West Wales Championships
The West Wales Championships originally founded as the Tenby Lawn Tennis Club Tournament was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament first held the Tenby Lawn Tennis Club, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales in 1876.[1] In 1881 it was renamed as the South Wales Championships[2] In 1900 it was renamed again to the West Wales Championships. The tournament was staged until the outbreak of World War Two in 1939.
| West Wales Championships | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Founded | 1876 |
| Abolished | 1939 |
| Location | Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales |
| Venue | Tenby Lawn Lennis Club |
| Surface | Grass |
History
In 1876 the Tenby Lawn Club Tennis Tournament was first staged at the Tenby Lawn Tennis Club, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, South Wales.[3] In 1881 the tournament changed its name to the South Wales Championships, and play was open to all residents who had resided for three months in all six southern counties of Wales.[4] The first winner of the 1881 mens singles was Britain's L.G. Campbell. In 1885 the latter tournament was renamed as the South Wales and Monmouthshire Championships until 1900 when the Welsh Lawn Tennis Association moved the championships to Newport, Monmouthshire, South Wales. This tournament at Tenby, Pembrokshire was then renamed as the West Wales Championships which ran until 1939. The men competed for the West Wales Challenge Cup.[3]
Venue
The original Tenby Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club was a former sports club situated on Heywood Lane, Tenby.[5] It opened in the late-nineteenth century.[6] The cricket club occupied land to the south side of Heywood Lane whilst the Tennis Club was located on the north side of Heywood Lane.[6] The Tennis club no longer exists and the land has been subsequently used for housing - this is the present Heywood Court. The cricket pitch still survives though.[6] In 2009 a new Tenby Tennis Club was reformed.[7]
Finals
Mens Singles
(incomplete roll) included:.[8]
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenby Lawn Tennis Tournament | |||||
| 1879 | ? | ? | |||
| 1880 | ? | ? | |||
| South Wales Championships | |||||
| 1881 |  L.G. Campbell |  Grismond Saunders Davies | 6-2, 6–5, 9-7 | ||
| 1882 | P. J. Ashe | L.G. Campbell | 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 | ||
| 1883.[9] |  Herbert Wilberforce | P.J. Ashe | 6-2, 6–1, 6-1[8] | ||
| 1884. | Herbert Wilberforce (2) | William Sidney Nelson Heard | 6-4, 3–6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1[8] | ||
| South Wales and Monmouthshire Championships | |||||
| 1885 | William Sidney Nelson Heard | E.W. Evans | 5-6 6-0 6-0 6-3[8] | ||
| 1886 | William Sidney Nelson Heard (2) | James Baldwin | 6-0, 6–1, 6-1[8] | ||
| 1887 | William Sidney Nelson Heard (3) | E.W. Davies | 6-2 6-4 6-1[8] | ||
| 1894.[10] | F.D. Morris | E.W. Evans | ? | ||
| West Wales Championships | |||||
| 1909.[3] | W.S. Warburgh | G. Kent | 6-3, 6–1, 6-3 | ||
| 1910 | Algernon Kingscote | T.A.Gibson | 6-3, 6–3, 6–1.[8] | ||
| 1915/1918 | Not held (due to World War One) | ||||
| 1919 | Ivor Evans | G.R. Mellor | 6-4, 6–4, 8-6[8] | ||
| 1920 | Peter B.W. Freeman | H.R. Lymbery | 6-0, 6–3, 6-0[8] | ||
| 1939 | Ted Avory |  B. Williams | 6-1, 6-0[8] | ||
| 1940 | Tournament abolished (due to World War Two) | ||||
Womens Singles
(incomplete roll)
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenby Lawn Tennis Tournament | |||||
| 1879 | ? | ? | |||
| 1880 | ? | ? | |||
| South Wales Championships | |||||
| 1882 | G. Milman | Ruth Sparrow | 6-5, 6–5, 6-1 | ||
| 1883.[11] | C. Jones | E Fletcher | 6-2, 3–6, 6-4 | ||
| South Wales and Monmouthshire Championships | |||||
| 1886 | Katherine Hill | Mary Agg | 6-4, 6-3 | ||
| West Wales Championships | |||||
| 1909.[3] | Miss Douglas | Miss Wards | 6-4, 6-4 | ||
| 1915/1918 | Not held (due to World War One) | ||||
| 1920 | Gladys Lamplough | Kathleen Lidderdale | 6-2, 6-2 | ||
| 1924 |  Mary McIlquham | Weeta Crawshay-Williams | 6-0, 6-4 | ||
| 1927 | Mrs Burdon | Mrs Parke | 6-2, 7-5 | ||
| 1928 | Mrs Dudley | Mrs Congreve | 6-2, 6-2 | ||
| 1930 | M Wynne | Mrs D M Gimson | 6-0, 6-2 | ||
| 1940 | Tournament abolished (due to World War Two) | ||||
References
- "THE TENBY TENNIS TOURNAMENT". The Pembroke County Guardian and Cardigan Reporter. Tenby, Pembrokshire, Wales: Welsh Newspapers. 20 August 1909. p. 7. Retrieved 24 February 2023 – via newspapers.library.wales.
- "TENBY LAWN TENNIS CLUB ANNUAL TOURNAMENT. Aug. 13 and following days. The Open LADIES' SINGLES. LADIES' DOUBLES. LADIES' and GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES. GENTLEMEN'S SINGLES, AND GENTLEMEN'S DOUBLES. THE SOUTH WALES CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE CUP will be played for on the usual days" (Subscription). The Field. London, England: British Newspaper Archive. 4 August 1883. p. 1. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- The Pembroke County Guardian and Cardigan Reporter
- "NOTES OF THE WEEK". The Cambrian. Aberystwyth, Wales: Welsh Newspapers: National Library of Wales. 15 July 1881. p. 8. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- "Coflein: Site Record: Tenby Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club, Heywood Lane, Tenby". coflein.gov.uk. National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- National Monuments Record of Wales
- "Home". www.tenbytennisclub.co.uk. Tenby Tennis Club. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- "Tournaments: Tenby - South Wales". The Tennis Base. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- "TENBY - LAWN TENNIS CLUB TOURNAMENT". The Tenby Observer Weekly List of Visitors and Directory. Tenby, Pembrokshire, Wales: Welsh Newspapers: National Library of Wales. 23 August 1883. p. 6. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- "CRICKET AND GENERAL ATHLETIC NOTES". The Cambrian. Aberystwyth, Wales: Welsh Newspapers: National Library of Wales. 31 August 1894. p. 3. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- The Tenby Observer Weekly List of Visitors and Directory