Rothmans Connaught Hard Court Championships

Connaught Hard Court Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Tour	ILTF
Founded	1951;74 years ago (1951)
Abolished	1974;51 years ago (1974)
Location	Chingford, Essex, England.
Venue	Connaught Lawn Tennis Club (f.1885)
Surface	Clay- outdoors

The Rothmans Connaught Hard Court Championships ^[1] also known simply as the Connaught Hard Courts was a combined men's and women's clay court tennis tournament founded in 1951. ^[2] The championships were organised by the Connaught Lawn Tennis Club, Chingford, Essex, England. The tournament ran until 1974.

History

The Connaught Hard Court Championships, ^[3] were established in 1951 as an open tournament held at the Connaught Lawn Tennis Club (f.1885), ^[4] Chingford, Essex, England. The tournament was continually staged until 1974. The tournament was sponsored by the tobacco company Rothmans International from 1971 to 1974.

Notable winners of the men's singles title included; Tony Mottram, Jack Arkinstall, Torben Ulrich, Sven Davidson, Lew Hoad, ^[5] Rod Laver, ^[6] Jaroslav Drobný, ^[7] and Owen Davidson. ^[8] Previous winners of women's singles title included; Doris Hart, ^[9] Angela Mortimer, Christine Truman, Norma Baylon, Ann Haydon Jones, Virginia Wade, ^[10] and Dianne Fromholtz.

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete roll) ^[11]

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
1951	Tony Mottram	John Horn	6-0, 6-3
1952	Tony Mottram (2)	Ignacy Tloczynski	2-6, 6-1, 6-3
1953	Jack Arkinstall	Don Black	6-3, 6-0
1954	Torben Ulrich	Bobby Wilson	6-2, 1-6, 6-0
1955	Sven Davidson	Mike Davies	6-4, 6-1
1956	Lew Hoad	Bobby Wilson	6-2, 6-1
1957	Jaroslav Drobný	Mike Davies	6-4, 6-3
1958	Roger Becker	Mike Davies	4-6, 6-4, 6-3
1959	Roger Becker (2)	Bobby Wilson	7-5, 2-6, 6-4
1960	Bobby Wilson	Roger Becker	6-4, 6-4
1961	Bobby Wilson (2)	Alan Mills	8-6, 6-1
1962	Rod Laver	Martin Mulligan	4-6, 6-4, 6-4
1963	Bobby Wilson (3)	Mike Sangster	8-6, 6-4, 6-2
1964	Bobby Wilson (4)	Mike Sangster	6-2, 6-3
1965	Bobby Wilson (5)	Mark Cox	6-2, 8-6
1966	Bobby Wilson (6)	Alan Mills	6-2, 6-2
1967	Birger Folke	Lars Ölander	6-3, 2-6, 14-12
1968	Paul Hutchins	Bobby Wilson	6-2, 1-6, 6-1
↓  Open era  ↓
1969	Allan Stone	John Cooper	6-4, 6-2
1972	Hank Irvine	John Clifton	6-2, 6-2
1973	Owen Davidson	Colin Dowdeswell	3-6, 9-8, 6-1

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
1951	Kay Tuckey	Joy Gannon Mottram	6-4, 6-4
1952	Jean Walker-Smith	Joy Gannon Mottram	1-6, 9-7, 6-4
1953	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry	6-3, 4-6, 6-4
1954	Leonie Thorn Brighton	Jenny Middleton	7-5, 6-3
1955	Angela Mortimer	Elaine Watson	6-1, 6-0
1956	Angela Mortimer (2)	Jenny Middleton	6-3, 6-1
1957	Christine Truman	Elaine Shenton	6-3, 6-3
1958	Christine Truman (2)	Ann Haydon	6-3, 8-6
1959	Angela Mortimer (3)	Christine Truman	6-3, 7-5
1960	Angela Mortimer (4)	Christine Truman	6-1, 4-6, 6-4
1961	Angela Mortimer (5)	Edda Buding	6-3, 6-3
1962	Angela Mortimer (6)	Christine Truman	6-2, 6-4
1963	Norma Baylon	Christine Truman	divide title
1964	Norma Baylon (2)	Christine Truman	3-6, 6-2, 6-4
1965	Elizabeth Starkie	Christine Truman	8-6, 6-3
1966	Ann Haydon Jones	Virginia Wade	6-4, 6-3
1967	Virginia Wade	Pat Walkden	6-0, 9-7
1968	Faye Toyne Moore	Virginia Wade	6-4, 8-6
↓  Open era  ↓
1969	Corinne Molesworth	Shirley Bloomer Brasher	3-6, 6-2, 6-4
1972	Cynthia Sieler	Wendy Appleby	7-5, 7-5
1973	Dianne Fromholtz	Ilana Kloss	6-1, 3-6, 6-4

Tournament records

• Most men's singles titles: Bobby Wilson (6)
• Most men's singles finals: Bobby Wilson (8)
• Most women's singles titles: Angela Mortimer (6)
• Most women's singles finals: Christine Truman (8)

References

1. "SWIRLING near-gale-force wind and rain hit the Rothman's Connaught Hard Court Championships at Chingford Essex yesterday, and flurries snow made play almost impossible". Birmingham Weekly Mercury. Birmingham, England: British Newspaper Archives. 28 May 1972. p. 40.
2. Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament–Connaught Hard Courts; Chingford". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
3. Wilson, Bobby (1964). St. Paul's Bibliographies: My Side of the Net. Oxford: Oxford Polytechnic Press. p. 76.
4. "History". www.connaughtclub.co.uk. Chingford, England: Connaught Club. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
5. Connaught Club
6. Connaught Club
7. Connaught Club
8. Tennis Archives
9. Connaught Club
10. Connaught Club
11. "Tournament – Connaught Hard Courts; Chingford". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 30 March 2023.