Rothmans Connaught Hard Court Championships
Tennis tournament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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,[5] Jaroslav Drobný,[5] and Owen Davidson.[6] Previous winners of women's singles title included; Doris Hart,[5] Angela Mortimer, Christine Truman, Norma Baylon, Ann Haydon Jones, Virginia Wade,[5] and Dianne Fromholtz.
Finals
Men's singles
(Incomplete roll)[7]
| 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)
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)