Westchester County Championships

Westchester County Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Event name	Westchester Lawn Tennis Club (Invitation) Westchester Invitation Westchester Bowl Invitation Westchester County Championships
Tour	USNLTA Circuit (1885–1923) ILTF World Circuit (1924–69) men (1924–72) women ILTF Independent Circuit (1970–74) men (1973–74) women
Founded	1885; 140 years ago (1885)
Abolished	1974; 51 years ago (1974)
Location	Armonk Briarcliff Manor Hartsdale Mount Vernon Pelham Manor Port Chester Rye White Plains
Surface	Grass Clay Hard

The Westchester County Championships[1] was a tennis tournament founded in 1885 as the Westchester Lawn Tennis Club (Invitation) [2] and first played at the Westchester Lawn Tennis Club, Harrison, Westchester County, New York, United States on grass courts, later switching to clay courts, the finally hard courts. The tournament was played at various locations during its run until 1974.

History

In 1884 the Westchester Lawn Tennis Club was founded.[1] In September 1885 it staged the Westchester Invitation men's singles tennis tournament that event ran until 1895 when it was discontinued when the lawn tennis club was disbanded. In 1902 a new tournament was revived as a men's doubles event called the Westchester Invitation Round Robin.[3]

In 1911 a singles tournament called the Westchester County Championships was revived and was played at the Country Club of Westchester.[4][5][6] In 1912 the tournament moved to Mount Vernon, New York and was organized by the Westchester Lawn Tennis Association.[7] During the 1950s when played in Rye, New York the men's event was known as the Westchester Bowl Invitation.[8] The first winner of the men's singles was Robert Livingston Beeckman, and the final men's winner was Australian player Rod Brent.

Finals

Men's Singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1885	Robert Livingston Beeckman	Howard Augustus Taylor	6–4, 6–4, 6–4.[1]
1886	Howard Augustus Taylor	Henry Slocum	6–3, 6–3.[1]
1887	Henry Slocum	Valentine Gill Hall	7–5, 6–3.[1]
1888	Oliver Samuel Campbell	Robert Livingston Beeckman	6–8, 6–3, 6–4, 5–7, 6–3.[1]
1889	Howard Augustus Taylor	Oliver Samuel Campbell	6–4, 6–2, 7–5.[1]
1890	Bob Huntington	Percy Knapp	7–9, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2.[1]
1891	Clarence Hobart	Bob Huntington	7–9, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2.[1]
1892	Richard Stevens	Edward L. Hall	7–9, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2.[1]
1912[9]	Allen Toby	Edgar F Leo	6–3, 1–6, 6–4
1919[10]	George King	?
1920[11]	Frank Hunter	Harold Throckmorton	1–6, 2–6, 6–2, 8–6, 8–6.[1]
1922	George King	Herbert Bowman	6–3, 6–4, 6–2.[1]
1931	Melvin H. Partridg	Edward G. Tarangioli[12]	7–9, 6–0, 6–1, 6–2.[1]
1932	Eugene McCauliff	Berkeley Bell	7–5, 6–3, 6–4.[1]
1954	William Tully	Bob Greene	6–0, 6–1, 6–0.[1]
1955	Herb Flam	Sidney Schwartz	6–3, 6–4.[1]
1958	Vic Seixas	Ulf Schmidt	13–11, 6–2.[1]
1967	Dick Stockton	Ken Abere	6–1, 6–2, 7–5.[1]
↓  Open era  ↓
1970[13]	Dave Bonner	John F. Mangan	6–1, 6–4.[1]
1974	Rod Brent	Bailey Brown	7–6, 6–2.[1]

Women's Singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1914	Clare Cassell	Eleanor Coward	6–4, 6–3
1918	Helen Gilleaudeau	Madeline Lowerre	6–2, 6–2
1920	Molla Mallory	Eleanor Goss	6–3, 3–6, 6–0
1931	Margaret Muhl	Clara Greenspan	8–6, 3–6, 6–4
1932	Maud Levi	Norma Taubele	6–2, 6–4
1958	Bonnie Mencher	Joan Silbersher	6–4, 6–4
1959	Sally Wilson	Laura Krieger	6–4, 6–1
1964	Yale Stockwell	Adria Fisher Price	6–0, 6–0
1965	Diane Matzner	Marilyn Aschner	4–6, 6–3, 1–1, retd.
1968	Pat Stewart	Susan Tenney	6–2, 6–3
↓  Open era  ↓
1970[14]	Louise Gonnerman	Pat Stewart	0–6, 6–3, 6–4
1973	Marilyn Aschner	Louise Gonnerman	6–4, 2–6, 6–2

References

1. "Tournaments: Westchester County Championships". The Tennis Base. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
2. Hall, Valentine Gill (1889). "Index". Lawn Tennis in America: Biographical Sketches of All the Prominent Players ... Knotty Points, and All the Latest Rules and Directions Governing Handicaps, Umpires, and Rules for Playing. New York: D.W. Granbery & Company. p. 10.
3. "Westchester Tennis". New York Times. July 13, 1902. p. 12. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
4. Alexander, F.B. (1911). "Westchester Invitation". Spalding's Tennis Annual. American Sports Publishing Company. p. 139.
5. Alexander, F.B. (1917). "Country Club of Westchester InvitationTournament". Spalding's Tennis Annual. American Sports Publishing Company. p. 90.
6. Spalding's Tennis Annual (PDF). New York: American Sports Publishing Company. 1922. p. 135.
7. "TENNIS". Brooklyn Life. Brooklyn, New York: newspapers.com. July 20, 1912. p. 3. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
8. "Vic Sexias Wins Westchester Tennis". Waterloo Daily Courier. Waterloo, Iowa: Newspaper Archive. September 1, 1958. p. 18. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
9. "ON LOCAL TENNIS COURTS". The New York Times. New York City, New York: newspapers.com. July 26, 1912. p. 10. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
10. "ANNUAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT". The Daily Item. Port Chester, New York: newspapers.com. June 15, 1921. p. 4. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
11. The Daily Item (Port Chester)
12. Bria, George (October 15, 1989). "80-Year-Old Tennis Star Entering Hall of Fame". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. 24. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
13. "Bonner Begins Defense Of Title". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, New York: newspapers.com. May 8, 1971. p. 10. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
14. "Bonner, Louis Gonnerman Don County Tennis Crowns". Mount Vernon Argus. White Plains, New York: Wikipedia Library - Newspapers.Com. May 11, 1970. p. 34. Retrieved December 2, 2023.