The Essex Championships ^[1] also known as the Essex County Lawn Tennis Championships or Essex Grass Court Championships was a combined men's and women's grass court tennis tournament established in 1881 at Brentwood, Essex. In 1946 it was moved to the Frinton Lawn Tennis Club, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, Great Britain until 1983 when it was discontinued.

History

The Essex Championships were established in 1881 at Brentwood Essex, England ^[2] and continued to be staged there until 1884. In 1887 the event was then staged Leyton. It changed location again in 1888 and was held in Chingford till 1889. It switched back to Leyton, Essex for one year only in 1890. From 1891 it moved to the Cambridge Grounds, Colchester^[3] where it remained until 1918. Staged briefly at Frinton-on-Sea in 1919 it then moved to Southend-on-Sea until 1922.^[4] In 1923 the championships were held at Westcliff-on-Sea^[2] till 1946. The championships returned to Frinton-on-Sea and stayed there till the tournament was abolished after eighty five editions in 1983. The event featured both men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions.^[5]

Finals

Notes: Challenge round: The final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921) ^[6] in some tournaments not all.

Men's singles

Included:^[5][7]

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner Up	Score
1881 [a]	Dale Womersley	Nalton Womersley	6-0 6-4
1882 [b]	Charles Walder Grinstead	Nalton Womersley	6-2 6-3
1883 [c]	Charles Walder Grinstead (2)	P. Colley	6-1 6-3 6-4
1884 [d]	Charles Walder Grinstead (3)	E. N. Cubitt.	6-0 6-4
1887 [e]	Ernest George Meers	P. M. Evans	6-0 6-1 6-1
1888 [f]	Charles Gladstone Eames	F. O' Shaughnessy Belli Reade	6–3, 6–2
1889 [g]	E. H. Christy	A. R. Stephenson	w/o
1890 [h]	Ernest George Meers (2)	Edward Henry Christy	10-12 2-6 6-2 6-3 6-3
1891 [i]	Arthur Gore	Charles Gladstone Eames	12–10, 6–2, 2–6, 3–6, 3–6
1892	H.Knox	Cecil E. Owen.	4-6 6-3 6-3
1893	Herbert Ramon Yglesias	J. A. E. Hickson	8-6 6-2
1894	Herbert Ramon Yglesias (2)	Rupert L. Hamblin-Smith	7-5 6-3
1895	Reginald Doherty[8]	Herbert Ramon Yglesias	6-3 6-1 6-0
1896	Reginald Doherty[8](2)	Roy Allen	6-4 6-2 7-5
1897 [9]	Herbert Roper Barrett	C. B. Sharpe	6-1 3-0 RET
1898[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (2)	R. W. Wallace	7-5 6-2
1899 [9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (3)	A, H, Green	6-1 6-3
1900	Roy Allen	Laurence Joseph Petre	6-2 6-3
1901[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (4)	Roy Allen	6-2 6-3
1902[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (5)	Harry A. Parker	6-3 6-1
1903[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (6)	Roy Allen	7-5 6-4 ret.
1904[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (7)	Roy Allen	6-2 6-1 6-3
1905[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (8)	H. Norman Marrett	w/o
1906[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (9)	H. W. Davies	6-1 6-2 6-1
1907	C.E. Hunter	David Marc Hawes	6-1 6-4 7-5
1908[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (10)	C. E. Hunter.	6-2 8-6 ret.
1909[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (11)	Andrew Leicester Irvine	6-3 6-1
1910[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (12)	H.J. Weston	6-2, 6-2
1911	A. L. Bentley	Xenophon Casdagli	6-4, 3-6, 6-4
1912[9]	Herbert Roper Barrett (13)	Andrew Leicester Irvine	6-3 6-3
1914	G. M. Wilson	?, ?	?
1915–1918	Not held (due to world war one)
1919 [j]	Frank Fisher	Bunny Ireland	6-3, 6-4
1920 [k]	H.N. Marrett	Neville Wilford	6-4 6-8 6-4 0-6 6-2
1921	Athar-Ali Fyzee	Neville Wilford	6-8 6-2 2-6 6-3 6-2
1922	Jack Weakley	G. W. Todd	2-6 11-9 5-7 6-3 6-1
1923 [l]	C. E. St John Evers	W. E. Cooke	4-6 7-5 6-3 6-1
1924	Jack Weakley (2)	C. E. St John Evers	5 7-5 2-6 8-6 [7]
1925	John Pennycuick	C. V. L. Prowse	6-1 6-4 6-3
1926	Pat Hughes	John Pennycuick	8-6 6-0 6-3
1927	Henry Standring	Pat Hughes	6-2 6-3 6-0
1928	John Shales	K. A. Latter.	3-6 6-1 6-4
1929	W. E. Turner Cole	G. S. Best	6-3 6-2 6-2
1930	Donald Leahong[10]	Jack C. Warboys	2-6 6-0 6-2 6-4 [7]
1931	A. M. Dudley Pitt	R. W. H. Grey	6-0 6-2 6-3
1932	David Williams	John Shales	7-5 6-2
1933	Jimmy Jones	David Williams	6-0 6-1 6-4
1934	George Lyttleton Rogers	Jimmy Jones	6-4 6-8 6-4
1935	Jimmy Jones (2)	Uberto De Morpurgo	6-4 5-7 6-2
1936	Laurie Shaffi	Jimmy Jones	6-3 5-7 7-5
1937	Jimmy Jones (3)	Laurie Shaffi	6-3 6-1 6-3
1939	Ghaus M. Khan	John Olliff	3-6 7-5 6-0
1940–1945	Not held (and due to world war two)
1946 [m]	Brian Kenton Burnett	R. C. F. Nichols	6-1 6-2
1947	Iftikhar Ahmed Khan	Choy Wai-Chuen	6-1 3-6 7-5
1948	Franjo Kukuljević	Derek Bull	6-1 6-1
1949	Geoff Brown	Choy Wai-Chuen	6-4 6-1 [11]
1950	Bill Sidwell	Geoff Brown	6-4 4-6 6-2
1951	Don Candy	Kurt Nielsen	6-1 6-4 [12]
1952	Bryan Woodroffe	Armando Vieira	6-2 11-9
1953	Tony Mottram[13]	Jack Arkinstall	6-4 6-1
1954	Jeff Robson	John Barry	6-2 6-2
1955	Bob Howe	George Worthington	3-6 6-3 6-4
1956	Ian Clyde Vermaak	Gordon Forbes	6-4 5-7 6-3
1957	Naresh Kumar	Ramanathan Krishnan	3-6 6-3 9-7
1958	Mal Anderson	Carlos Alberto Fernandes	6-1 7-5
1959	Mark Otway	Lew Gerrard	6-2 6-2
1960	Neale Fraser[13]	Brian Woolf	6-4 6-2
1961	Lew Gerrard	Ian Crookenden	6-3 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-2
1962	Roger Taylor	Warren Woodcock	6-3 6-4
1963	John Fraser	Jaidip Mukerjea	6-3 6-2
1964	Ken Fletcher	Roger Taylor	6-8 7-5 6-1
1965	Owen Davidson	Tony Roche	6-4 8-6
1966	Brian Fairlie	Mark Cox	6-4 10-8
1967	Bobby Wilson	Paul Hutchins	5-7 6-4 6-3
Open era
1968	Dick Crealy	Keith Woolridge	6-3 4-6 6-4
1969	Graham Primrose	Keith Woolridge	6-4 6-3
1970	Keith Diepraam	Roger Dowdeswell	6-4 6-1
1971	Gerald Battrick	Anand Amritraj	6-3 6-2
1972	Torben Ulrich	J. D. Edmond	7-5 6-4
1973	Philip Siviter[14]	Geoffrey Newton	6-4 6-4
1974	David Schneider	Willem Prinsloo	3-6 6-4 6-4
1975	Hugh Thomson	Roger Webb	7-9 9-7 9-7
1976	Mark Farrell	Noel Phillips	6-3 6-4
1977	Willie Davies	Colin McHugo	6-3 6-2
1978	Robert Booth	Chris Wells	6-3 6-4
1979	Willie Davies (2)	Neil Rayner	6-3 6-4
1980	Martin Guntrip	David Crichton-Miller	6-4 1-6 7-5
1981	Rohun Beven	R. Coull	6-2 6-1
1982	Leighton Alfred	Martin Robinson	6-4 7-6

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
1887	Brenda James	May Jacks	6-8, 6-2, 6-4
1888	Miss Triscott	Brenda James	6-4, 0-6, 6-4
1889	Miss Norman	Helen Kersey	6-2, 6-2
1890	Brenda James (2)	Miss Swift	2-6, 6-4, 6-1
1890	Winifred Kersey	Agnes Morton	5-7, 6-1, 6-2
1891	Womens event not held
1892	Miss. C. Day	Miss. E. Brown	6-2, 4-6, 6-3
1893/1894	Womens event handicap only
1895	Agatha Templeman	Agnes Morton	6-4, 6-2
1896	Ruth Pennington-Legh	Agatha Templeman	6-4, 7-5
1897	Henrietta Horncastle	Ursula Templeman	6-0, 6-2
1898	Beryl Tulloch	Henrietta Horncastle	6-0, 6-2
1899	Beryl Tulloch (2)	Agnes Morton	6-1, 3-6, 7-5
1900	Ruth Winch (2)	Beryl Tulloch	6-0, 6-0
1901	Dorothea Douglass	Agnes Morton	6-3, 6-3
1902	Winifred Longhurst	Dorothea Douglass	1-6, 6-3, 6-4
1903	Edith Austin Greville	Agnes Morton	6-1, 6-3
1904	Agnes Morton	Miss Tootell	6-1, 6-3
1905	Agnes Morton (2)	Miss Tootell	6-2, 6-0
1906	Agnes Morton (3)	Miss Tootell	6-2, 6-0
1907	Agnes Morton (4)	Mrs C.E. Hunter	walkover
1908	Agnes Morton (5)	Miss. E. White	6-0, 6-0
1909	Agnes Morton (6)	Mildred Brooksmith	6-1, 6-0
1910	Mildred Brooksmith	Madeline Fisher O'Neill	4-6, 6-1, 6-4
1911	Agnes Morton (7)	Mrs C.E. Hunter	6-1, 6-1
1912	Elizabeth Ryan	Jessie Coles	6-3, 6-4
1913	Womens event not held
1914	Mrs Leigh-Day	Miss Daniell	6-,1 3-6, 6-3
1915/1919	Womens event not held due to World War I
1920	Irene Bowder Peacock	Mrs Malleson	6-2, 6-1
1921	Irene Bowder Peacock (2)	Geraldine Beamish	6-3, 2-6, 6-4
1922	Irene Bowder Peacock (3)	Eleanor Rose	6-4, 6-4
1923	Miss. M. Best	Mrs. P. Wilkin	6-2, 6-1
1924	Mrs P. Wilkin	Davina Gordon	6-1, 6-1
1925	Joan Ridley	Mrs B.H. Wilkin	6-3, 6-2
1926	Joan Ridley (2)	Mary Cambridge	6-4, 6-2
1927	Eleanor Rose	Joan Ridley	6-2, 2-6, 7-5
1928	Eleanor Rose (2)	Sybil Johnson	6-0, 6-1
1929	Eleanor Rose (3)	Joan Marshall	11-9, 3-6, 6-2
1930	Billie Yorke	D. Sloane-Stanley	6-2, 6-4
1931	Billie Yorke (2)	Miss. E. Weakley	6-1, 6-1
1932	Jean Saunders	Billie Yorke	7-5, 6-8, 6-4
1933	Patricia Brazier	Gladys Southwell	3-6, 6-4, 9-7
1934	Sheila Chuter	Joan Marshall	6-3, 6-2
1935	Gladys Southwell	Sheila Chuter	7-5, 6-2
1936	Gladys Southwell (2)	Nina Brown	6-4, 6-2
1937	Gladys Southwell	Nina Brown	6-2, 8-6
1938	Elsie Goldsack Pittman	Alexandra Ostrich McKelvie	9-7, 2-6, 6-1
1939	Valerie Scott	Kay Stammers	6-0, 5-7, 7-5
1940/1945	Womens event not held due to World War II
1946	Jean-Nicoll-Bostock	Kay Stammers Menzies	4-6, 6-3, 6-2
1947	Jean-Nicoll-Bostock (2)	Gem Hoahing	6-1, 6-1
1948	Jean-Nicoll-Bostock (3)	Natalia Zinovieff	6-2, 6-1
1949	Patricia Canning Todd	Molly Blair	6-2, 6-2
1950	Patricia Canning Todd (2)	Betty Wilford	6-1, 6-0
1951	Althea Gibson	Arvilla McGuire	6-0, 6-2
1952	Jean Walker-Smith	Jean Rinkel-Quertier	7-5, 6-3
1953	Joan Scott	Betty Wilford Dawes	6-2, 6-0
1954	Anne Shilcock	Judy Burke	6-3, 6-3
1955	Beryl Penrose	Mary Carter	8-6, 4-6, 6-3
1956	Anne Shilcock (2)	Margaret H. O'Donnell	6-4, 6-2
1957	Ruia Morrison	Heather Redwood Robson	3-6, 6-2, 7-5
1958	Christine Truman	Anne Shilcock	6-3, 7-5
1959	Shirley Bloomer Brasher	Patricia Hird	7-5, 1-6, 6-3
1960	Deidre Catt	Patricia Hird	6-2, 6-4
1961	Patricia Hird	Caroline Yates-Bell	6-2, 6-3
1962	Jan Lehane	Robyn Ebbern	6-3, 6-2
1963	Deidre Catt (2)	Christine Truman	7-5, 7-5
1964	Deidre Catt (3)	Carole Rosser	8-6, 6-4
1965	Lesley Turner	Robin Blakelock-Lloyd	6-4, 6-3
1966	Judy Tegart	Nell Truman	6-2, 6-0
1967	Ann Haydon Jones	Gail Sherriff	6-0, 6-2
Open era
1968	Robin Blakelock-Lloyd	Nell Truman	6-3, 8-6
1969	Margaret Smith Court	Patricia Walkden	6-2, 4-6, 6-4
1970	Margaret Smith Court (2)	Ann Haydon Jones	2-6, 7-5, 6-2
1971	Kerry Harris	Helen Gourlay	6-2, 6-4
1972	Lindsay Beaven	Cherry Panton	6-2, 6-0
1973	Corinne Molesworth	Greer Stevens	7-5, 8-6
1974	Corinne Molesworth (2)	Beverley Vercoe	7-6, 6-4
1975	Annette Coe	Belinda Thompson	6-3, 6-4
1976	Corinne Molesworth (3)	Jo Durie	6-4, 9-8
1977	Ann Haydon Jones (2)	Debra Parker	6-3, 7-5
1978	Corinne Molesworth (4)	Ann Haydon Jones	6-3, 7-6
1979	Corinne Molesworth (5)	Annette Coe	6-2, 6-4
1980	Denise Taylor	Ellinore Lightbody	divided title
1981	Joy Tacon	Debbie Stewart	walkover
1982	Rina Einy	Lorrayne Gracie	6-0, 6-0
1983	Bernadette Randall	Vicki Marle	6-2, 6-3

Locations

The tournament was staged at different locations during its run the longest at Frinton-on-Sea.

Tournament records

• Most men's singles titles: Herbert Roper Barrett (13)
• Most women's singles titles: Agnes Morton (7)