Manitoba Championships

Tennis tournament

Manitoba Championships

Defunct tennis tournament
Tour| CLTA Circuit (1890-1912)
ILTF Circuit (1913-1947)
Founded| 1885; 140 years ago (1885)
Abolished| 1947; 78 years ago (1947)
Location| Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Venue| Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club
Surface| Grass (1885-1905)
Clay (1906-1947)

The Manitoba Championships also known as the Province of Manitoba Championships[1] was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1885 as the Manitoba and Northwest Territories Championships[2] It was first played at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.[3] The championships were part of the ILTF Circuit.

The tournament was also informally known as the Manitoba Open Championships.[4]

## History

[edit]

In 1882 the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club was founded.[5] In 1885 the club moved location to the Manitoba College, where three new grass courts were built.[6] The club then staged the first Manitoba Championships the winner of the men's singles title going to British born player A. H. Dickens (a nephew of Sir Charles Dickens).[7]

The tournament was not held between 1915 and 1918 due to World War I.[8] In August 1920 the event was held jointly with the Canadian International Championships[9] with the victors assuming both titles 'Champion of Canada and Champion of Manitoba'. The event was cancelled in 1942 and did not resume until 1946.[10] The championships were discontinued in 1947 and thereafter due to an ongoing combination of issues with maintenance, and lack of funds due to falling membership levels.[11] The venue did not host another senior tour level event until 1998 when it hosted the Manitoba Ladies Challeneger Tournament.[12]

The event was revived in the modern era as the Manitoba Clay Court Championships, but is now held at the Taylor Lawn Tennis Club, Winnipeg.[13]

## Event names

[edit]

* Manitoba & Northwest Territories Championships (1885-1890).[14]
* Manitoba & Northwestern Championships (1891-1899)
* Province of Manitoba Championships (1900-1921).[15]
* Manitoba Lawn Tennis Championships (1922-1930).[16]
* Manitoba Championships (1931-1947).

## References

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1. ^ Nath, Angela; Marshall, Alison. "Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club: An exhibition of the History and Champions (1881-2016)" (PDF). Brandon, Manitoba, Canada: Brandon University. p. 3. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
2. ^ Peach, Jack (1993). Days Gone by: Jack Peach on Calgary's Past. Toronto: Fifth House. p. 92\. ISBN 978-1-895618-26-6.
3. ^ "Our History: The Early Years". www.wltc.ca. Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
4. ^ "Agent Doubles and Tennis Ace". Canadian Government Railways Employees Magazine. Toronto: Canadian National Railways. 1953. p. 44.
5. ^ Winnipeg LTC
6. ^ Winnipeg LTC
7. ^ Winnipeg LTC
8. ^ Winnipeg LTC
9. ^ Winnipeg LTC
10. ^ Winnipeg LTC
11. ^ Winnipeg LTC
12. ^ Winnipeg LTC
13. ^ "2022 Manitoba Clay Court Championships - Tennis Manitoba". tc.tournamentsoftware.com. Tennis Canada. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
14. ^ Peach p.92.
15. ^ Brandon University p.3.
16. ^ Brandon University p.10.