The North Island Open Championships was a regional men's and women's grass court then later hard court tennis tournament founded in 1932 as the North Island Championships.^[1] The tournament was first played at the Lower Hutt Tennis Club (f.1927),^[2] Lower Hutt, Wellington Province, New Zealand. The tournament was played at other locations until 1978 when it was discontinued as part of the ILTF Independent Tour.^[1]

History

This tournament has it origins in the Wairarapa Provincial Lawn Tennis Association Championships founded in 1899 and played at the Masterton, Lawn Tennis Club until1915.^[3] In 1934 a nascent Northern Lawn Tennis Association of New Zealand was established (today its known as Tennis Northern) it organised the North Island Championships.^[1] The tournament was first played at the Lower Hutt Tennis Club (f.1927),^[4] Lower Hutt, Wellington Province, New Zealand. The event was part of ILTF Australasia Circuit (1934–72) a sub circuit of the ILTF World Circuit, then later the ILTF Oceania Circuit a regional circuit of the ILTF Independent Tour from 1975 until 1978 when it was downgraded from the worldwide independent tour it became a local regional event of Tennis New Zealand and is still held today.^[1]

The tournament was held in Nelson, but also other locations including,Hutt Valley, Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Wellington and Whanganui.

The South Island equivalent to this tournament was the South Island Open Championships founded in 1934 by the Southern Lawn Tennis Association.^[5]

Finals

Men's singles

(incomplete roll)

North Island Championships
Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1934[1]	Lower Hutt	Cam Malfroy	Jack Curtis Charters	6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1937[1]	Lower Hutt	Cam Malfroy (2)	Buster Andrews	6–3, 6–4
1957[1]	Wellington	Jeff Robson	Ron McKenzie	6-1, 5–7, 6-3
1958[1]	Lower Hutt	Jeff Robson (2)	Ron McKenzie	6-3, 4–6, 7–5, 7-5
1959[1]	Wellington	Billy Knight	Mike Davies	6-4, 2–6, 6–4, 6-2
1961[1]	Wellington	Richard Hawkes	M Hussey	6-2, 6-2
1963[1]	Hamilton	Lew Gerrard	Ian Crookenden	6-2, 6-3
1964[1]	Whanganui	Lew Gerrard (2)	Jeff Robson	7-5, 6-0
1967[1]	Lower Hutt	Mark Cox	Brian Fairlie	6-2, 6-4
1968[1]	Timuru	Brian Fairlie	Onny Parun	6–3, 6–4, 6–1
↓  Open Era  ↓
1969[1]	Hamilton	Toomas Leius	Onny Parun	6-3, 6-4 5–7, 6-1
1970[1]	Hutt Valley	Onny Parun	Richard Hawkes	6-1, 5–7, 7–9, 6–2, 6-3
1971[1]	Palmerston North	Onny Parun (2)	Hans Kary	6-4, 7–5, 6-3
North Island Open Championships
1972[1]	Hamilton	Armistead Neely	Steve Faulk	7-5, 6–3, 7-5
1973[1]	Palmerston North	Bob Rheinberger	Lars Olander	6–4, 6–3, 6–2
1978[1]	Wellington	Bob Carmichael	João Soares	2-6, 6–3, 7-5

Women's singles

(incomplete roll)

North Island Championships
Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1932	Palmerston North	Miss M. Whyte	?	?
1961	Lower Hutt	Ruia Morrison	M. Johnston	6–3, 6–2
1967	Lower Hutt	Marilyn Headifen	Beverley Vercoe	6–0, 6–2
↓  Open Era  ↓
1969	Nelson	Jennifer Goodall Nelson[6]	Lynn Harris	6–4, 6–4.
1970	Hutt Valley	Alice Tym	Beverley Vercoe	6–2, 6–2
1971	Palmerston North	Jill Fraser	Beverley Vercoe	6–3, 5–7, 6–3
North Island Open Championships
1975	Hutt Valley	Ceci Martinez	Michèle Gurdal	6–3, 2–6, 6–3

References