Seabright Invitational Tournament

(Redirected from Seabright Invitational)

The Seabright Invitational Tournament[1] also known as the Seabright Invitation [2] was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament staged annually at the Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club, Rumson, New Jersey, United States from 1884 to 1950.[3]

Seabright Invitational Tournament
Defunct tennis tournament
TourILTF World Circuit
Founded1884; 140 years ago (1884)
Abolished1950; 74 years ago (1950)
LocationRumson, New Jersey, United States
VenueSeabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club
SurfaceGrass

History

edit

The Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club is a historic private sports club in Rumson, Monmouth County, New Jersey in the United States.[3] It was founded in 1877 and incorporated officially in 1886.[3] In 1884, the club held its first Seabright Invitational Tournament,[4][5] the men's singles was won Joseph Sill Clark Sr.[3] The tournament continued to be staged annually until 1889 when it was discontinued.[3]

In 1894 the tournament was reestablished, and in 1920 a permanent women's event was finally added to the schedule.[4] The event was suspended from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II.[3] It resumed in 1946 and continued to be held until 1949.[3] In 1950, the organizing committee of Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club voted to discontinue the event,[3] due to ongoing cost of the maintenance of the grass courts, and the budget needed to build new permanent spectator seating made it untenable.[3] Contrary to official sources the other reason the tournament was ended was not because of funding, but because the members grew tired of the fuss of organizing the event.[6]

Finals

edit

Men's singles

edit

(Incomplete roll)

Year Winners Runners-up Score
1886   H.W. Bucknall   Richard W. Stevens 6–2, 6–1, 6–1.[2]
1888   H. Alexander   W. Ward 6–2, 6–4.[2]
1892   Richard W. Stevens   S.M. Allen 6–2, 6–1, 6–1.[2]
1895   Bill Larned   John Howland 7–5, 4–6, 6–1, 6–2.[2]
1919   Bill Larned (2)   Leonard Beekman 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 6–1.[2]
1920   Watson Washburn   Willis Davis 1–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3.[2]
1921   Bill Johnston   Dick Williams 6–0, 6–4, 6–2.[2]
1922   Bill Johnston (2)   Dick Williams 6–0, 6–2, 6–3.[2]
1923   Bill Johnston (3)   Dick Williams ?
1924   Howard Kinsey   Bill Johnston ?
1925   Vinnie Richards   James Anderson 6–1, 4–6, 6–0, 6–0.[2]
1926   Vinnie Richards (2)   Manuel Alonso Areizaga 6–2, 10–8.[2]
1927   Bill Tilden II   Francis Hunter 6–4, 6–1, 8–6.[2]
1928   John Van Ryn   Wilmer Allison 6–8, 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 10–10, ret.[2]
1929   John Doeg   Dick Williams 6–3, 7–5, 8–6.[2]
1930   Sidney Wood   Ellsworth Vines 6–2, 6–2, 6–0.[2]
1931   Ellsworth Vines   John Doeg 10–12, 6–8, 6–3, 8–6, 6–1.[2]
1932   Sidney Wood (2)   Gregory Mangin 1–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–4
1933   Frank Shields   Gregory Mangin 6–1, 6–3, 6–1
1934   Berkeley Bell   Bryan Grant 5–7 6–1 6–3 2–6 6–4.[2]
1935   Gregory Mangin   Wilmer Hines 6–8, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 7–5.[2]
1936   John McDiarmid   Joe Hunt 9–7, 6–2, 6–2.[2]
1937   Bobby Riggs   Wilmer Allison w.o.[2]
1938   Bobby Riggs (2)   Elwood Thomas Cooke 6–1, 6–3, 6–1.[2]
1939   Frank Parker   Don McNeill 6–3, 8–6, 6–0.[2]
1940   Bobby Riggs (3)   Frank Kovacs 2–6, 0–6, 6–3, 11–9, 10–8.[2]
1941   Bobby Riggs (4)   Ted Schroeder 6–4, 6–4, 6–0.[2]
1942/1943 Not held (due to World War I)
1945   Bill Talbert   Gardnar Mulloy 6–2, 3–6, 6–2, 6–4.[2]
1946   Jack Kramer   Gardnar Mulloy 6–4, 6–4, 6–4.[2]
1947   Gardnar Mulloy   Frank Parker w.o.[2]
1948   Earl Cochell   Bill Talbert 9–7, 8–6, 6–4.[2]
1949   Earl Cochell (2)   Gianni Cucelli 6–2, 2–6, 6–0, 6–1.[2]

Women's singles

edit

(Incomplete roll)

Year Winners Runners-up Score
1888   Miss Clarkson   B. Lockwood 6–2, 6–0.
1917   Mary Browne   Miss Grundy 6–4, 1–6, 6–2.
1920   Marion Zinderstein   Eleanor Tennant 6–4, 6–2
1921   Molla Bjurstedt Mallory   Eleanor Goss 8–6, 6–3
1922   Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (2)   Leslie Bancroft 6–1, 6–2
1923   Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (3)   Mabel Davy Clayton 6–2, 6–3
1924   Mary Browne (2)   Mayme McDonald 6–0, 6–1
1925   Elizabeth Ryan   Helen Wills 6–3, 6–3
1926   Elizabeth Ryan (2)   Helen Wills 6–4, 6–1
1927   Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (4)   Helen Jacobs 6–2, 1–6, 6–1
1928   Helen Jacobs   Marjorie Gladman 9–7, 6–3
1929   Helen Jacobs (2)   Edith Cross 6–1, 6–2
1930   Anna McCune Harper   Josephine Cruickshank 6–4, 6–4
1931   Helen Wills-Moody   Helen Jacobs 6–0, 6–0
1932   Helen Jacobs (3)   Josephine Cruickshank 6–4, 6–3
1933   Sarah Palfrey   Helen Jacobs 6–1, 2–6, 7–5
1934   Carolin Babcock   Helen Jacobs 6–4, 6–2
1935   Ethel Burkhardt Arnold   Gracyn Wheeler 6–1, 6–0
1936   Alice Marble   Carolin Babcock 6–0, 6–3
1937   Alice Marble (2)   Jadwiga Jędrzejowska 6–3, 5–7, 8–6
1938   Alice Marble (3)   Dorothy Bundy 6–2, 6–2
1939   Helen Bernhard   Dorothy Workman 6–3, 7–5
1940   Alice Marble (4)   Mary Hardwick 6–2, 6–0
1941   Sarah Palfrey Cooke (2)   Helen Bernhard 6–,8 6–2, 7–5
1942/1943 Not held (due to World War I)
1944   Pauline Betz   Margaret Osborne 6–2, 2–6, 6–3
1945   Pauline Betz (2)   Louise Brough 10–8, 6–3
1946   Shirley Fry   Mary Arnold Prentiss 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1947   Dorothy Head   Shirley Fry 7–5 6–4
1948   Gussie Moran   Louise Snow Isaacs 6–2, 6–2

Other tournaments

edit

The club during the 1880s early 1890s also organised other tournaments usually as a one off events occasionally a couple of editions.


References

edit
  1. ^ Gems, Gerald R.; Borish, Linda J.; Pfister, Gertrud (April 10, 2017). Sports in American History: From Colonization to Globalization. Champaign, Illinois, United States.: Human Kinetics. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-4925-8614-2.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac "Tournaments: Seabright Invitation". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i National Historic Landmark Nomination: Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. pp. 16, 19–21.
  4. ^ a b Gems, Borish and Pfister. (2017) p.173.
  5. ^ "INVITATION TENNIS TOURNAMENT Well-known Players Competing SEABRIGHT (New Jersey), July 21. Many well-known lawn tennis Players figure in the 54th invitation tournament". Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore). Lahore, Pakistan: British Newspaper Archive. July 23, 1941. p. 14. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  6. ^ "Sport: Too Much Fuss", Time, August 14, 1950. Accessed March 12, 2023.