| Devonshire Park Championships | |
|---|---|
| Defunct tennis tournament | |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Abolished | 1882 |
| Editions | 2 |
| Location | Eastbourne, Sussex, England. |
| Venue | Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club |
| Surface | Grass |
The Devonshire Park Championships was a grass court tennis tournament usually staged in the third week of August annually. It first established in 1880 at Eastbourne, East Sussex, England which ran for only two editions until August 1881. [1] In July 1881 the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club was formally founded. In September 1881 it then staged the first South of England Championships which replaced this event.
On 1 July 1874 Devonshire Park, originally intended as a cricket ground, opened its gates to the public. In 1879, the first tennis courts was marked out on its lawns. [2] In August 1880 the first Devonshire Park Championships were staged in the third week of August that year. [1] The first winner of the men's singles was Britain's Dale Womersley. The men's final singles winner was Englands George S. Murray Hill. [1] In September 1881 the lawn tennis club decided to stage an open regional championship event known as the South of England Championships the inaugural men's singles was won by Britain's Edgar Lubbock, [1] and the women's event was won by England's Agnes Noon Watts.
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 |  Dale Womersley |  Frederick Brunning Maddison | 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. [1] |
| 1881 | George S. Murray Hill | Sidney Alfred Noon | 2 sets to 0. [1] |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | Agnes Watts | E Hudson | 2 sets to 0. [1] |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | Sidney Alfred Noon Agnes Watts | E Hudson E.R. Hudson | 2 sets to 0. [1] |
The Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club is a tennis complex in Eastbourne, United Kingdom. The complex is the host of the annual ATP and WTA Tour tournament called the Eastbourne International. The stadium court has a capacity of 8,000 people. The Devonshire Park, originally intended as a cricket ground, opened its gates to the public on 1 July 1874 and in 1879, the first tennis courts was marked out on its lawns. In 1877 the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club set about regularising the laws of lawn tennis and produced its first tournament at Wimbledon running from July 9–16 of that year. In 1881 the club staged the inaugural South of England Championships, the event was played annually for 136 years until 1972.
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