Wikipedia

Sussex Championships

The Sussex Championships or Sussex County Championships was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament that were first staged in 1889. By 1972 it was known as the Sussex Tennis Open Championships.[1] The championships were first held in Brighton, East Sussex, England then moved to West Worthing, West Sussex, England and ran only until 1980.

Sussex Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
TourLTA Circuit (1889-1912)
ILTF World Circuit (1913-1968)
ILTF Independent Circuit (1970-1980)
Founded1889
Abolished1980
Editions78
LocationBrighton, East Sussex, England (1889-1926)
West Worthing, West Sussex, England (1972-1980)
SurfaceGrass

The tournament is no longer a senior level international tour event, but is still staged today as a closed county tournament to British players only.[2]

History edit

A Sussex County Lawn Tennis Tournament was a brief tennis tournament consisting of a spring tournament usually held in April and another held in autumn usually September.[3] It was originally played on outdoor asphalt courts at Brighton and Hove Rink, England with the exception of the 1884 event that was played on grass courts. In 1882 the organisers staged the spring event. also played on asphalt courts, but for only two editions. there was just four editions of this event but did feature two future Wimbledon Men's singles champions the Renshaw twins it ran until 1885 then was abolished. In 1889 the event was revived as a grass court tournament called the Sussex Championships that was held at Hove County Cricket Ground.

The Sussex Championships was a very successful tournament in the years up to World War I, and was the second largest of the South of England meetings.[4] The September tournament (otherwise called the Autumn Tournament), even when held in August, just before the South of England Championships was the main draw event on the Sussex calendar for many years.[5] In 1911 it became a two-week competition. Many of the leading players of the day took part in the championships. Following the First World War for some unknown reason, the event failed to gain the longevity it needed to keep the success going, unlike the South of England tournament, rescheduling of the event may have been the cause of its early demise.

Following the start of the open era the Sussex Championships were revived, but this time played at a new location in West Worthing. By 1972 it was known as the Sussex Tennis Open Championships.[6] The championships continued as a two-week tournament until 1978. The tournament continued up to 1980 when it was abolished for the final time as a senior tour level event. It was a featured county level event on the Mens Amateur Tour (1877-1912), the Women Amateur Tour (1877-1912), the ILTF Mens Amateur Tour (1913-1967) and the ILTF Women's Amateur Tour (1913-1967).

Finals edit

Men's singles edit

Incomplete Roll:[7]
Year Champions Runners-up Score
Sussex Championships (Brighton)
1889   Horace Chapman   Wilberforce Eaves 6-3, 6–3, 8–6.
1890   Wilfred Baddeley   Horace Chapman 6-4, 6–2, 2–6, 7–5.
1891   Grainger Chaytor   Wilfred Baddeley w.o.
1892   Wilberforce Eaves   Grainger Chaytor w.o.
1893   Wilfred Baddeley (2)   Wilberforce Eaves 6-1, 1–6, 8–6, 6-2
1894   Wilfred Baddeley (3)   Harry Sibthorpe Barlow 6-1, 6–0, 2–6, 7-5
1895   Grainger Chaytor (2)   Wilfred Baddeley w.o.
1896   Wilfred Baddeley (4)   Grainger Chaytor w.o.
1897   George Ball-Greene   Wilfred Baddeley w.o.
1898   Grainger Chaytor (3)   George Ball-Greene 6-1, 6–1, 2–6, 8-6
1899   Sydney Howard Smith   Grainger Chaytor 6-4, 6–3, 6-2
1900   Sydney Howard Smith (2)   George Whiteside Hillyard 6-2, 4–6, 6–4, 6-2
1901   Sydney Howard Smith (3)   Joshua Pim 6-1, 6–3, 5–7, 6-2
1902   Sydney Howard Smith (4)   Frank Riseley 5-7, 6–4, 2–6, 6-4 ret.
1903   Robert Leroy   Wylie Grant 8-6, 6–1, 1–6, 1–6, 6-2
1904   Sydney Howard Smith (5)   Frank Riseley 6-4. 5–7. 3-3 ret.
1905   Sydney Howard Smith (6)   Frank Riseley w.o.
1906   Arthur Gore   Major Josiah Ritchie 6-2, 6–3, 6-3
1907   George Whiteside Hillyard   Alfred Bentley 6-3, 1–6, 6-4
1908   Walter Cecil Crawley   John Frederick Stokes 6-2, 6–2, 6-3
1909   Robert Branks Powell   William Alfred Ingram 6-2, 6-2
1910   James Zimmermann   Walter Cecil Crawley w.o.
1914/1919 Not held (due to world war one)
1920   Alfred Beamish   Monty Temple 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1
1921   Mohammed Sleem   Cotah Ramaswami 6-4, 6-3, 6-0
1922   F. R. Leighton Crawford   Charles Tuckey 6-0, 6-1
1924   Jack Hillyard   F. R. Leighton Crawford 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-5
↓  Open era  ↓
1970[8]   Max Franklin   Jay Royappa 9-7, 6-2
Sussex Tennis Open Championships (West Worthing)
1977   Clive Rothwell   Jasper Cooper 6-4, 6-2
1978   Willie Davies   Tony Lloyd 7-5, 6-4
1979   Chris Wells Robert Booth 6-1, 6-0

Women's singles edit

Incomplete Roll:
Year Champions Runners-up Score
Sussex Championships (Brighton)
1889   May Langrishe   Beatrice Langrishe 6-3, 6-3, 8-6
1890   May Langrishe (2)   Maud Shackle 6-4, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5
1891   Maud Shackle   May Langrishe 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
1892   Maud Shackle (2)   Bertha Steedman 6-0, 8-6
1893   Blanche Bingley Hillyard   Maud Shackle 6-1, 6-4
1894   Blanche Bingley Hillyard (2)   Maud Shackle 6-3, 6-0
1895   Blanche Bingley Hillyard (3)   Helen Jackson 6-2, 6-2
1896   Blanche Bingley Hillyard (4)   Charlotte Cooper 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
1897   Charlotte Cooper   Blanche Bingley Hillyard 7-5, 7-5
1898   Edith Austin   Charlotte Cooper 6-3, 6-2
1899   Charlotte Cooper (2)   Edith Austin 6-4, 6-4
1900   Blanche Bingley Hillyard (5)   Hilda Lane 6-3, 6-3
1901   Charlotte Cooper Sterry (3)   Blanche Bingley Hillyard 6-4, 6-2
1902   Charlotte Cooper Sterry (4)   Dorothea Douglass 6-2, 6-8, 6-3
1903   Alice Greene   Dorothea Douglass 2-6, 8-6, 6-2
1904   Dorothea Douglass   Charlotte Cooper Sterry 6-3, 6-3
1905   Winifred Longhurst   Connie Wilson divided the prizes
1906   Charlotte Cooper Sterry (5)   Violet Pinckney 6-0, 6-0
1907   Charlotte Cooper Sterry (6)   Ruth Winch 6-0, 6-1
1908   Charlotte Cooper Sterry (7)   Edith Boucher 9-7, 6-4
1909   Dora Boothby   Hilda Lane 6-1, 6-2
1910   Ethel Thomson Larcombe   Dora Boothby 9-7. 6-4
1911   Dora Boothby   Agnes Daniell Tuckey 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
1912   Dora Boothby (2)   Annie Wix Cobb 6-4, 6-2
1913   Dora Boothby (3)   Minnie Dillon 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
1914/1919 Not held (due to world war one)
1920   Elizabeth Ryan   Dorothy Holman 6-2, 2-6 6-2
1921   Dorothy Holman   Louise Bull 8-6, 6-2
1922   Dorothy Holman (2)   Agnes Daniell Tuckey w.o.
1923   Elizabeth Ryan (2)   Christine Tyrrell 6-2, 6-0
1924   Dorothy Holman (3)   Phoebe Holcroft 6-4, 3–6, 6-3
1925   Phoebe Holcroft Watson   Joyce Brown 6-2, 6-1
1926   Phoebe Holcroft Watson (2)   Joyce Brown 6-1, 6-1
↓  Open era  ↓
1970[9]   Jenny Chamberlain   H.B. Chamberlain 6-2, 6-3
Sussex Tennis Open Championships (West Worthing)
1977   Annette Coe   Debra Parker 6-4, 6-4
1978   Debra Stewart   Annette Coe 2-6, 6–2, 6-1
1979   Michele Tyler   Lesley Charles 1-6, 6–2, 7-5
1980   Lesley Charles   Elizabeth Jones 6-4, 6-2

References edit

  1. ^ Lewis, Ralph Henry (1972). Scene in Sussex: a fresh look at the county. London: Research Pub. Co. p. 75. ISBN 9780705000154.
  2. ^ "Sussex County Championships Archives". Tennis Sussex. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  3. ^ Teague, Bryan (20 November 2016). "History of the Club". sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk. Sussex County Croquet Club.
  4. ^ Myers, Arthur Wallis (1903). "Other Meetings". Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. London: Scribner's sons. p. 85.
  5. ^ Teague (2016)
  6. ^ Henry (1972).
  7. ^ Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – Sussex Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Netherlands: Tennis Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  8. ^ Barrett, John. Tingay, Lance. West, Peter. (1971) World of Tennis 1971 : a BP yearbook. Queen Anne Press. London. ISBN 978-0-362-00091-7. p.271.
  9. ^ World of Tennis 1971

Sources edit

  • Lewis, Ralph Henry (1972). Scene in Sussex: a fresh look at the county,. London: Research Pub. ISBN 9780705000154.
  • Myers, Arthur Wallis (1903). Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. London: Scribner's sons.
  • Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – Sussex Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Netherlands: Tennis Archives.
  • Sussex County Championships Archives. Tennis Sussex. Tennis Sussex. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  • Teague, Bryan (20 November 2016). "History of the Club". sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk. Sussex County Croquet Club.
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