Berkshire Championships Explained

Berkshire Championships
Type:defunct
Venue:Various
Tour:ILTF
Surface:Grass

The Berkshire Championships was a men's and women's international grass court tennis tournament founded by the Berkshire Lawn Tennis Association as the Berkshire County Lawn Tennis Championships in 1902.[1] The championships were mainly held in Reading, Berkshire, England. On some occasions it was held in Wallingford now part of Oxfordshire and Cookham. It was held annually until 1971 when it was discontinued as part of the international tennis circuit.

History

In 1902 Berkshire County Lawn Tennis Championships were inaugurated at District Amateur Sports Club ground, Reading, Berkshire, England, The championships were sanctioned by the Berkshire County Lawn Tennis Association.[2]

The tournament was mainly held in Reading except from 1936 to 1938 when it was held in Wallingford. The championships were staged annually until 1971 when they were last held at the Odney Club, Cookham, Berkshire.[3]

Former winners of the men's singles event included; Major Ritchie, Anthony Wilding, Daniel Prenn, Pat Spence, Maximilian Stolarow and Jimmy Tattersall.[4] Previous winners of the women's singles included; Hilda Lane, Dorothea Douglass Chambers, Dorothy Holman and Kathleen Lidderdale

Notes and References

  1. News: LAWN TENNIS TOURNAMENT. The Annual Open Contests of the Berkshire Association. The ninth annual open of the Berkshire County Lawn Tennis Association including the County Championship was opened on Monday 3rd at the District Amateur Sports Club ground . 24 February 2023 . Reading Standard . British Newspaper Archive . 19 July 1911 . Berkshire, England . 3 . Subscription.
  2. Reading Standard.
  3. News: For All Woodley pair Trevor Richards and Robert Battersby had the best result of the second evening's play in the Berkshire County Tennis Championships, at the Odney Club. Cookham, which ended last night. . 24 February 2023 . Reading Evening Post . British Newspaper Archive . 9 June 1971 . Berkshire, England . 20 . Subscription.
  4. Web site: Tournament – Berkshire Championships . www.tennisarchives.com . Tennis Archives . 24 February 2023.