The East of England Championships[1] also called the East of England Lawn Tennis Championships[2] was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1885 as the Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament.[3] In 1889 the event had by this time become a regional level tournament that ran until 1983 when it lost its status as a senior international tour level event. However the championships are still being staged today as the East of England and an LTA British Tour (Premier Event).[4]
| East of England Championships | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Event name | Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament(1885-88) East of England County Lawn Tennis Championships (1889-96) East of England Championships (1897–1967) East of England Open Championships (1968–72) East of England Tournament (1973) East of England Championships (1974–82) |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Abolished | 1983 |
| Location | Felixstowe, Suffolk, England. |
| Venue | Felixstowe LTC |
| Surface | Grass |
History edit
The Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament hosted by the Felixstowe Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club became a regional level tour event called the East of England Championships in 1889. It was located Felixstowe, Suffolk, South East England.
The tournament was usually staged in mid-August, this later changed the middle or third week of July following the Wimbledon Championships. The East of England Championships ran for 98 years before it was discontinued in 1983 as a senior international tour level event. However the championships are still being staged today as the East of England an LTA British Tour (Premier Event).[5]
This tournament became an interrelating regional event to the North of England Championships (f.1884), the South of England Championships (f.1881) and the West of England Championships (f.1881).
Notable winners of the men's singles championship title included Reggie Doherty (1906), Herbert Roper Barrett (1897-1899, 1901-1902, 1910), George Hillyard (1907-1908), Héctor Cattaruzza (1926), Jiro Yamagishi (1934-1935, 1937), George Worthington (1949), Jan Leschly (1957-1957), Mark Cox (1963, 1965-1967) and Saeed Meer (1977).
Former women's singles winners included Dorothea Douglass Chambers, (1902, 1906-1908, 1910-1911), Geraldine Ramsey Beamish (1921-1922), Elsie Goldsack Pittman (1931-1932), Jadwiga Jędrzejowska )1937), Shirley Bloomer (1954), Jill Blackman (1966), Patti Hogan (1967) and Greer Stevens (1973).
Finals edit
Men's singles edit
Incomplete roll included:[6]
| Year | Champion | Runner Up | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament | ||||
| 1884 |  Francis William Monement |
 Maurice Welldon |
6-4, 1-6, 6-1 | |
| 1885 | Francis William Monement (2) |
Herbert Davy Longe |
6-1, 6-0 | |
| 1886 | Alfred Penn Gaskell |
Charles Hoadley Ashe Ross |
5-6, 6-3, 6-3 | |
| 1887 | William Herbert Cohen |
Charles Sidney Cullingham |
6-3, 6-4 | |
| 1888 | Francis St. Barbe Haskett-Smith |
Herbert William Kersey |
6-1, 9-7, 6-3 | |
| Eastern Counties Championships | ||||
| 1889 | William Nevill Cobbold |
Charles Gladstone Allen |
1-6, 6-5, 6-3 | |
| 1890 | Charles Gladstone Allen |
Francis Walter Eicke |
6-1, 1-6, 6-3 | |
| 1891 | Roy Allen |
William Nevill Cobbold |
6-4, 6-2, 6-2 | |
| 1892 | Roy Allen (2) |
Charles Gladstone Allen |
w.o. | |
| 1893 | Roy Allen (3) |
Herbert William Kersey |
6-4, 6-1, 10-8 | |
| East of England Championships | ||||
| 1894 | Ernest Wool Lewis |
Rupert L. Hamblin-Smith |
6-0, 6-2 | |
| 1895 | Roy Allen (4) |
Sydney Howard Smith |
6-4, 1-6, 7-5 | |
| 1896 | Reginald Doherty |
Roy Allen |
6-4, 8-6 | |
| 1897 | Herbert Roper Barrett |
Charles Gladstone Allen |
7-5, 7-5 | |
| 1898 | Herbert Roper Barrett (2) |
Roy Allen |
3-6, 6-3, 6-1 | |
| 1899 | Herbert Roper Barrett (3) |
Roy Allen |
3-6, 8-6, 6-3 | |
| 1900 | Charles Percy Dixon |
Roy Allen |
3-6, 6-3, 6-2 | |
| 1901 | Herbert Roper Barrett (4) |
Charles Percy Dixon |
7-5, 6-8, 6-1, 6-3 | |
| 1902 | Herbert Roper Barrett (5) |
Charles Smeathman Hatton |
6-3, 6-3, 6-4 | |
| 1903 | Roy Allen (5) |
George Greville |
6-3, 6-3, 6-4 | |
| 1904 | Roy Allen (6) |
Herbert Roper Barrett |
6-3, 6-1 | |
| 1907 | George Hillyard |
Alfred Beamish |
6-2, 6-2 | |
| 1908 | George Hillyard (2) |
Alfred Beamish |
6-1, 6-2 | |
| 1909 | Alfred Ernest Beamish |
Dunstan Rhodes |
6-1, 6-1, 6-2 | |
| 1910 | Herbert Roper Barrett (6) |
George Hillyard |
4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 | |
| 1914/1918 | Not held (due to world war one) | |||
| 1919 | Charles Ernest Leonard Lyle |
Basil Henty |
6-4, 6-2, 6-3 | |
| 1920 | Hugh Walter Davies |
Charles Ernest Leonard Lyle |
2-6, 6-3, 6-1 | |
| 1921 | Thomas Bevan |
Charles Ernest Leonard Lyle |
6-2, 6-4 | |
| 1922 | Thomas Bevan (2) |
Charles Ernest Leonard Lyle |
9-7, 4-6, 6-1 | |
| 1923 | Sydney Jacob |
Donald Greig |
6-4, 6-4, 6-3 | |
| 1924 | Donald Greig |
Charles Ernest Leonard Lyle |
6-4, 7-5, 6-2 | |
| 1925 | Max Woosnam |
Charles Kingsley |
3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 | |
| 1926 |  Héctor Américo Cattaruzza |
Ronaldo Boyd |
6-4, 6-4, 8-6 | |
| 1927 | Charles Herbert Kingsley |
Max Woosnam |
6-2, 6-2, 6-3 | |
| 1928 | Gordon Crole-Rees |
Sydney Jacob |
3-6, 8-6, 6-2 | |
| 1929 | Gordon Crole-Rees (2) |
G.R. Ashton |
6-2, 6-2 | |
| 1930 | Arthur W. Hill |
Gordon Crole-Rees |
6-0, 6-4 | |
| 1931 |  Franz Matejka |
 Charles Frederick Scroope |
6-2, 6-3 | |
| 1932 | George Godsell |
George S. Fletcher |
8-6, 6-3 | |
| 1933 | Henry Scriven Burrows |
 Alan Stedman |
6-4, 1-6, 6-4 | |
| 1934 |  Jiro Yamagishi |
 Charles Aeschlimann |
6-4, 6-0 | |
| 1935 | Jiro Yamagishi (2) |
George Lyttleton Rogers |
6-3, 6-3 | |
| 1936 | Richard (Dickie) Ritchie |
Eikichi Itoh |
6-4, 6-3 | |
| 1937 | Jiro Yamagishi (3) |
Henry Billington |
6-1, 6-4 | |
| 1938 | Lawrence Shaffi |
 P. Martinelli |
2-6, 6-3, 6-2 | |
| 1939 |  Constantin Tanacescu |
Eric Filby |
4-6, 6-4, 6-3 | |
| 1940/1946 | Not held (due to world war one) | |||
| 1947 | Jeff Robson |
John Barry |
6-2, 6-4 | |
| 1948 |  Zoltan Katona |
 R.J.E. Mayers[7] |
6-8, 6-0, 6-2 | |
| 1949 | George Worthington |
 Naresh Kumar |
6-2, 6-8, 6-4 | |
| 1950 | Anthony (Tony) Starte[8] |
Bobby Nicholl |
2-6, 7-5, 6-1 | |
| 1951 |  Torben Ulrich |
Derrick Leyland |
8-6, 6-2 | |
| 1952 | Gerry Oakley |
 Ivo Rinkel |
2-6, 6-4, 6-0 | |
| 1953 | Geoff Ward[9] |
Nigel Lowe |
8-6, 6-3 | |
| 1954 | Jeff Robson (2) |
Geoff Ward |
8-6, 9-7 | |
| 1955 | Ivor Warwick |
 Khwaja Saeed Hai |
14-16, 6-4, 6-4 | |
| 1957 | Jan Leschly |
 Gordon Lawrence Talbot |
1-6, 6-2, 6-3 | |
| 1958 | Jan Leschly (2) |
Claus Storm Pallesen |
6-0, 6-0 | |
| 1959[10] |  John Kebble |
Tariq Afridi |
7-5, 6-1 | |
| 1962 | Robert G. Clarke[11] |
Mark Cox |
6-4, 6-3 | |
| 1963 | Mark Cox |
Geoff Bluett |
6-4, 6-3 | |
| 1964 | Keith Wooldridge |
Graham Stilwell |
6-2, 6-0 | |
| 1965 | Mark Cox (2) |
Gerald Battrick |
4-6, 7-5, 6-3 | |
| 1966 | Mark Cox (3) |
Lew Gerrard |
5-7, 7-5, 6-4 | |
| 1967 | Mark Cox (4) |
Keith Wooldridge |
6-2, 6-4 | |
| 1968 | Stanley Matthews |
Keith Wooldridge |
10-12, 7-5, 7-5 | |
| Open era | ||||
| East of England Open Championships | ||||
| 1969 |  Bob Giltinan |
Byron Bertram |
8-6, 1-6, 8-6 | |
| 1970 | Bob Giltinan (2) |
Syd Ball |
7-5, 6-2 | |
| 1971 | Alvin Gardiner |
Jeff Simpson |
5-7, 7-5, 6-4 | |
| 1972 | John Feaver |
Tony Fawcett |
9-8, 6-4 | |
| 1973 | Armistead Neely |
Larry Parker |
5-7, 6-4, 8-6 | |
| East of England Championships | ||||
| 1974 | Willem Prinsloo |
Dave Segal |
6-3, 6-0 | |
| 1975 | Mike Collins |
Saeed Meer |
3-6, 6-3, 9-7 | |
| 1976 | Mark Farrell |
 Stephen Alger |
6-3, 6-4 | |
| 1977 | Saeed Meer |
Ali Kahn |
2-6, 6-4, 9-7 | |
| 1978 | Willie Davies |
Dean Mathias |
6-3, 6-4 | |
| 1979 | Rob Hak[12] |
Willie Davies |
9-8, 3-6, 6-3 | |
| 1980 | John Paish |
Willie Davies |
6-1, 6-4 | |
| 1981 | Ian Currie |
Martin Guntrip |
w.o. | |
| 1982 | Willie Davies (2) |
John Paish |
3-6, 6-1, 6-2 | |
Women's singles edit
(Incomplete roll)
| Year | Champion | Runner Up | Score | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament | |||||||||
| 1886 | A. Ridley |
Helen Kersey |
6-1, 6-5 | ||||||
| 1887 | No women's event | ||||||||
| 1888 | Nellie Turner |
F Green |
4-6, 6-2, 10-8 | ||||||
| Eastern Counties Championships | |||||||||
| 1889 | Ivy Arbuthnot |
Helen Kersey |
6-3, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1890 | Florence Noon Thompson |
Winifred Kersey |
6-3, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1891 | Winifred Kersey |
C. Tidbury |
6-4, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1892 | No women's event | ||||||||
| 1893 | Elsie Lane |
Henrietta Horncastle |
6-3, 11-9 | ||||||
| 1894 | M. Burton |
E. Burton |
6-3, retired. | ||||||
| 1895 | Elsie Lane (2) |
A. Inge |
6-1, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1896 | Emma Ridding |
Henrica Ridding |
divided prizes | ||||||
| East of England Championships | |||||||||
| 1897 | Mrs White |
Henrietta Horncastle |
6-3, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1898 |  Edith Austin |
Miss Tootell |
6-1, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1899 | Beryl Tulloch |
Elsie Lane |
6-8 6-2 6-4 | ||||||
| 1900 | Beryl Tulloch (2) |
Winifred Kersey |
4-6, 6-0, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1901 | Connie Wilson |
Hilda Lane |
6-2, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1902 | Dorothea Douglass |
Winifred Longhurst |
6-3, 4-6, 9-7 | ||||||
| 1903 | Alice Greene |
Connie Wilson |
6-3, 3-6, 7-5 | ||||||
| 1904 | Connie Wilson (2) |
Agnes Morton |
6-3, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1905 | Alice Greene (2) |
Marion Colbatch-Clark |
8-6, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1906 | Dorothea Douglass |
Connie Wilson |
14-14, retired | ||||||
| 1907 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers (2) |
Agnes Morton |
6-2, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1908 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers (3) |
Agnes Morton |
6-1, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1909 | Agnes Morton |
Mary Gray Curtis-Whyte |
6-0, 6-1 | ||||||
| 1910 | Dorothea Douglass Chambers (4) |
M. Messom |
6-0, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1911 | Dorothy Holman |
Winifred McNair |
6-3, 3-6, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1912 | Agnes Morton (2) |
Dorothea Douglass Chambers |
5-7, 6-3, retired | ||||||
| 1913 | Winifred McNair |
Elizabeth Ryan |
7-5, 7-5 | ||||||
| 1914-18 | Not held (due to World War I) | ||||||||
| 1919 | Muriel Ledger Hextall |
Mrs F.W. Hodges |
6-4, 4-6, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1920 | Mabel Davey Clayton |
Phyllis Carr Satterthwaite |
6-4, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1921 | Geraldine Ramsey Beamish |
Mabel Davey Clayton |
6-3, 7-5 | ||||||
| 1922 | Geraldine Ramsey Beamish (2) |
Mabel Davey Clayton |
6-0, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1923 | Mabel Davey Clayton (2) |
Geraldine Ramsey Beamish |
1-6, 6-2, 10-8 | ||||||
| 1924 | Ermyntrude Harvey |
Claire Beckingham |
6-4, 6-1 | ||||||
| 1925 | Claire Beckingham |
Geraldine Ramsey Beamish |
3-6, 6-3, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1926 | Geraldine Ramsey Beamish (3) |
Elsie Goldsack |
6-4, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1927 | Joan Ridley |
Geraldine Ramsey Beamish |
6-3, 4-6, 7-5 | ||||||
| 1928 | Joan Ridley (2) |
Geraldine Ramsey Beamish |
6-4, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1929 | Joan Ridley (3) |
Elsie Goldsack |
5-7, 6-3, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1930 | Nancy Lyle |
Elsie Goldsack Pittman |
6-4, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1931 | Elsie Goldsack Pittman |
Joan Ridley |
6-2, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1932 | Elsie Goldsack Pittman (2) |
Ermyntrude Harvey |
6-0, 8-6 | ||||||
| 1933 | Geraldine Ramsey Beamish (4) |
Lucy Bond Pretty |
6-1, 6-1 | ||||||
| 1934 | Freda Scott |
Joan Ridley |
12-10, 8-8, retired | ||||||
| 1935 |  Leila Row |
Freda Scott |
6-3, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1936 | Audrey de Smidt Allister |
Nancy Palmer |
6-2, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1937 |  Jadwiga Jędrzejowska |
Audrey Wright |
6-1, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1938 | Elsie Goldsack Pittman (3) |
Rosemary Thomas |
7-5, 9-7 | ||||||
| 1939 | Elsie Goldsack Pittman (4) |
Iris Hutchings |
2-6, 6-1, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1940-46 | Not held (due to World War I) | ||||||||
| 1947 | Jadwiga Jędrzejowska (2) |
 Bibi Gullbrandsson |
6-1, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1948 | Jean-Nicoll-Bostock |
Jean Quertier |
11-9, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1949 | Patricia Ward |
Joey Physick David |
7-5, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1950 | Margaret Emerson |
Anne Shilcock |
6-2, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1951 | Anne Shilcock |
Joey Physick Lloyd |
1-6, 6-4, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1952 | Jean Quertier Rinkel |
Baba Lewis |
6-1, 4-6, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1953 | Lucille van der Westhuizen |
D. Midgley |
6-0, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1954 | Shirley Bloomer |
Heather Redwood Robson |
6-3, 6-1 | ||||||
| 1955 | Bea Walter |
Anthea Gibb |
6-4, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1956 | Elaine Becroft |
Christine Truman |
6-4, 3-6, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1957 | Patricia Hird |
Inge Overgaard |
6-2, 6-0 | ||||||
| 1958 | A. Hardwick |
Pia Balling |
7-5, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1959 | Sheila Griffin Bramley |
J. Stedman |
6-3 6-2 | ||||||
| 1960 | Sheila Griffin Bramley (2) |
Elaine Watson Shenton |
divided title | ||||||
| 1961 | J. Watts |
Sheila Griffin Bramley |
7-5, 1-6, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1962 | Judy Davidson |
Elizabeth Terry |
6-2, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1963 | Alison Stroud |
Mrs S. Stevenson |
6-4, 4-6, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1964 | Elizabeth Starkie |
Deidre Catt |
9-7, 4-6, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1965 | Rita Bentley |
Elizabeth Starkie |
7-5, 3-6, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1966 | Jill Blackman |
Laura Rossouw |
6-3, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1967 | Patti Hogan |
Lynne Abbes |
6-2, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1968 | Janice Townsend |
Jenny Staley Hoad |
11-9, 6-1 | ||||||
| Open era | |||||||||
| East of England Open Championships | |||||||||
| 1969 | Anita van Deventer |
Brenda Kirk |
6-2, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1970 | Corinne Molesworth |
Robin Blakelock Lloyd |
2-6, 6-4, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1971 | Jill Cooper |
Corinne Molesworth |
6-3, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1972 | Patricia Coleman |
Wendy Turnbull |
7-5, 8-6 | ||||||
| 1973 | Greer Stevens |
Diane Riste |
6-2, 6-1 | ||||||
| East of England Championships | |||||||||
| 1974 | Gwen Stirton |
Lois Raymond[13] |
6-3 7-5 | ||||||
| 1975 | Lindsay Blachford |
Annette Coe |
2-6, 6-2, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1976 | J. Wilton |
Julia Lloyd |
6-3, 7-5 | ||||||
| 1977 | Linda Geeves |
Jill Cottrell |
6-2, 6-4 | ||||||
| 1978 | Deborah Stewart |
 Hagit Zubary[14] |
6-2, 9-7 | ||||||
| 1979 | Phyllis Blackwell |
E. Sharp |
6-4, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1980 | Elizabeth Little |
Sonia Davies |
6-1, 6-1 | ||||||
| 1981 | Deborah Stewart (2) |
Jane Plackett |
6-3, 6-3 | ||||||
| 1982 | Joy Tacon |
Belinda Cordwell |
4-6, 6-3, 6-2 | ||||||
| 1983 | Jane Langstaff |
 Paulette Moreno |
7-6, 6-0 | ||||||
Tournament records edit
- Most Men's Singles Titles–
Herbert Roper Barrett & Roy Allen (6) - Most Men's Singles Finals– Roy Allen (10)
- Most Women's Singles Titles– Dorothea Douglass Chambers & Geraldine Ramsey Beamish & Elsie Goldsack Pittman (4)
- Most Women's Singles Finals– Geraldine Ramsey Beamish (8)
Notes edit
In the late 1880s an East of England tournament was established in Filey, North Yorkshire, but was predominantly a local tennis meeting only.
Event names edit
- Felixstowe Open Lawn Tennis Tournament (1885-87)
- Eastern Counties Championships (1889-96)
- East of England Championships (1897–1967)
- East of England Open Championships (1968–72)
- East of England Tournament (1973)
- East of England Championships (1974–82)
References edit
- ^ "The Lawn Tennis Season at Felixstowe". The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality. 110. Ingram brothers: 127. 1924.
- ^ Daily Mail Year Book. London: Associated Newspapers Groups, Limited. 1966. p. 23.
- ^ "The Tennis Tournament at Felixstowe. The second day's play of the second annual lawn tennis tournament in connection with the Felixstowe Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club took place on Friday on the club ground". The Ipswich Journal. Ipswich, Suffolk, England. 14 August 1886. p. 3.
- ^ "Events". clubspark.lta.org.uk. Felixstowe Lawn Tennis Club. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ Felixstowe Lawn Tennis Club
- ^ "Tournament – East of England Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "R.J.E. Mayers Bio". ATP Tour. ATP. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Anthony Starte". ATP Tour. ATP. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Player Profile: Geoff Ward". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ Brammer, Chris (24 August 2012). "Veteran tennis player John Keeble reflects on Orton's success". East Anglian Daily Times. Norwich, England.: Archant Limited. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Player Profile: Robert Clarke". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Rob Hak: Bio". ATP Tour. ATP. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Lois Raymond: Player". Women's Tennis Association. WTA. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
- ^ "Player Profile: Hagit Zubary". www.itftennis.com. ITF. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
Sources edit
- Daily Mail Year Book. (1966) London: Associated Newspapers Groups.
- Events. clubspark.lta.org.uk. Felixstowe Lawn Tennis Club.
- The Ipswich Journal. (14 August 1886) Ipswich, Suffolk, England.
- The Sketch: (1924) A Journal of Art and Actuality. Ingram brothers. 110: 127.