Eastbourne Tennis

The Devonshire Park lawn tennis courts were first created as part of the 7th Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish's, expansion of Eastbourne seafront which introduced theatres and various sporting and entertainment facilities in the 1870s. The courts in Eastbourne have been hosting tennis since this time, with records showing the first major championship was held in 1881

In the 1880s, tournaments continued to be held at the Devonshire Park facilities and became known as the South of England Championships. These were originally held in September, to end the grass court year. In the 1960s the championship was moved to July, as it clashed with another championship, and it became a post-Wimbledon tournament. Finally, in 1969 it was decided to move it to become a Wimbledon warm-up instead - the position it has remained in since.

Tennis Stars

Edgar Lubbock was the first winner of the South of England Championship in 1881, he won the 50 Guinea cup. He later became the director of the Bank of England. He had been the runner up at Wimbledon the year before, was a successful cricketer and footballer and had won the FA cup a couple of times!

Joshua Pim was born in 1869 in County Wicklow, Ireland and was a medical doctor and amateur tennis player from Ireland. He won Wimbledon men’s singles in 1893 and 1894. The previous year – 1892, he’d made it to the challenge round at Wimbledon (whilst also suffering from typhoid!) but lost to Wilfred Baddeley. He won the doubles with his partner Frank Stoker (Bram Stoker’s cousin) in 1890 and 1893. He won the South of England Championships at Eastbourne in 1897 against Lawrence Doherty. He retired from tennis in 1902.

Charlotte Cooper was born in 1870 in Ealing and won 5 singles titles at Wimbledon and became an Olympic champion in 1900.  By winning in the Paris Olympics in 1900, she became the first female Olympic tennis champion and the first individual female Olympic champion. She is the oldest Wimbledon ladies singles champion and her record of 8 consecutive singles finals stood until 1990 when Martina Navratilova reached her 9^th consecutive final. She also won 7 mixed doubles titles and in 1913 reached the final of the first Wimbledon women’s doubles event with Dorothea Douglas, 18 years after winning her first Wimbledon title. She reached the final at Eastbourne in 1894, 97, 98,  99, 1900, 1901,  1904, 1907, 1908 and 1909 and won 3 of those titles.  She was one of the few female players at the time who served overhead.

Blanche Bingley was one of the players who beat Charlotte at Wimbledon. She was born in 1863 and won six Wimbledon championships and runner up 7 times as well as competing in the first Wimbledon championships for women in 1884. She won the South of England Championships in Eastbourne 11 times between 1885 and 1905. On her death in 1946, newspapers wrote that she was one of the greatest lawn tennis players Britain had produced. Her husband, Commander George Hillyard played tennis for England and became known as ‘The Man who Made Wimbledon’ but it was Blanche who made the papers for her ‘unique’ style in 1899. The article said: ‘ Mrs Hillyard, who recently won the ladies lawn tennis championship of All England, has a record in connection with this competition which is positively unique. She won her first championship as Miss Blanche Bingley no less than 13 years ago, but looks, and indeed is, as young and as active today as she was in 1886. Since 1885, when she was beaten by Miss Maud Watson, the first lady champion’ that ever was’, she has won the championship in all 5 times and on nearly every other occasion, she has been second only to the winner. Mrs Hillyard’s play cannot be called graceful, even by her most devoted admirers, but this defect is more than atoned for by her wonderful pluck and determination. If Mrs Hillyard had been a man, she would have made a good general for she never knows when she is beaten and is never more dangerous than when apparently she is ‘done for’ Her peculiarities are that she never hits a ball on the volley if she can possibly avoid it and that she invariably wears gloves or rather gauntlets while playing.’

The first championship in 1881 was a success and tennis fever had started sweeping the town – or at least certain sections of town. Local tailors and dressmakers were advertising the latest lawn tennis designs and the Eastbourne gazette published a telling article shortly after the first tournament took place. In this article, they wrote ‘ it has been urged against the park that its prices preclude the general public from participating in its advantages, but it must be remembered that the park numbers among its chief patrons people who can well afford, and are satisfied to pay the price of admission and that these are the very people who, by their stay in Eastbourne most benefit the town in a financial way.’ A later article goes on to explain that tennis week is in fact the perfect opportunity for pretty maids and handsome matrons to change their gowns thrice daily, and to exhibit them to their admiring friends. Also the opportunity for the male dandy to make himself ridiculous!

By 1905, the competition had definitely become a highlight of the tennis circuit as we can see from these illustrations of typical Eastbourne Tennis people. Just a year later there were more than 62 competitors for the men’s and women’s singles and doubles.  That year, Charlotte Cooper (now Cooper Sterry) won the doubles with Miss Morton