The North Northamptonshire LTC Tournament .[1] also known simply as the North Northamptonshire LTC was a brief Victorian era men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1880. It was organised by the North Northamptonshire Lawn Tennis Club who held the event at different locations in North Northamptonshire, England.[2] The tournament ran annually for four editions only until 1883.

North Northamptonshire LTC Tournament
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded1880
Abolished1883
Editions4
LocationGrafton Underwood, North Northamptonshire, England
Lowick, Kettering, North Northamptonshire, England
VenueNorth Northamptonshire Lawn Tennis Club
SurfaceGrass

History edit

North Northamptonshire LTC Tournament was founded in 1880 by the North Northamptonshire Lawn Tennis Club who held the event at different locations in North Northamptonshire, England through until 1883. The inaugural event was held on 20 July 1880 at Drayton Park at Drayton House on the Drayton Estate, Lowick, near Kettering, but could not be completed until August 1880, and at Broughton Park, Broughton, Northamptonshire. The winner of the gentleman's singles was Mr. W.H. Collins.

A description of the event that concluded on 23 June 1881:

On the 23rd at Grafton Underwood, the North Northamptonshire LTC held their second meeting, in spledid weather. Results: Gentleman's G. R. Evans and G. Thurston beat H. M. Stockdale and T. Wetherall. Ladies; Miss. A. Stobart and Miss. E. Hunt beat Miss. E. Hall and Miss. F. Lightfoot. Ladie's and Gentleman's, Mrs. Upcher and A. Pulteney beat Miss. Bell and H. Stockdale.

— Lawn Tennis, Routledge's Sporting Annual (1882). p. 69.

North Northamptonshire Lawn Tennis Club usually held two versions of this tournament one in the spring around April and the other early summer in June, they are referred to as the first and second meetings.[3] The final edition concluded on 18 August 1883 at Drayton Park, Kettering the winner of last gentleman's singles was Mr. H.S. Roughton.

Spring (First Meeting) edit

Men's Singles edit

Year Winner Runner-up Score
1880.   W. H. Collins   G. H. Evans ?
1881.   G. H. Evans   ? ?
1882.   R. Dalton *   Henry Minshull Stockdale ?

Summer (Second Meeting) edit

Men's Singles edit

Year Winner Runner-up Score
1883.   H.S. Roughton *   R. Dalton 6-5, 3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6-2

Men's Doubles edit

Year Winner Runner-up Score
1881.[4]   G. R. Evans
  G. Thurston
  H. M. Stockdale
  H. Stockdale
won

Women's Doubles edit

Year Winner Runner-up Score
1881.[5]   Miss. A, Stobart
  Miss. E. Hunt
  Miss. Bell
  Miss. F. Lightfoot
won

Mixed Doubles edit

Year Winner Runner-up Score
1881.[6]   Mrs. Upcher
  A. Pulteney
  H. M. Stockdale
  T. Wetherall
won

Notes edit

Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921),[7] in some tournaments not all.

* Indicates challenger

References edit

  1. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) Lawn Tennis in 1881. George Routledge and Son. London. p.69.
  2. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
  3. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
  4. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) Lawn Tennis in 1881. George Routledge and Son. London. p.69.
  5. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
  6. ^ Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
  7. ^ "Abolition of Challenge Rounds". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Dublin, Ireland: The Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 65, 20 March 1922. Retrieved 27 November 2022.

Sources edit

  • Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) George Routledge and Son. London.
  • The Evening Post (20 March 1922) Dublin, Ireland