
Singles - Doubles
  Captain Short
6-5, 4-6, 6-3
  M. Short

October edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
30 September - 4 October.[38] Bournemouth CLTC Autumn Tournament
Bournemouth CLTC
Dean Park Cricket Ground
Bournemouth, England
Grass
Singles - Doubles
  Edmond Bennet Brackenbury
?
  Sir Hubert James Medlycott
7–11 October. East Gloucestershire Championships
Cheltenham, Great Britain
Hard (Asphalt)
Singles
  William Renshaw
6-4 6-3 5-6 6-4
  Vere St. Leger Goold   William H J Gardner   E. W. Burnett
  E. Manning
  Mr. Arnold
20–23 October.[39] Dublin University Championships
Singles - Doubles
  Henry James Daly
?
  Ernest Edward Knox   Charles William O’Hara Mease
  Henry James Daly
  Charles William O’Hara Mease
  Thomas Haines Abrahall
  G.H. Bailey

November edit

No events

December edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
22–28 December Victorian Championships[40]
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Hard (Asphalt)
Singles
  A. F. Robinson[41]
2-1 (sets)
  H. M. Strachan |  E. McKenzie
  W. Officer
 ?

Event staged date unknown edit

Date Tournament Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarter finalist
?.[42] Choceň Tournament
Choceň , Bohemia
Grass
-
?
?
?

List of tournament winners edit

Note: Important tournaments in bold

Rankings edit

Source: The Concise History of Tennis

Karoly Mazak World Rankings for 1879 [43]
# Player
1   John Hartley (ENG)
2   Vere St. Leger Goold (Ireland)
3   Cecil Parr (GBR)
4   William Renshaw (ENG)
5   George Tabor (GBR)
6   Edgar Lubbock (GBR)
7   Lestocq Robert Erskine (SCO)
8   Herbert Lawford (SCO)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Tournaments 1879". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  2. ^ Archives, Tennis. "Tournaments 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives, 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Tennis season 1879". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base, 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Wimbledon in the Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.ria.ie. The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann champions research, 22 June 2016. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  5. ^ "Cheltenham 1879 East Gloucestershire Championships England". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  6. ^ "Abolition of Challenge Rounds". EVENING POST. 20 March 1922. Retrieved 6 October 2016 – via Papers Past.
  7. ^ Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 198. ISBN 9781598843002.
  8. ^ Gillmeister, Heiner (1998). Tennis:Cultural History. London: A&C Black. p. 199. ISBN 9780718501952.
  9. ^ Mazak, Karoly (2017). The Concise History of Tennis. Independently published. pp. 5–36. ISBN 9781549746475.
  10. ^ Lake, Robert J. (2014). A Social History of Tennis in Britain: Volume 5 of Routledge Research in Sports History. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 9781134445578.
  11. ^ Fein, Paul (2003). Tennis confidential : today's greatest players, matches, and controversies. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. p. 96. ISBN 978-1574885262.
  12. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Nice 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  13. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Earlsfort Terrace Tournament 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  14. ^ The Athletic world and journal of English sports. London. 20 May 1879. p. 81.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^ "South of Ireland Championships 1878 Limerick Cup Ireland". Tennis Archives. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Tennis History". The Glasgow Herald, 12 July 1950. Retrieved 29 July 2016 – via Google News.
  17. ^ Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 198. ISBN 9781598843002.
  18. ^ Seddon, Peter (2015). "Good v. Evil (1879)". Tennis's Strangest Matches: Extraordinary but true stories from over a century of tennis. Pavilion Books. ISBN 9781910232460.
  19. ^ "Grand National Tournament 1879". tennisrachives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  20. ^ "The Championships 1879-Gentlemen's All-Comers' Singles" (PDF). LTA. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  21. ^ "Tournaments:Litchfield/Stafford - Staffordshire Championships". The Tennis Base. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  22. ^ "Essex County Cricket Club 1879". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  23. ^ "Scottish Championships 1879 Scotland". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  24. ^ "A Sporting Nation Early Days 1744-1899". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  25. ^ Robertson, Max (1974). "Winners Men's Singles". The encyclopedia of tennis. New York: Viking Press. p. 314. ISBN 9780670294084.
  26. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – County Kildare Tournament 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  27. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "County Kildare Closed Tournament 1879". tennisarchives. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  28. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – County Galway 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Source: The Field
  29. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Armagh 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  30. ^ "Dorchester 1879". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  31. ^ "Our history". ncetennis.org. Newcastle Emlyn & Adpar Community Tennis Club. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  32. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Teifiside Lawn Tennis Club 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  33. ^ "South of Ireland Championships 1879 Limerick Cup Ireland". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  34. ^ John Nauright; Charles Parrish, eds. (2012). Sports around the world : history, culture, and practice. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 198. ISBN 9781598843002.
  35. ^ "Season-Year-1879". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  36. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Yare Lawn Tennis Club 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  37. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – North of Ireland Championships 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  38. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Bournemouth 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  39. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Dublin University LT Championships 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Idzznew BV. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  40. ^ "Victorian Championships 1879 Australia". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  41. ^ "Season-Year-1879". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  42. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Edition – Choceň 1879". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  43. ^ Mazak, Karoly (2010). The Concise History of Tennis. p. 7.

Sources edit

  • A Social History of Tennis in Britain: Lake, Robert J. (2014), Volume 5 of Routledge Research in Sports History. Routledge, UK, ISBN 9781134445578.
  • Ayre's Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, 1908 to 1938, A. Wallis Myers.
  • British Lawn Tennis and Squash Magazine, 1948 to 1967, British Lawn Tennis Ltd, UK.
  • Dunlop Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, G.P. Hughes, 1939 to 1958, Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd, UK
  • Fein, Paul (2003). Tennis confidential : today's greatest players, matches, and controversies. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1574885262.
  • Lawn tennis and Badminton Magazine, 1906 to 1973, UK.
  • Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annuals and Compendia, Lowe, Sir F. Gordon, Eyre & Spottiswoode
  • Spalding's Lawn Tennis Annuals from 1885 to 1922, American Sports Pub. Co, USA.
  • Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice, Nauright John and Parrish Charles, (2012), ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, Cal, US, ISBN 1598843001.
  • The Concise History of Tennis, Mazak Karoly, (2010), 6th Edition, 2015.
  • Tennis; A Cultural History, Gillmeister Heiner, (1997), Leicester University Press, Leicester, UK.
  • The Tennis Book, edited by Michael Bartlett and Bob Gillen, Arbor House, New York, 1981 ISBN 0-87795-344-9
  • The World of Tennis Annuals, Barrett John, 1970 to 2001.
  • Total Tennis:The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia, by Bud Collins, Sport Classic Books, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 0-9731443-4-3
  • Wright & Ditson Officially Adopted Lawn Tennis Guide's 1890 to 1920 Wright & Ditsons Publishers, Boston, Mass, USA.
  • http://www.tennisarchives.com/
  • https://thetennisbase.com/

External links edit