North of Ireland Championships

The North of Ireland Championships was an early Victorian period men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1879. The championship was played at the Cliftonville Cricket Club, Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland. The tournament ran annually for fifteen editions until 1894. It was the precursor tournament to the later Ulster Grass Court Championships.

North of Ireland Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded	1879
Abolished	1894
Editions	15
Location	Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland
Venue	Cliftonville Cricket Club
Surface	Grass

History

The regional tennis tournament the North of Ireland Championships tournament was established early as 1881, at the Cliftonville Cricket Club on Cliftonville Road in Belfast. Some time later the club was renamed as the Cliftonville Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. The North of Ireland Championships tournament ran until 1894 when it was abandoned. cancelled after 1894.

Following World War One in 1919 new regional lawn tennis was established representative for Northern Ireland called the Ulster Grass Court Championships staged at the Belfast Boat Club, South Belfast. This grass court tournament ran until at least 1980. In 1928 a second regional tournament was established known as the Ulster Hard Court Championships that was played on clay courts that was staged through to the 1950s.

The former tournaments were both amateur events, but in the mid-1960s a professional event was staged in Belfast called the Ulster Professional Championships.

Notable male players who this championship includes Manliffe Goodbody who won it three times (1889, 1890, 1893). The North of Ireland and Ulster grass court tournaments have survived into the 21st century where today as two separate events is known as the North of Ireland Open, and the Ulster Senior Open.

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner Up	Score
1879	Captain Short	M. Short	6–5, 4–6, 6–3
1881	Edward Johnson Charley	J.R. Bristow	2–1 sets
1882	George Frank Wemyss Anson	Edward Johnson Charley	2–0 sets
1885	Charle Milligan Johns	Alfred Dawson Johns	6–3, 6–3
1888	Tegan Dickson	Robert Cully Barton	6–0, 6–0
1889	Manliffe Francis Goodbody	Tegan Dickson	6–3, 6–2, 6–2
1890	Manliffe Francis Goodbody (2)	Arthur Henry Gore Ashe	5–7, 6–4, 6–0, 6–2
1891	George Courtney Ball-Greene	Manliffe Francis Goodbody	w.o.
1892	Francis Owen Stoker	George Courtney Ball-Greene	w.o.
1893	Manliffe Francis Goodbody (3)	Francis Owen Stoker	w.o.
1894	Alexander Horsbrugh Porter	David Elgar Payn	6–2, 6–1, 6–1

Women's singles

(incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner Up	Score
1890	Miss. M.A. Kinahan	Miss Newett	6–2, 6–0
1891	Miss. Hearn	Miss. M.A. Kinahan	6–2, 6–2
1892	Miss. R. Shaw	Miss. Hearn	4–6, 6–4, 6–1
1893	Miss. R. Shaw (2)	Miss. Jane Corder	3–6, 6–0, 9–7
1894	Miss. R. Shaw (3)	Miss. F. Carr	6–1, 6–1

Sources

• Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes (1889). Volume LI. January - June. Vinton & Co Ltd, London.
• Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) George Routledge and Son. London.
• The Belfast Telegraph (3 July 1965), Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.