The Sussex Championships or Sussex County Championships was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament that were first staged in 1889. By 1972 it was known as the Sussex Tennis Open Championships. The championships were first held in
Brighton, East Sussex
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Ag ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
then moved to
West Worthing,
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
, England and ran only until 1980.
The tournament is no longer a senior level international tour event, but is still staged today as a closed county tournament to British players only.
History
A
Sussex County Lawn Tennis Tournament was a brief tennis tournament consisting of a spring tournament usually held in April and another held in autumn usually September. It was originally played on outdoor
asphalt courts at Brighton and Hove Rink, England with the exception of the 1884 event that was played on grass courts. In 1882 the organisers staged the spring event. also played on asphalt courts, but for only two editions. there was just four editions of this event but did feature two future Wimbledon Men's singles champions the Renshaw twins it ran until 1885 then was abolished. In 1889 the event was revived as a grass court tournament called the Sussex Championships that was held at Hove County Cricket Ground.
The Sussex Championships was a very successful tournament in the years up to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and was the second largest of the South of England meetings. The September tournament (otherwise called the Autumn Tournament), even when held in August, just before the
South of England Championships
The South of England Championships, also known as the South of England Open Championships, was an outdoor tennis event held on grass courts at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club in Eastbourne, United Kingdom from 1881 until 1972.
History
The ...
was the main draw event on the Sussex calendar for many years. In 1911 it became a two-week competition. Many of the leading players of the day took part in the championships. Following the First World War for some unknown reason, the event failed to gain the longevity it needed to keep the success going, unlike the South of England tournament, rescheduling of the event may have been the cause of its early demise.
Following the start of the open era the Sussex Championships were revived, but this time played at a new location in West Worthing. By 1972 it was known as the Sussex Tennis Open Championships. The championships continued as a two-week tournament until 1978. The tournament continued up to 1980 when it was abolished for the final time as a senior tour level event. It was a featured county level event on the Mens Amateur Tour (1877-1912), the Women Amateur Tour (1877-1912), the ILTF Mens Amateur Tour (1913-1967) and the ILTF Women's Amateur Tour (1913-1967).
Finals
Men's singles
: Incomplete Roll:
Women's singles
: Incomplete Roll:
References
Sources
* Lewis, Ralph Henry (1972). Scene in Sussex: a fresh look at the county,. London: Research Pub. ISBN 9780705000154.
* Myers, Arthur Wallis (1903). Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. London: Scribner's sons.
* Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament – Sussex Championships". www.tennisarchives.com. Netherlands: Tennis Archives.
* Sussex County Championships Archives. Tennis Sussex. Tennis Sussex. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
* Teague, Bryan (20 November 2016). "History of the Club". sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk. Sussex County Croquet Club.
{{Men's tennis seasons
Grass court tennis tournaments
Defunct tennis tournaments in the United Kingdom
Tennis tournaments in England