Northumberland Championships

The Northumberland Championships or Northumberland Lawn Tennis Championships^[1] or Northumberland County Championships and later known as the ESAB Northumberland Open^[2] for sponsorship reasons was a men's and women's open grass court tennis tournament held first held at the South Northumberland Cricket Ground and various other venues until 1923. It was then staged at the Brandling Lawn Tennis Club (1924–1974), the Northumberland Club (1974–1983), Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, Great Britain. The tournament ran from 1882 to 1983.

Attempts were made establish a large annual tournament in the County of Northumberland located in North East England, which led to the creation of the first Northumberland County Championships held at the South Northumberland Cricket Ground, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England in July 1882.^[3] However the tournament did not have a premenant home until 1924 when the Northumberland Lawn Tennis Ground Co Ltd was formed in order to secure permanent home for the Northumberland Open Tennis Tournament, and secondly, to provide a new permanent venue for Brandling Lawn Tennis Club, then the leading tennis club in the north east.^[3]

The Northumberland Championships ran for 101 years, and was reasonably successful in attracting attract top players to it. The championships were not staged during World War I or World War II. It continued to be staged after the start of the open era in 1968 it later became known as the Northumberland Open,^[4] longer than many other old tournaments with a great tradition. It remained a featured tournament in the annual tennis tours for a considerable time. In 1974 the host venue the Brandling Lawn Tennis Club merged with the Portland Lawn Tennis Club and the Osborne Lawn Tennis Club to create the Northumberland Club which continued to stage the championships tournament.^[3]

Notable winners of the men's singles included Joseph Bruce Ismay (1884), Patrick Bowes-Lyon (1886–1888),^[5] Harold Mahony (1891) and William Renshaw (1893), Pat Spence (1922) Cam Malfroy (1938), Ignacy Tłoczyński (1952) and John Lloyd (1977). Previous women's singles champions included Charlotte Cooper (1895), Dorothea Douglass Chambers (1908), Anita Lizana (1935–1937) and Gem Hoahing (1948), Angela Mortimer (1951) and Judy Tegart (1968). The Northumberland Championships ran until 1983 when it was abolished. The final men's singles champion was Britain's Buster Mottram and the final women's singles champion was Catherine Berry.

(incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner up	Score
1882	Mark Fenwick	Henry Armstrong	2–0 (sets)
1883	Mark Fenwick (2)	Minden Fenwick	3–0 (sets)
1884	Joseph Ismay	Howard Pease	3–6, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
1885	Hamilton Emmons	Percival Fenwick	8–6, 4–6, 6–3, 7–9, 6–2
1886	Patrick Bowes-Lyon	Percival Fenwick	6–3, 6–0, 6–2
1887	Patrick Bowes-Lyon (2)	Herbert Bowes-Lyon	6–2, 6–3, 6–4
1888	Patrick Bowes-Lyon (3)	Percival Leather	6–0, 6–0, 6–0
1889	Frank Noon	George Mewburn	8–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1890	Manliffe Goodbody	Frank Noon	6–3, 6–4, 6–3
1891	Harold Mahony	Tom Chaytor	6–2, 6–4, 6–3
1892	Tom Chaytor	Harold Mahony	6–0, 10–8, 6–2
1893	William Renshaw	Tom Chaytor	6–2, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1
1894	Harold Mahony (2)	Harry S. Barlow	6–3, 6–3, 8–6
1895	Harry S. Barlow	Herbert Baddeley	8–6, 6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–4
1896	Ernest Black	Sydney H. Smith	6–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3
1897	Sydney H. Smith	George Orme	6–3, 6–3, 6–1
1898	Sydney H. Smith (2)	George Hillyard	6–2, 6–2, 6–4
1899	Harold Mahony (3)	Wilberforce Eaves	8–6, 6–3
1900	George Hillyard	George Greville	5–7, 6–2, 7–5, 6–2
1901	Sydney H. Smith (3)	John Boucher	7–5, 7–5, 6–1
1902	Sydney H. Smith (4)	George Ball-Greene	6–2, 6–3, 6–3
1903	John Boucher	Cecil Crawley	6–4, 7–5, 6–3
1904	Laurie Doherty	George Ball-Greene	6–4, 6–1
1905	Alfred Dunlop	Norman Brookes	6–3, 6–3, 7–5
1906	George Hillyard (2)	Wilberforce Eaves	7–5, 1–6, 6–3
1907	Wilberforce Eaves	A.H. Green	6–2, 6–1, 6–2
1908	John Boucher (2)	George Hillyard	6–2, 6–2, 6–1
1909	Major Ritchie	Sydney Adams	3–6, 8–6, 6–2
1910	Major Ritchie (2)	Stanley Doust	1–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–4
1915–18	No tournament due to WWI
1919	Pat O'Hara Wood	Stanley Doust	walkover
1920	Charles Winslow	Louis Raymond	3–6, 6–3, 6–3
1921	Ralph Watson	John Simpson	6–4, 6–4, 6–2
1922	Pat Spence	Cecil Tindell-Green	11-9, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
1923	Cecil Tindell-Green	Clive Branfoot	2–6, 1–6, 6–3, 6–0, 6–3
1924	Cecil Tindell-Green (2)	Maurice Summerson	6–1, 6–4
1926	Teddy Higgs	Arthur Lowe	6–1, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4
1928	Buster Andrews	Arthur Low	6–0, 6–3, 6–1
1931	Franjo Šefer	Franjo Kukuljević	7–5, 9–7, 1–6, 4–6, 6–2
1933	D.O. Hobbis	A. Heron	6–2, 6–3, 6–4
1934	Frank Wilde	Dickie Ritchie	5–7, 6–0, 6–2
1935	Alan Stedman	Cam Malfroy	6–4, 7–5
1936	Cam Malfroy	Dickie Ritchie	6–4, 6–1
1937	Raymond Tuckey	Jimmy Jones	6–1, 6–1
1938	Cam Malfroy (2)	Don Butler	11–9, 6–1
1939	Don Butler	Cam Malfroy	6–3, 6–4, 6–4
1940–45	No tournament due to WWII
1949	Pat Hughes	Don Butler	2–6, 6–4, 7–5
1950	Geoff Brown	Don Butler	6−0, 6−4
1951	Nigel Cockburn	Paddy Roberts	11−9, 6−2
1952	Ignacy Tloczynski	Don Tregonning	7–5, 7–5
1953	Billy Knight	Don Black	6–3, 6–3
1954	John Barry	John Horn	6–3, 6–0
1955	Mal Anderson	Cedric Mason	4–6, 6–0, 6–4
1956	Tony Pickard	John Ward	6–3, 6–4
1958	Mervyn Rose	Warren Woodcock	4–6, 6–3, 6–3
1959	Tony Pickard (2)	Jimmy Tattersall	6–3, 6–2
1960	Trevor Adamson	Charlie Applewhaite	6–2, 6–1
1965	Stanley Matthews	Gerald Battrick	8–6, 6–4
1966	Shiv Misra	Brian Fairlie	6–3, 6–4
1969	Haroon Rahim	Jeff Borowiak	3–6, 6–3, 6–2
1970	John de Mendoza	John Paish	6–0, 6–8, 6–2
1971	Bob Hewitt	Ray Keldie	6–1, 6–4
1972	Ray Keldie	Premjit Lall	6–3, 3–6, 6–1
1973	Bob Giltinan	John Feaver	6–3, 6–2
1974	John Paish	John Clifton	6–3, 3–6, 6–0
1975	Tony Fawcett	Bobby Wilson	6–4, 6–4
1977	John Lloyd	Roger Taylor	6–3, 6–4
1978	Willie Davies	Chris Wells	6–0, 6–1
1979	Buster Mottram	Bob Hewitt	6–2, 6–0
1980	Frew McMillan	Roger Taylor	7–6, 7–6
1981	Buster Mottram (2)	Frew McMillan	6–0, 7–6

(incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner up	Score
1882	Alice Fenwick	Miss Bowlby	6–4, 6–1
1883	Jane Fenwick	Alice Fenwick	6–4, 6–1
1884	Alice Fenwick (2)	Connie Butler	6–3, 6–1
1885	Alice Fenwick (3)	Ann Dod	6–4, 6–4
1886	Connie Butler	Alice Fenwick	3–6, 6–4, 6–3
1887	Connie Butler (2)	Ann Dod	6–2, 6–2
1888	Connie Butler (3)	Ann Dod	6–3, 6–1
1889	Helen Jackson	Alice Pickering	6–2, 6–4
1890	Helen Jackson (2)	Jane Fenwick	6–0, 6–2
1891	Helen Jackson (3)	Beatrice Draffen	6–3, 6–1
1892	Jane Fenwick (2)	Beatrice Draffen	1–6, 6–4, 6–2
1893	Jane Fenwick (3)	Helen Jackson	6–3, 3–6, 7–5
1894	Helen Jackson (4)	Alice Pickering	6–3, 6–3
1895	Charlotte Cooper	Helen Jackson	6–1, 6–4
1896	Charlotte Cooper (2)	Alice Pickering	6–2, 6–4
1897	Charlotte Cooper (3)	Alice Pickering	4–6, 6–1, 6–4
1898	Alice Pickering	Ruth Dyas	6–4, 4–6, 7–5
1899	Alice Pickering (2)	Muriel Robb	6–3, 6–0
1900	Muriel Robb	Alice Pickering	6–1, 6–1
1901	Dorothea Douglass	Edith Boucher	6–2, 6–1
1902	Dorothea Douglass (2)	Alice Pickering	6–1, 6–2
1903	Dorothea Douglass (3)	Ethel Thomson	6–4, 11–9
1904	Dorothea Douglass (4)	Ethel Thomson	6–4, 6–2
1905	Connie Wilson	Dorothea Douglass	4–6, 6–1, 7–5
1906	Dorothea Douglass (5)	May Sutton	default
1907	Dorothea Chambers (6)	Charlotte Cooper Sterry	6–3, 6–0
1908	Dorothea Chambers (7)	Charlotte Cooper Sterry	6–1, 7–5
1909	Dora Boothby	Edith Hannam	6–1, 6–0
1910	Dora Boothby (2)	Helen Aitchison	6–1, 6–2
1911	Ethel Thomson Larcombe	Dora Boothby	6–1, 6–1
1912	Ethel Thomson Larcombe (2)	Mrs J.B. Perrett	6–1, 6–2
1913	Elizabeth Ryan	Ethel Thomson Larcombe	6–3, 6–2
1914	Elizabeth Ryan (2)	Edith Hannam	6–0, 6–1
1915–18	No tournament due to WWI
1919	Elizabeth Ryan (3)	Ethel Thomson Larcombe	6–3, 6–4
1920	Elizabeth Ryan (4)	Doris Craddock	6–0, 6–1
1921	Elizabeth Ryan (5)	Lesley Bane	6–0, 6–0
1922	Elizabeth Ryan (6)	Ruth Watson	6–2, 6–1
1923	Ruth Watsom	M. Croft	6–3, 6–2
1924	Ruth Watson (2)	Marie Hazel	6–2, 6–1
1925	Ruth Watson (3)	Annie Cobb	1–6, 9–7, 6–2
1926	Ruth Watson (4)	Annie Cobb	6–1, 6–2
1927	Ruth Watson (5)	Claire Beckingham	6–3, 6–2
1928	Ruth Watson (6)	Dorothy Alexander	7–5, 6–3
1929	Ruth Watson (7)	Annie Cobb	6–1, 6–4
1930	Ruth Watson (8)	Mary Heeley	7–5, 6–4
1931	Mary Heeley	Ruth Watson	6–2, 6–1
1932	Dorothy Round	Ruth Watson	6–4, 6–4
1933	Dorothy Round (2)	Mary Heeley	6–3, 3–6, 6–1
1934	Joan Hartigan	Susan Noel	3–6, 6–3, 6–3
1935	Anita Lizana	Mary Hardwick	6–0, 6–1
1936	Anita Lizana (2)	Mary Heeley	6–4, 6–2
1937	Anita Lizana (3)	Freda James	11–9, 6–3
1938	Gem Hoahing	Mary Hardwick	2–6, 6–4, 7–5
1939	Gem Hoahing (2)	Valerie Scott	6–4, 1–6, 6–2
1940–45	No tournament due to WWII
1946	Gem Hoahing (3)	Betty Passingham	6–1, 6–3
1947	Gem Hoahing (4)	Betty Clements	6–0, 6–2
1948	Gem Hoahing (5)	Georgie Woodgate	3–6, 6–3, 6–4
1949	Gem Hoahing (6)	Georgie Woodgate	6–4, 6–3
1950	Georgie Woodgate	Gem Hoahing	2–6, 6–4, 6–4
1951	Angela Mortimer	Pat Harrison	6–1, 6–3
1952	Angela Mortimer (2)	Billie Woodgate	6–3, 6–2
1953	Helen Fletcher	Pat Harrison	6–1, 6–3
1954	Helen Fletcher (2)	Shirley Bloomer	6–3, 6–4
1955	Shirley Bloomer	Fenny ten Bosch	6–2, 6–0
1956	Ann Haydon	Elaine Watson	6–3, 6–2
1957	Ann Haydon (2)	Ruia Morrison	6–1, 6–4
1958	Ann Haydon (3)	Mary Bevis Hawton	6–4, 6–1
1959	Ann Haydon (4)	Ruia Morrison	6–3, 6–3
1960	Ann Haydon (5)	Valerie Forbes	6–2, 6–3
1961	Angela Mortimer (3)	Sandra Reynolds	6–1, 6–1
1962	Elizabeth Starkie	Madonna Schacht	6–3, 6–1
1963	Renee Schuurman	Elizabeth Starkie	5–7, 6–4, 6–4
1964	Ann Haydon Jones (6)	Elizabeth Starkie	6–2, 6–0
1965	Margaret Smith	Judy Tegart	6–4, 6–2
1966	Winnie Shaw	Gail Sherriff	6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1967	Virginia Wade	Winnie Shaw	6–1, 6–2
1968	Margaret Court (2)	Judy Tegart	6–3, 6–2
1969	Wendy Gilchrist	J. Wilshire	7–5, 6–2
1970	Corinne Molesworth	Marilyn Greenwood	6–3, 8–6
1971	Barbara Hawcroft	Rita Bentley	6–1, 8–6
1972	Wendy Slaughter	S. Hole	7–5, 6–2
1973	Sue Mappin	Wendy Slaughter	6–1, 6–1
1974	Mrs J. Paish	Wendy Slaughter	6–1, 6–1
1975	Cathy Drury	Lesley Charles	6–2, 6–2
1976	Corinne Molesworth (2)	Winnie Wooldridge	6–2, 6–2
1977	Winnie Wooldridge (2)	Corinne Molesworth	3–6, 6–4, 6–1
1978	Winnie Wooldridge (3)	Ann Haydon Jones	6–4, 6–4
1979	Cathy Drury (2)	Lesley Charles	6–2, 6–2
1980	Lesley Charles	Cathy Drury	6–2, 6–1
1981	Lesley Charles (2)	Anthea Cooper	6–1, 6–1
1982	R. Einy	J. Plackett	6–2, 6–2
1983	Catherine Berry	Lorrayne Gracie	6–4, 5–7, 6–4

• Northumberland County Association Tournament (1882-1886)
• Northumberland County Championships (1887-1890)
• Northumberland County Lawn Tennis Championships (1891-1899)
• Northumberland Championships (1900-69)
• Northumberland Open (1970-71)
• Greenshield Northumberland Open (1971-74) ^[6]
• ESAB Northumberland Open (1981-83)^[7]

• Northumberland tennis—early shocks in the Northumberland lawn tennis championships. Newcastle Journal. The British Newspaper Archive. 1 August 1961.
• Northumberland Tennis and Squash Club. 94 Years of History. www.northumberlandclub.org. Northumberland Club. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
• Robertson, Max (1974). The encyclopedia of tennis. New York. Viking Press. ISBN 9780670294084.
• Whitaker's Almanack: Volume 20. London: J Whitaker & Sons. 1888.