Tennis Cymru (Welsh) | |
Sport | Tennis |
---|---|
Abbreviation | TW |
Founded | 1887 [1] |
Location | Francis House, 2 Drake Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff, CF10 4AN, Wales. [2] |
President | Amanda Sater, Baroness Sater [3] |
Chairman | Neil O'Doherty (independent chair) [4] |
CEO | Simon Johnson [5] |
Secretary | Janet Evans [6] |
Official website | |
www | |
Tennis Wales (Welsh : Tennis Cymru) is the national governing body for tennis in Wales. It is part of the British tennis governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association. [7] [8] It was founded as the Welsh Lawn Tennis Association (WLTA) in 1887. [9]
In December 1873, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield designed an hourglass-shaped tennis court in order to obtain a patent on his court (as the rectangular court was already in use and was unpatentable). A temporary patent on this hourglass-shaped court was granted to him in February 1874, which he never renewed when it expired in 1877.
Wingfield claimed that he had invented his version of the game for the amusement of his guests at a weekend garden party on his estate of Nantclwyd Hall, in Llanelidan, North Wales in 1874. He had likely based his game on real tennis.
The first known records of organised tennis in Wales occurred in 1879, when the Newport Athletic Club mentions the formation of a tennis section affiliated to the club. [10] In 1890 those records also mention the building of a covered court. [11]
Some of earliest known clubs to have been established in Wales were, the Teifiside LTC (f.1879) at Newcastle Emlyn, where it staged a Teifiside LTC Championship. [12] [13] Tenby LTC, (f.1881) at Tenby later organised the first version of South Wales Championships, however the name of that tournament was later changed to the West Wales Championships. In North Wales the Vale of Clywd LTC (f.1881) at Denbigh organised Vale of Clwyd CLTC Open Tournament (later called the North Wales Counties Challenge Cup from 1883 until 1884), [14] [15] this tournament was later revived as the first North Wales Championships at Criccieth. [16]
In 1882 the Pensarn LTC (f.1881) in Pensarn, nr. Abergele organised the first Pensarn LTC Club Open, in 1885 that event was renamed as the North of Wales Open [17] until around 1900. Back in South Wales the Penarth LTC, Penarth held its first tournament the Penarth LTC Championships in 1885, [18] and the Roath LTC founded in Roath about the same time, the latter altered its name to the Cardiff Racquet and Lawn Tennis Club, and moved location to Cardiff Castle. [19] In 1886 the first national open tennis tournament was established the Welsh Championships. In 1887 the first Welsh Lawn Tennis Association (WLTA) was founded, one year before the Lawn Tennis Association (f,1888), and eight years before the Scottish Lawn Tennis Association (f.1895). [20]
In 1888 an annual inter-club competition, devised on a knock-out basis was established. [21] In 1890 the Craigside Hydro Badmington and Tennis Club at Craigside, Llandudno established the Llandudno Open a grass court tennis event that ran till 1914. In 1894 the Criccieth LTC at Criccieth revived the North Wales Championships until 1939. In 1893 the first national indoor tournament played on wood courts was established at the Craigside Hydro in Llandudno called the Welsh Covered Court Championships that ran until 1955. [22] In 1903 the format annual inter-club competition was changed to a club league system. [23] In 1905 a revived South Wales and Monmouthshire Championships was established this time held at Newport. [24] In 1908 the Dinas Powys LTC, in Dinas Powys was established, it held its first tournament known as the Dinas Powys Whitsun Open. [25]
In 1911 Dinas Powys LTC also organised the first Glamorganshire Championships. [26] In 1922 Llanelli LTC established the Carmarthenshire Championships that was part of the ILTF Circuit until 1982. [27] In 1923 the first Welsh Junior Championships were established. [28] In 1925 the North Wales Lawn Tennis Association (NWLTA) was founded, and in 1961 the Mid Wales Lawn Tennis Association (MWLTA) was formed. [29] During World War II most official records of the Welsh LTA were lost. [30] From 1968 until 1974 indoor international tennis tournaments returned to Wales with the staging of the Dewar Cup Aberavon and Dewar Cup Cardiff events that were part of the national Dewar Cup circuit.
In 2009 Tennis Wales had 98 affiliated clubs, who have just under 12,000 members between them. Tennis Wales organises junior, open and veterans' tournaments, including local and regional leagues— North Wales and South Wales —and county teams. [8] [31]
Until 2013 Tennis Wales was based at the Welsh National Tennis Centre, East Moors, Cardiff. Despite protests, the Centre was closed at short notice by its operator Virgin Active, and its future remains in doubt. Tennis Wales has a regional office in Wrexham. [8]
Tennis Wales is governed by a board of directors who review, monitor and support the strategic direction of the organisation via the chief executive. [32] The Tennis Wales Board has ultimate responsibility of the affairs on the company Tennis Wales Ltd and ensuring the company is managed efficiently, effectively and in line with the requirements of the law, the rules of LTA, to consider the requirements of the LTA and Sport Wales, and the functions laid out in the company’s articles of association. [33]
Criccieth is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies 5 miles (8 km) west of Porthmadog, 9 miles (14 km) east of Pwllheli and 17 miles (27 km) south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing to 1,753 at the 2011 census.
Dinas Powys is a small town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks the village. Dinas Powys is 5.6 miles (9.0 km) south-west of the centre of Cardiff and is situated on the A4055 road from Cardiff to Barry, making it a popular dormitory village for city commuters. It neighbours the larger town of Penarth.
The Nottingham Open was originally known as the Nottingham Championships or Nottingham Lawn Tennis Tournament (1887–1967), is a tennis tournament for men and women held in Nottingham, United Kingdom, played on outdoor grass courts at the Nottingham Tennis Centre. After being discontinued in 2008, it was downgraded in 2011 to ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Women's Circuit. briefly re-established as an ATP World Tour 250 event on the men's tour in 2015 and 2016, before returning to a Challenger event in 2017, and since 2015 it has been an international event on the women's tour. The tournament is held in June as a "warm-up" for Wimbledon.
Scouting in Wales provides an overview of Scouting activities in Wales. Scout troops have existed in the country since 1908 with the largest number of Scouts and volunteer leaders today linked to the Scout Association of the United Kingdom. This is done through ScoutsCymru, the Welsh Scout Council who split the region further into four regions and a total of 12 Scout Areas. In addition to the Scout Association, there are also traditional Scouting groups belonging to the Baden-Powell Scouts' Association and a number of Scouting clubs within Universities which are affiliated to the Student Scout and Guide Organisation.
Mohammed Sleem was a tennis player and lawyer who represented India at the Davis Cup and Olympic Games. He competed in the singles event at the 1924 Summer Olympics, reaching the third round in which he lost to eventual Olympic champion Vincent Richards. With compatriot Sydney Jacob he competed in the men's doubles event and lost in the first round. Between 1915 and 1931 he won 27 career titles.
The Welsh Covered Court Championships its original name also called Welsh Covered Court Lawn Tennis Championships was a tennis event held from 1893 through 1955 in Wales, United Kingdom.
The 1878 Men's tennis tour was composed of the third annual pre-open era tour. It now incorporated 15 tournaments staged in Great Britain and Ireland the Wimbledon championships was won by challenger Patrick Francis Hadow defeating the defending champion Spencer Gore.
The 1879 Men's tennis tour was composed of the fourth annual pre-open era tour and incorporated 26 tournaments. The 1879 Wimbledon Championships was won by John Hartley defending champion Patrick Francis Hadow, defending champion could not participate in the Challenge Round. This year saw the inaugural Irish Championships that in its early stages of development was considered as important that of the Wimbledon Championships the event was won by Vere St. Leger Goold who defeated in Charles David Barry in the final by Charles David Barry 8–6, 8–6. Important this year was the staging of six hard court tournaments some of which included the Dublin University Championships the East Gloucestershire Championships held in Cheltenham Great Britain, Nice Tennis Tournament in Nice, France and the first tournament to be held outside of Europe in Australia with the Victorian Championships.
The 1881 Men's tennis tour was composed of the sixth annual pre-open era tour now incorporated 65 tournaments staged in Australia, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland, and the United States. The 1881 Wimbledon Championships was won by William Renshaw. This year also saw the inaugural and important 1881 U.S. National Championships held at Newport Casino which Richard Sears won. This was also the year that the United States National Lawn Tennis Association, which is the world's first national tennis association, was founded. Renshaw then won two other big tournaments of the year, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and Princes Club Championships, whilst Richard Taswell Richardson won the prestigious Northern Championships.
Dinas Powys is the name of an electoral ward in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It covers its namesake community of Dinas Powys and the neighbouring Michaelston-le-Pit and Leckwith to the north. The ward elects four county councillors to the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The 1887 Men's tennis tour was composed of the twelfth annual pre-open era tour incorporating 126 tournaments.
Charles Gladstone Allen was a British tennis player in the early years of Wimbledon. He was an all comers finalist at 1896 Wimbledon Championships in men's doubles event partnering with his brother Roy Allen, where the lost to Reginald Doherty and Harold Nisbet. He was active from 1887 to 1914 and contested 17 career finals in singles and won 8 titles.
The Hampshire Tennis Championships or the Hampshire Championships was a men's and women's grass court tennis event established in 1878 as the Bournemouth CLTC Tournament. In 1906 the Bournemouth tournament was upgraded to a county level event and renamed as Hampshire County Lawn Tennis Championships that ran continuously until 1981.
The Teifiside LTC Championship was an early late Victorian era men's and women's grass court tennis tournament first staged in 1878 at the Teifiside Lawn Tennis Club, Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The tournament was held to at least 1892.
The Bedford Open also known as the Bedford Lawn Tennis Open Tournament was men's and women's grass court tennis tournament established in 1880 as the Bedfordshire LTC Tournament. It was held at the Bedford Lawn Tennis Club, Bedford, Berkshire, England and ran through until 1974 when it was abolished.
The North Wales Championships were originally founded as the Vale of Clwyd CLTC Open Tournament in 1881. In 1883 that tournament became known as the North Wales Counties Challenge Cup until 1884 when it was renamed as the North Wales Challenge Cup until 1886. This first edition of the event lapsed, but was then revived by the Criccieth LTC at Criccieth in 1891 under its new name until 1939 when it was discontinued.
The Tivyside LTC Tournament was a grass court tennis tournament established in 1881 and continued to be held until at least the 1893. The tournament was played at Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Winifred Mary Arden Longhurst was a British tennis player. She was a four time quarter finalist in singles in the Wimbledon Championships in 1902, 1904, 1906 and 1912. She was active from 1892 until 1921 and won 29 career singles titles.
The Penarth LTC Championships was an all comers open grass court tennis tournament held in Penarth Lawn Tennis Club, Penarth, Glamorganshire, Wales. from 1885 to 1966.
The North of Wales Open was a grass court tennis tournament established in 1882 at Pensarn, Abergele, Caernarfonshire, North Wales that ran until 1900 when it was discontinued.