Leicestershire County Lawn Tennis Championships

The Leicestershire County Lawn Tennis Championships or simply called the Leicestershire Championships [1] was a combined men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1900 that ran until 1914 as an open international tennis event. In 1926 the event was reclassified as a closed tournament open only to Leicestershire residents and club players only.

Leicestershire County Lawn Tennis Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Event name
Founded1900 (1900)
Abolished1914 (1914)
LocationLeicester, Leicestershire, England
VenueAshby-de-la-Zouch Castle Lawn Tennis Club, (1900–04, 1909)
Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club, (1905–08, 1910–14)
SurfaceGrass

History

In 1878 the first Leicester Lawn Tennis Tournament was staged at Aylestone Park, Leicester and played on three courts. In 1881 that event became an open tournament that included women and was then known as the Leicester Open Lawn Tennis Tournament.[2] By 1891 the tournament was being staged under the name of the Leicester Open Tennis Tournament[3] In 1900 Leicestershire LTC launched a new county level tournament called the Leicestershire County Lawn Tennis Championships, that was played at Ashby-de-la-Zouch until 1904. However the Leicester LTC also continued to host an Leicester Open Tournament (1900–04, 1909) during the period the county championship event was staged at Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

In 1905 the Leicestershire County Lawn Tennis Championships returned to Leicester where the continued to be played until 1908. In 1909 for one year only it was held again at Ashby-de-la-Zouch. In 1910 through until 1913 it held in Leicester. Between 1915 and 1918 the open international championships were not held because of World War I, and were not resumed. In 1926 Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club established a closed tournament called the Leicestershire Closed County Championships that is still operating today.[4] From 1939 until 1945 that tournament was not held as a result of World War II.[5]

Venues

Ashby-de-la-Zouch

The Leicestershire Championships were for certain periods staged at the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Castle Lawn Tennis Club.[6] This particular club also staged an early and successful tennis event called the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Open Tournament (f.1900),[7] In 1910 the open tournament was renamed as the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Championship. By 1939 the event was known as the Ashby-de-la-Zouch Open Championships.[8]

Leicester

In the Summer of 1878 as The Leicester Lawn Tennis and Quoit Club one of the 12 oldest tennis clubs in the world was founded.[9] Generally known as Leicester Lawn Tennis Club until 1912.[10] In 1929 the club was incorporated as The Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club.[11] The first known grounds were on land rented from Leicester Corporation for £30 per year, 6068 square yards on the south side of Park Road (now Victoria Park Road) near the London Road in 1885.[12] It then consisted of six grass courts, and a cinder court.[13] In 1900 this ground had to be vacated due to road development and the current ground was leased from JW Goddard, the main entrance then was from Toller Road in Leicester.[14]

Event names
  • Leicestershire County Lawn Tennis Championships (Open) (1900–1914)
  • Leicestershire Closed County Lawn Tennis Championships (1926–1967)
  • Leicestershire Tennis Championships (Closed) (1967–1979)
  • Leicestershire County Championships (Closed) (1980–current)

Other tournaments
  • Leicester Lawn Tennis Tournament (1878–1879)
  • Leicester Open Lawn Tennis Tournament (1880–1890)
  • Leicester Open (1891–1939)

Notes

Closed tournament: Entries to “closed” tournaments are restricted, normally by a requirement of residency within a specified geographic area.[15]

References
  1. Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – Leicestershire Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  2. "FIRST LEICESTER OPEN LAWN TENNIS TOURNAMENT WILL BE HELD AT THE EVINGTON ROAD GROUNDS NEXT WEEK". Leicester Daily Post. Leicester, Leicestershire, England: British Newspaper Archives. 14 June 1881. p. 1.
  3. "TENTH ANNUAL LEICESTER OPEN LAWN TENNIS TOURNAMENT, EVINGTON ROAD GROUNDS, NEXT THURSDAY, FRIDAY, and SATURDAY, COMMENCING ELEVEN THIRTY AM each day". Leicester Daily Post. Leicester, Leicestershire, England: British Newspaper Archives. 21 July 1891. p. 1.
  4. "Leicestershire Tennis Festival and Senior County Closed Championships: County Champions". leicstennischamps.co.uk. Tennis Leicestershire Ltd. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  5. "LEICESTERSHIRE TENNIS PLANS: At the postwar general meeting of the Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Association at the Royal Hotel, Leicester. last night, Mr. H. A. Buckler presided, and was supported by Mr. L. L. Green, the county's LTA representative to discuss the resumption of the county championships, and other events". Leicester Evening Mail. Leicester, Leicestershire, England: British Newspaper Archives. 15 March 1946. p. 12.
  6. "Ashby Castle Lawn Tennis Club". clubspark.lta.org.uk. Lawn Tennis Association. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  7. "Ashby-de-la-Zouch Open Lawn Tennis Tournament commenced yesterday. The entries for this year's competitions are unusually large". Leicester Daily Post. Leicester, Leicestershire, England: British Newspaper Archives. 10 July 1906. p. 1.
  8. "ASHBY TENNIS: Meredith Beats Taylor For the Singles Title Despite the rain, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Open Lawn Tennis Championships were almost completed on Saturday". Leicester Daily Mercury. Leicester, Leicestershire, England: British Newspaper Archives. 24 July 1939. p. 21.
  9. Marston, Alice. "History of the Club". leicestershire-tennis.co.uk. Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  10. Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club
  11. Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club
  12. Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club
  13. Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club
  14. Leicestershire Lawn Tennis Club
  15. "Adult Tournament Options: Tournament Formats" (PDF). www.usta.com. USTA Mid Atlantic. p. 1. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
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