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North Island Open Championships

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North Island Open Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
TourILTF World Circuit
ILTF Independent Tour
Founded1932; 92 years ago (1932)
Abolished1978; 46 years ago (1978)
LocationChristchurch
Hutt Valley
Hamilton
Lower Hutt
Palmerston North
Wellington Whanganui
VenueVarious
SurfaceGrass (1934-75)
Hard (1976-78)

The North Island Open Championships was a regional men's and women's grass court then later hard court tennis tournament founded in 1932 as the North Island Championships.[1] The tournament was first played at the Lower Hutt Tennis Club (f.1927),[2] Lower Hutt, Wellington Province, New Zealand. The tournament was played at other locations until 1978 when it was discontinued as part of the ILTF Independent Tour.[1]

History

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This tournament has it origins in the Wairarapa Provincial Lawn Tennis Association Championships founded in 1899 and played at the Masterton, Lawn Tennis Club until 1915.[3] In 1934 a nascent Northern Lawn Tennis Association of New Zealand was established (today its known as Tennis Northern) it organised the North Island Championships.[1] The tournament was first played at the Lower Hutt Tennis Club (f.1927),[4] Lower Hutt, Wellington Province, New Zealand. The event was part of ILTF Australasia Circuit (1934–72) a sub circuit of the ILTF World Circuit, then later the ILTF Oceania Circuit a regional circuit of the ILTF Independent Tour from 1975 until 1978 when it was downgraded from the worldwide independent tour it became a local regional event of Tennis New Zealand and is still held today.[1]

The tournament was held in Nelson, but also other locations including,Hutt Valley, Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Wellington and Whanganui.

The South Island equivalent to this tournament was the South Island Open Championships founded in 1934 by the Southern Lawn Tennis Association.[5]

Finals

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Men's singles

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(incomplete roll)

North Island Championships
Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
1934[1] Lower Hutt New Zealand Cam Malfroy New Zealand Jack Curtis Charters 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1937[1] Lower Hutt New Zealand Cam Malfroy (2) New Zealand Buster Andrews 6–3, 6–4
1957[1] Wellington New Zealand Jeff Robson New Zealand Ron McKenzie 6-1, 5–7, 6-3
1958[1] Lower Hutt New Zealand Jeff Robson (2) New Zealand Ron McKenzie 6-3, 4–6, 7–5, 7-5
1959[1] Wellington United Kingdom Billy Knight United Kingdom Mike Davies 6-4, 2–6, 6–4, 6-2
1961[1] Wellington New Zealand Richard Hawkes New Zealand M Hussey 6-2, 6-2
1963[1] Hamilton New Zealand Lew Gerrard New Zealand Ian Crookenden 6-2, 6-3
1964[1] Whanganui New Zealand Lew Gerrard (2) New Zealand Jeff Robson 7-5, 6-0
1967[1] Lower Hutt United Kingdom Mark Cox New Zealand Brian Fairlie 6-2, 6-4
1968[1] Timuru New Zealand Brian Fairlie New Zealand Onny Parun 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
↓  Open Era  ↓
1969[1] Hamilton Soviet Union Toomas Leius New Zealand Onny Parun 6-3, 6-4 5–7, 6-1
1970[1] Hutt Valley New Zealand Onny Parun New Zealand Richard Hawkes 6-1, 5–7, 7–9, 6–2, 6-3
1971[1] Palmerston North New Zealand Onny Parun (2) Austria Hans Kary 6-4, 7–5, 6-3
North Island Open Championships
1972[1] Hamilton United States Armistead Neely United States Steve Faulk 7-5, 6–3, 7-5
1973[1] Palmerston North Australia Bob Rheinberger Sweden Lars Olander 6–4, 6–3, 6–2
1978[1] Wellington Australia Bob Carmichael Brazil João Soares 2-6, 6–3, 7-5

Women's singles

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(incomplete roll)

North Island Championships
Year Location Champions Runners-up Score
1932 Palmerston North New Zealand Miss M. Whyte New Zealand ? ?
1961 Lower Hutt New Zealand Ruia Morrison Australia M. Johnston 6–3, 6–2
1967 Lower Hutt New Zealand Marilyn Headifen New Zealand Beverley Vercoe 6–0, 6–2
↓  Open Era  ↓
1969 Nelson New Zealand Jennifer Goodall Nelson[6] New Zealand Lynn Harris 6–4, 6–4.
1970 Hutt Valley United States Alice Tym New Zealand Beverley Vercoe 6–2, 6–2
1971 Palmerston North New Zealand Jill Fraser New Zealand Beverley Vercoe 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
North Island Open Championships
1975 Hutt Valley United States Ceci Martinez Belgium Michèle Gurdal 6–3, 2–6, 6–3

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Tournaments:North Island Open Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Lower Hutt Tennis Club". Lower Hutt Tennis Club. Tennis Kiwi. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Tournaments:Wairarapa Provincial Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  4. ^ Tennis Kiwi
  5. ^ "Tournaments:South Island Open Championships". The Tennis Base. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  6. ^ Friends of the Nelson Library