South Saxons Open Tournament

The South Saxons Open Tournament was an late 19th century and early 20th century combined men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1880 as the St. Leonards on Sea Lawn Tennis Tournament.[1][2] The first edition was played on grass courts Archery Gardens, St. Leonards on Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, England. It was the precursor tournament to the later Hastings and St. Leonards Open Lawn Tennis Tournament.[3]

South Saxons Open Tournament
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded1880
Abolished1914
LocationSt. Leonards on Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, England.
VenueArchery Gardens/South Saxon Ground
SurfaceGrass

History

(Left is a drawing of The Archery Gardens, St.Leonards on sea, date unknown, it was the location of the first event.)

The South Saxons Open Tournament was an early Victorian period men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1880 as the St. Leonards on Sea Lawn Tennis Tournament.[4] The first edition was played on grass courts Archery Gardens, St. Leonards on Sea, Hastings, East Sussex, England.

In 1886 the South Saxons Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club was formed and opened their grounds.[5] On 27 August 1886 the South Saxon Tennis Tournament was held at Glynde Park.[6] The tournament continued under this name until around 1891. In 1892 it was then being called the South Saxons Open Tournament.[7] The tournament was staged up to at least 1914 under this just before the start of World War I.[8] The South Saxons Open Tournament operating under that name was not staged again.

In 1920 a new tournament emerged called the Hastings and St. Leonards Open Lawn Tennis Tournament it was staged for the first time at the Central Recreation Ground, a cricket venue that was utilised for other sporting events including Tennis, Football and Archery and also as a general recreation ground.[9] that event ran until 1959.[10]

Former winners of the men's singles title include Joshua Pim, Ernest Wool Lewis and Herbert William Wrangham Wilberforce.

Venues

This tournament at inception was originally held at the Archery Gardens, St. Leonard's. By 1886 the tournament was staged at the South Saxon Grounds, West St. Leonard's (today called the South Saxon Nature Reserve). In 1887 the event was staged for one edition at Glynde Park, Glynde Place, Glynde.

References
  1. "Archery Gardens: The second Saint Leonards-on-Sea Lawn Tennis Tournament. Grand Three Days' Meetings, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 16th, 17th and 18th". Hastings and St Leonards Observer. Hastings, East Sussex, England. 10 September 1881. p. 4.
  2. Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – St. Leonards-On-Sea; South Saxons". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. "Hastings and St. Leonards Open Lawn Tennis Tournament Finals Today, Central Recreation Ground". Bexhill-on-Sea Observer. Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, England. 27 August 1921. p. 4.
  4. "Archery Gardens: The second Saint Leonards-on-Sea Lawn Tennis Tournament. Grand Three Days' Meetings, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 16th, 17th and 18th". Hastings and St Leonards Observer. Hastings, East Sussex, England. 10 September 1881. p. 4.
  5. "Lawn Tennis—On Monday, the South Saxon Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club opened the courts on their new ground at West St. Leonards, in the presence of large and fashionable assemblage. The event was celebrated by tournament,". Hastings and St Leonards Observer. Hastings, Sussex, England. 24 July 1886. p. 4.
  6. "South Saxon Tennis Tournament: The tournament of the season took place in Glynde Park, on Thursday. Beautiful weather favoured the gathering, which proved very successful". Eastbourne Chronicle. Eastbourne, Sussex, England. 27 August 1886. p. 2.
  7. "The South Saxons Open Tournament will held on Monday, Tuearlay. and Wednesday, July 22, 26 , and 27, on the Cricket Ground, St. Leonards on Sea". The Field. Hastings, Sussex, England. 23 July 1892. p. 1.
  8. "South Saxons Tournament. The lawn tennis meeting was continued in fine weather yesterday on the south Salome ground at West St. Leonards". Sporting Life. London, England. 5 August 1914. p. 3.
  9. Penfold, Roy (16 December 2021). "Central Cricket Ground". historymap.info. Historical Hastings. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  10. Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – Hastings and St. Leonard's-on- Sea". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
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