The North of England Championships and later known as the Rothmans Open North of England Championships (for sponsorship reasons), was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1884 as the North Yorkshire Tournament. It was mainly held at Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Great Britain from (1884–91, 1893–1903, 1905–1966, 1968). The tournament was discontinued in 1974 when it was staged at Hoylake.

History

The North Yorkshire Tournament was first staged in 1884 at the South Cliff Lawn Tennis Club at Scarborough, North Yorkshire.^[1] In 1886 its name was changed to the North of England Championships. It was for a long period a popular summer tournament in the British lawn tennis calendar. In 1910 it changed venue to be played at the Yorkshire Lawn Tennis Club through until 1966.^[1] The only other places to host the North of England Championships was at Kingston-upon-Hull in 1892, then Harrogate in 1904. In 1967 the event temporarily moved to Hoylake in what was then Cheshire, before returning to Scarborough the following year. In 1969 the championships moved permanently back to Hoylake until 1974 when it was abolished

Notable winners of the men's singles included Ernest Browne (1886), Harry Sibthorpe Barlow, Laurie Doherty (1910),^[1] George Lyttleton Rogers (1937), Jaroslav Drobny (1949), Ashley Cooper (1958) and John Newcombe (1970).^[2] Previous women's singles champions included Alice Simpson Pickering (1899), Dorothea Douglass(1901), Elizabeth Ryan (1919), Joan Hartigan (1934), Ann Haydon (1956), Virginia Wade (1967), Margaret Smith Court (1968), Billie Jean Moffitt King (1971) and Evonne Goolagong (1972).

For the years 1892, 1894–1900 and 1904–1905 the tournament was also valid as the Yorkshire Championships. For the years 1960 and from 1967 the tournament was also valid as the Hoylake Open Championships.

Sponsorship

In 1968 at the start of the open era the championships were sponsored by the newspaper the Liverpool Post and branded as the Liverpool Post North of England Championships. In 1969 the tobacco manufacturer Rothmans took over sponsorship of the event was then called the Rothmans Open North of England Championships until 1974.^[3]

Locations

The championships were mainly held at Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Great Britain from (1884–91, 1893–1903, 1905–1966, 1968), but was also hosted at other locations including Ilkley (1885), Kingston-upon-Hull (1892), then Harrogate (1904), Sheffield (1905) and finally Hoylake (1967–69, 1970–74) when the event was discontinued.

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete roll)^[4]

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
North Yorkshire Tournament
1884	Ernest Browne	Marmaduke Constable	6-1, ret.
1885	Ernest Browne (2)	E.W. Fletcher	6-2, 6–2, 6-4
North of England Championships
1886	Ernest Browne (3)	Harry Grove	6-3, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 6-2
1887	Ernest Browne (4)	Marmaduke Constable	6-2, 6–4, 6-2
1888	Harry Grove	Henry Guy Nadin	6-1, 6–1, 6-1
1889	Percy Bateman Brown	David Davy	5-7, 6–2, 6–4, 6-2
1890	James Baldwin	Charles Henry Chaytor	9-7 6-0 6-0
1891	Harry Sibthorpe Barlow	James Baldwin	6-3 6-2 2-6 7-5
1892	Harry Sibthorpe Barlow (2)	Grainger Chaytor	6-7, 6–1, 6–2, 6-1
1893	William Renshaw	Charles Gladstone Allen	w.o.
1894	Roy Allen	Joshua Pim	w.o.
1895	Grainger Chaytor	Harold Nisbet	7-9 4-6 6-4 9-7 6-1
1898	Grainger Chaytor (2)	Ernest Douglas Black	6-2 6-2 4-6 6-3
1900	Grainger Chaytor (3)	Charles William Wade	6-2 6-2 6-3
1905	Roy Allen (2)	Charles Gladstone Allen	w.o.
1907	Walter Crawley	Arthur Lowe	6-1, 6-3
1908	Laurie Doherty	George Hillyard	6-1, 6–4, 6-2
1909	Laurie Doherty (2)	Gordon Lowe	7-5, 6–1, 6-3
1910	Laurie Doherty (3)	Gordon Lowe	6-3, 6–2, 6-2
1914/1918	Not held (due to world war one)
1919	Pat O'Hara Wood	Brian Norton	4-6, 6–2, 6–1, 10-8
1920	Thomas Yeo Sherwell	Clive Branfoot	4-6, 6–4, 7-5
1921	Brian Norton	D'Arcy McCrea	6-4, 6–3, 1–6, 2–6, 6-4
1922	Gordon Lowe	Randolph Lycett	6-2, 5–7, 7–9, 6–1, 6-2
1923	Sydney Jacob	D'Arcy McCrea	6-3, 6–0, 6-2
1924	Louis Raymond	Mohammed Sleem	6-2, 6–3, 6-3
1925	Charles Kingsley	Gordon Crole-Rees	6-4, 3–6, 6–4, 6-3
1926	Charles Kingsley (2)	Keats Lester	10-8, 6–0, 1–6, 8-6
1927	Colin Gregory	Randolph Lycett	6-8, 12–10, 9-7 ret.
1928	Eskel Andrews	John Olliff	7-5, 6–4, 6-1
1929	Charles Kingsley (3)	Keats Lester	7-9, 6–1, 6–1, 6-4
1930	Eskel Andrews[5] (2)	Colin Gregory	6-0, 9-7
1931	Vernon Kirby	Jack Chamberlain	6-3, 6-3
1932	George Lyttleton Rogers	Atri-Madan Mohan	6-2, 3–6, 6-1
1933	Alan Stedman	Keats Lester	6-2, 7–5, 3–6, 6-3
1934	Harry Hopman	Alan Stedman	6-4, 6–2, 6-4
1935	Alan Stedman (2)	George Lyttleton Rogers	6-2, 6-3
1936	Adrian Quist	Charles Hare	6-1, 6–4, 6-2
1937	George Lyttleton Rogers (2)	Pat Sherwood	8-6, 6-3
1938	Don Butler	Jimmy Jones	6-2, 3–6, 6-3
1939	Jack Deloford	Dennis Coombe	6-2, 6-2
1940/1945	Not held (due to world war two)
1946	Ignacy Tłoczyński	Don Butler	10-8, 6-2
1947	Ignacy Tłoczyński (2)	Ghaus Mohammed Khan	7-5, 6–4, 2–6, 6-3
1948	Franjo Kukuljević	Gerry Oakley	3-6, 6–1, 6–3, 6-4
1949	Jaroslav Drobný	Tony Mottram	6-1, 6–1, 6-3
1950	Bill Sidwell	Geoff Brown	2-6, 6–4, 6–1, 6-2
1951	Nigel Cockburn	Czeslaw Spychala	7-5, 2–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6-1
1952	Eric Sturgess	Budge Patty	6-3, 3–6, 4–6, 6–1, 6-3
1953	Bobby Wilson	Billy Knight	6-3, 7-5
1954	Bobby Wilson (2)	John Barry	6-4, 6-2
1955	Sven Davidson	Billy Knight	4-6, 6–0, 8–6, 6-0
1956	Bobby Wilson (3)	Tony Pickard	6-3, 6-3
1957	Alan Mills	Colin Hannam[6]	7-5, 3–6, 6-3
1958	Ashley Copper	Mervyn Rose	4-6, 7–5, 10–12, 6–1, 14-12
1960	Mark Otway	John Roderick MacDonald	6-3, 6-4
1961	Lawrence Franklin Strong	R.A. Storey	6-3, 7-5
1962	Michael Waters[7]	R.A. Storey	6-4, 6-2
1963	Colin McHugo	Harry Sheridan[8]	7-5, 6-2
1964	Keith Wooldridge	Clay Iles[9]	9-7, 6–3, 6-3
1965	Graham Stilwell	Keith Wooldridge	6-4, 6-3
1966	Brian Fairlie	Balaram Singh[10]	7-5, 6-3
1967	Keith Wooldridge (2)	Haroon Rahim	3-6, 6–4, 6-4
Open era
Liverpool Post North of England Championships
1968	Mike Sangster	Herb Fitzgibbon	2-6, 6–4, 12-10
Rothmans Open North of England Championships
1969	Ray Ruffels	Brian Fairlie	6-3, 6-3
1970	John Newcombe	Owen Davidson	4-6, 9–7, 6-4
1971	Andrew Pattison	Jaidip Mukerjea	6-2, 5–7, 6-2
1972	Hank Irvine	Ray Keldie	6-2, 4–6, 6-1
1973	Bob Giltinan	Owen Davidson	1-6, 6–3, 6-2
1974	Bernie Mitton	John Yuill	6-4, 6-4

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
North Yorkshire Tournament
1884	Constance Hodgson	Beatrice Wood	7-5, 6-3
1885	Mabel Boulton	Beatrice Wood	6-2, 6-2
North of England Championships
1886	Margaret Bracewell	Mabel Boulton	6-4, 8-6
1887	Margaret Bracewell (2)	Ann Dod	6-0, 6-1
1888	Margaret Bracewell (3)	Bertha Steedman	1-6, 6–4, 9–7, 6-4
1889	Edith Gurney	Beatrice Wood	6-4, 8-6
1890	Beatrice Wood	M. Crossley	6-4, 6-4
1891	Helen Jackson	Miss Pope	6-3, 6-1
1892	Helen Jackson (2)	Beatrice Wood Draffen	6-0, ?,
1892	Beatrice Wood Draffen (2)	Kate Nunneley	6-4, 7-5
1893	L. Clark	May Arbuthnot	6-4, 2–6, 6-2
1894	Beatrice Wood Draffen (3)	Katherine Grey	6-3, 6-1
1895	Lucy Kendal	Marion Crosby Morton	6-2, 6-1
1896	Lucy Kendal (2)	Beatrice Wood Draffen	?
1897	Lucy Kendal (3)	Muriel Robb	6-3, 6-0
1898	Katherine Grey	Alice Simpson Pickering	6-4, 6-4
1899	Alice Simpson Pickering	Bertha Holder	6-1, 6-4
1900	Alice Simpson Pickering (2)	Ethel Jessop	6-0, 6-2
1901	Dorothea Douglass	Alice Simpson Pickering	4-6, 10–8, 6-1
1902	Alice Simpson Pickering (3)	Lucy Kendal	6-3, 6-4
1903	Lucy Kendal (4)	Alice Simpson Pickering	3-6, 6–0, 7-5
1904	Lucy Kendal (5)	Gladys Eastlake-Smith	6-0, 4–6, 6-4
1905	Bertha Holder	N. Morton	11-9, 6-1
1906	Lucy Kendal (6)	Gladys Eastlake-Smith	6-4, 6-1
1907	Gladys Eastlake-Smith	Bertha Holder	6-0, 6-2
1908	Edith Boucher	Gladys Lamplough	6-1, 6-1
1909	Gladys Lamplough (2)	Helen Aitchison	6-4, 6-3
1910	Katie Slater Clegg	Rosamund Salusbury	6-2, 6-4
1911	Ethel Thomson Larcombe	Edith Hannam	6-2, 6-1
1912	Ethel Thomson Larcombe (2)	Violet Pinckney	6-2, 4–6, 6-3
1913	Elizabeth Ryan	Ethel Thomson Larcombe	6-3, 6-3
1914/1918	Not held (due to world war one)
1919	Elizabeth Ryan (2)	Lesley Cadle	6-2, 6-1
1920	Elizabeth Ryan (3)	Eleanor Rose	6-1, 6-3
1921	Elizabeth Ryan (4)	Winifred McNair	6-3, 8-6
1922	Kathleen McKane	Elizabeth Ryan	6-2, 6-2
1923	Dorothy Shepherd-Barron	Phyllis Satterthwaite	walkover
1924	Kathleen McKane (2)	Dorothy Holman	6-2, 6-0
1925	Geraldine Beamish	Claire Beckingham	6-3, 6-2
1926	Ruth Watson	Joan Ridley	6-3, 6-1
1927	Joan Austin Lycett	Claire Beckingham	6-4, 3–6, 6-2
1928	Dorothy Shepherd Barron	Claire Beckingham	6-2, 6-3
1929	Joan Fry	Dorothy Anderson	6-3, 6-3
1930	Mary Heeley	Joan Fry	6-4, 6-3
1931	Mary Heeley (2)	Freda James	2-6, 6–1, 6-2
1932	Sheila Hewitt	Freda James	6-3, 5-5, retired
1933	Kay Stammers	Susan Noel	10-8, 5–7, 6-0
1934	Joan Hartigan	Susan Noel	2-6, 6–1, 10-8
1935	Mary Heeley (3)	Anita Lizana	6-3, 6–8, 6-4
1936	Mary Heeley (4)	Florence Ford	5-7, 6–4, 6-2
1937	Mary Heeley (5)	Denise Huntbach	6-1, 6-1
1938	Valerie Scott	Florence Ford	6-2, 3–6, 6-3
1939	Jean Nicoll	Zora Nechilova	6-3, 6-2
1940/1945	Not held (due to world war two)
1946	Jean Quertier	Betty Clements Hilton	6-3, 6-1
1947	Gem Hoahing	Valerie Cooper	6-2, 6-0
1948	Gem Hoahing (2)	Natalia Zinovieff	6-2, 7-5
1949	Gem Hoahing (3)	Joyce Fitch	6-3, 6-2
1950	Thelma Coyne Long	Jean Quertier	6-4, 7-5
1951	Billie Woodgate	Barbara Knapp	4-6, 6–2, 6-1
1952	Jean Walker-Smith	Beryl Penrose	7-5, 6-2
1953	Georgie Woodgate	Margaret Harrison	6-1, 2–6, 6-4
1954	Judy Burke	Angela Buxton	4-6, 6–4, 6-4
1955	Mary Carter	Beryl Penrose	6-3, 4–6, 6-3
1956	Ann Haydon	Elaine Watson	6-2, 7-5
1957	Georgie Woodgate (2)	Rosemary Deloford	6-3, 4–6, 6-4
1958	Heather Brewer-Segal	Mary Bevis Hawton	6-1, 6-4
1959	Elaine Shenton	Mrs C. Clark	3-6, 6–2, 6-2
1960	Susan Waters	Jenny Young	5-7, 6–2, 6-3
1961	Ann McAlpine	Vivienne Cox	6-4, 7-5
1962	J. Macintosh	E. Smith	6-3, 6-4
1963	E. Smith	Marilyn Greenwood	7-5, 6-4
1964	Robin Blakelock-Lloyd	Nell Truman	6-4, 1–6, 7-5
1965	Stephanie Percival	Sally Holdsworth	6-3, 6-2
1966	Elizabeth Starkie	Robin Blakelock-Lloyd	6-1, 6-3
1967	Virginia Wade	Judy Tegart	6-3 6-4
1967	Robin Blakelock-Lloyd (2)	Sally Holdsworth	6-2, 6-2
Open era
Liverpool Post North of England Championships
1968	Margaret Smith Court	Virginia Wade	6-2, 6-4
Rothmans Open North of England Championships
1969	Virginia Wade (2)	Christine Truman Janes	0-6, 6–4, 8-6
1970	Evonne Goolagong	Kerry Melville	2-6, 6–2, 6-1
1971	Billie Jean Moffitt King	Rosie Casals	6-3 6-3
1972	Evonne Goolagong (2)	Betty Stove	divided title
1973	Patti Hogan	Sharon Walsh	11-9, 4–6, 6-4
1974	Jackie Fayter	Patti Hogan	6-0, 7-5

Tournament records

• Most men's overall singles titles: Ernest Browne (4)
• Most men's NOE singles titles: Laurie Doherty & Charles Kingsley & Bobby Wilson (3)
• Most women's NOE singles titles: Lucy Kendal (6)

See also

• North of England Hard Court Championships

References

Sources

• Jeffreys, Kevin (22 April 2021). "The Illustrious History of Tennis in Scarborough". on-magazine.co.uk. On: Yorkshire Magazine. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
• Lake, Robert J. (3 October 2014). A Social History of Tennis in Britain. Oxford: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-44557-8.