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The Darlington Open. also known as the Darlington Association Tournament was a late Victorian era men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1881. It was organised by the Darlington Outdoor's Sports Association and held at the Feethams Cricket Ground Darlington, County Durham, England. The tournament ran annually until 1933.

History

Darlington Open Tournament was founded in 1881 by the Darlington Outdoor's Sports Association, and held at the Feethams Cricket Ground Darlington, County Durham, England until 1893. The inaugural was held from 1 August to 6 August 1881. The winner of the men's singles was Mr. Mark Fenwick who defeated Mr. Arthur Richard Springett. The women's singles was won by Miss Ethel Surtees who defeated Miss Alice Cheese.

A local newspaper report of the event that concluded on early August 1882:

“A great and fashionable assembly” witnessed Mr. Hallward beat Mr. Minden Fenwick in the Gentlemen’s Single Handed Final. Miss Smith beat Miss Turner to the ladies’ title, and the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Double Handed competition was won by Mr. J.W. Fowler and Miss. E Cheese.

— Lawn Tennis, The Northern Echo (August 1882).

The final edition concluded on 12 August 1893 the winner of men's singles was Mr. Harold Mahony and the winner of the women's singles was Miss Charlotte Cooper.

Other notable winners of this title in the men's singles include Herbert William Wrangham Wilberforce (1883, 1887, 1888) and Patrick Bowes-Lyon (1884–1886). Whilst former women's singles winners included Helen Jackson (1887) and Lottie Dod (1888). Of note the ladies singles tournament was not played at every edition. The tournament ran annually until 1933 when it was dropped by the County Durham Lawn Tennis Association along with the following Norton Open and Ryton Open.

Finals

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), in some tournaments not all.

Men's Singles

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1881.	Mark Fenwick	G. H. Evans	6–0, 4–6, 6–2
1882.	Arthur Hallward *	Minden Fenwick	6–1, 4–6, 6–1, 6–3
1883.	Herbert Wilberforce *	Arthur Hallward	6-2, 6-1, 6-1
1884.	Patrick Bowes-Lyon *	Herbert Wilberforce	7-9, 6-2, 6-1, ret.
1885.	Patrick Bowes-Lyon (2)	Kenneth Ramsden Marley *	6–0, 6–1, 6–3
1886.	Patrick Bowes-Lyon (3)	Arthur Godfrey Pease *	?
1887.	Herbert Wilberforce (2)	John Galbraith Horn	6–0, 6–0, 6–1
1888.	Herbert Wilberforce (3)	Herbert Bowes-Lyon *	6–2, 6–2, ret.
1889.	Frank Noon	George Richmond Mewburn	6-4, 7-5, 6-2
1890.	Frank Noon (2)	Henry Johnston Carson	3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1
1891.	George Ball-Greene	Harold Weston Carlton	6–4, 6–3, 1–6, 6–2
1892.	Grainger Chaytor *	George Ball-Greene	7–5, 6–3, 7–5
1893.	Harold Mahony *	Grainger Chaytor	w.o.

Men's Doubles

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1881.	Mark Fenwick Minden Fenwick	Mr. Long George E. Newby	5–6, 6–1, 6–3

Women's Single's

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1881.	Miss. Ethel Surtees	Miss. Alice Cheese	3–6, 6–3, 6–1
1882.	Miss. Ethel Surtees (2)	Miss. Alice Cheese	3–6, 6–3, 6–1
1887.	Constance Smith	Anthea Turner	6–3, 6–0
1893.	Charlotte Cooper	Miss. Shaw	6–0, 6–1

Women's Doubles

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

Mixed Doubles

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1881.	Sir James Blackhouse Dale Miss. Alice Cheese	Percival Clennell Fenwick Miss. Winnifred Fenwick	9–7, 6–3
1882.	J.W. Fowler Miss. E. Cheese	Percival Clennell Fenwick Miss. Winnifred Fenwick	7–5, 8–6
1893.	Harold Mahony Miss. Charlotte Cooper	Henry Gervas Stobart Miss. Shaw	6–1, 6–4

Notes

The Minden family were closely associated with this tournament, who within a couple of years had emigrated to New Zealand. Percival Clennell Fenwick won the inaugural New Zealand Lawn Tennis Championships in 1886 and again in 1887, 1888. His brother Minden Fenwick won the title in 1889–1890.

References

1. Routledges Sporting Annual (1883). Principal Meetings of 1882. George Routledge and Son. London. p.116.
2. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882). Lawn Tennis in 1881. George Routledge and Son. London. p.68.
3. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
4. "APPEAL FOR SUPPORT:An appeal for support of the Sunderland Open Tournament has been issued, which is held annually during the first week in July. Now that the tournaments at Norton, Ryton, and Darlington have been dropped, said Vice-Admiral George R. B. Blount Chairman of the Sunderland LTA, ours event at Ashbrooke is the only open tournament left standing". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. Durham, England: British Newspaper Archive. 22 September 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
5. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
6. Lloyd, Chris (27 June 2009). "Anyone for a game of sphairistiké?". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
7. Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette (1934) p.9.
8. "Abolition of Challenge Rounds". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Dublin, Ireland: The Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 65, 20 March 1922. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
9. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
10. The Northern Echo
11. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) Lawn Tennis in 1881. George Routledge and Son. London. p.69.
12. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
13. The Northern Echo
14. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
15. Routledges Sporting Annual (1882)
16. Routledges Sporting Annual (1883)
17. The Northern Echo
18. Alexander Hare McLintock, ed. (1966). "New Zealand Championships". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
19. "Tennis New Zealand Roll of Honour: :National Champions" (PDF). tennis.kiwi. Tennis New Zealand. 2012. p. 13. Retrieved 28 November 2022.

Sources

• McLintock, Alexander Hare; McLintock, Alexander Hare; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "New Zealand Championships". An encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, 1966. Ministry of Culture and Heritage.
• Routledges Sporting Annual (1882) George Routledge and Son. London.
• Routledges Sporting Annual (1883) George Routledge and Son. London.
• The Northern Echo (2008) Darlington, County Durham, England.

• Defunct tennis tournaments in the United Kingdom
• Grass court tennis tournaments