Manitoba Championships

The Manitoba Championships also known as the Province of Manitoba Championships[1] was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1885 as the Manitoba and Northwest Territories Championships[2] It was first played at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[3] The championships were part of the ILTF Circuit.

Manitoba Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
TourCLTA Circuit (1890-1912)
ILTF Circuit (1913-1947)
Founded1885; 139 years ago (1885)
Abolished1947; 77 years ago (1947)
LocationWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
VenueWinnipeg Lawn Tennis Club
SurfaceGrass (1885-1905)
Clay (1906-1947)

The tournament was also informally known as the Manitoba Open Championships.[4]

History

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In 1882 the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club was founded.[5] In 1885 the club moved location to the Manitoba College, where three new grass courts were built.[6] The club then staged the first Manitoba Championships the winner of the men's singles title going to British born player A. H. Dickens (a nephew of Sir Charles Dickens).[7]

The tournament was not held between 1915 and 1918 due to World War I.[8] In August 1920 the event was held jointly with the Canadian International Championships[9] with the victors assuming both titles 'Champion of Canada and Champion of Manitoba'. The event was cancelled in 1942 and did not resume until 1946.[10] The championships were discontinued in 1947 and thereafter due to an ongoing combination of issues with maintenance, and lack of funds due to falling membership levels.[11] The venue did not host another senior tour level event until 1998 when it hosted the Manitoba Ladies Challeneger Tournament.[12]

The event was revived in the modern era as the Manitoba Clay Court Championships, but is now held at the Taylor Lawn Tennis Club, Winnipeg.[13]

Event names

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  • Manitoba and Northwest Territories Championships (1885-1899).[14]
  • Province of Manitoba Championships (1900-1921).[15]
  • Manitoba Lawn Tennis Championships (1922-1930).[16]
  • Manitoba Championships (1931-1947).

References

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  1. ^ Nath, Angela; Marshall, Alison. "Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club: An exhibition of the History and Champions (1881-2016)" (PDF). Brandon, Manitoba, Canada: Brandon University. p. 3. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ^ Peach, Jack (1993). Days Gone by: Jack Peach on Calgary's Past. Toronto: Fifth House. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-895618-26-6.
  3. ^ "Our History: The Early Years". www.wltc.ca. Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Agent Doubles and Tennis Ace". Canadian Government Railways Employees Magazine. Toronto: Canadian National Railways. 1953. p. 44.
  5. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  6. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  7. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  8. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  9. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  10. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  11. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  12. ^ Winnipeg LTC
  13. ^ "2022 Manitoba Clay Court Championships - Tennis Manitoba". tc.tournamentsoftware.com. Tennis Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  14. ^ Peach p.92.
  15. ^ Brandon University p.3.
  16. ^ Brandon University p.10.