The 1878 men's tennis season was the third annual pre-open era season, with 15 tournaments staged in Great Britain and Ireland the Wimbledon Championships was won by challenger Patrick Francis Hadow defeating the defending champion Spencer Gore.
It began in April in Newcastle Emlyn, Wales and ended in October in Bournemouth, Dorset, England.
Summary This early pre open era season began in April 1878 with Teifiside Lawn Tennis Club Tournament on grass played at Newcastle Emlyn, Wales the club is still open today. In May a spring tennis tournament was held at the Bournemouth Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club on Dean Park Cricket Ground, Bournemouth, England the club held a second event in October this year.
In July the most important event of the year the 1878 Wimbledon Championships was won by the challenger Patrick Francis Hadow who beat Spencer Gore in the all comers final. In August the inaugural Scottish Championships was won by James Patten MacDougall.Smellie, Kennedy. (12 April 1933). The History of the Dyvours Lawn Tennis Club 1883 to 1933 by Kennedy Smellie Hon. Secretary and Treasurer Scottish Lawn Tennis Association. R. W. Forsyth Ltd. Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. p.5. In September at the inaugural County Wicklow Championships the tournament was won by a Captain Hughes. In September at the South of Ireland Championships held Wicklow in Ireland, the Limerick Cup was won by Vere St. Leger Goold.
Calendar Notes 1: 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), in some tournaments not all.* Indicates challenger Notes 2:Tournaments in italics were events that were staged only once that season
Key Important National Provincial/State/Regional County Local/other
January to March No events
April DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist21 - 24 April. Teifiside LTC ChampionshipTeifiside Lawn Tennis ClubNewcastle Emlyn, WalesGrassSingles - Doubles Gwyn Saunders Davies? Dacre Tyler
May DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist21 - 24 May. Bournemouth CLTC Spring TournamentField: (11 May 1878) The Quarterly Magazine and review. Lawn Tennis announcements. Horace Cox. London, England. pp.43–44.Bournemouth CLTCDean Park Cricket GroundBournemouth, EnglandGrassSingles - Doubles Edmond Bennet Brackenbury3 sets to 2 Sir Hubert James Medlycott
July
DateTournamentWinnerAll comers' finalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalistJuly.All Ireland Lawn Tennis ChampionshipsAll Ireland Lawn Tennis ClubChampion GroundLansdowne, Dublin, Ireland.GrassSingles? ? 12 JulyChampionship of the Esher LTC Esher Lawn Tennis ClubEsher, Surrey, EnglandGrassSingles Clement Edward Cottrell ? ? 9–19 JulyWimbledon ChampionshipLondon, Great BritainGrassSingles Patrick Francis Hadow6–4, 6–4, 6–4 Lestocq Robert Erskine Herbert Lawford Charles Gipps Hamilton Arthur Thomas MyersChallenger round Spencer Gore7–5, 6–1, 9–7 24 July.LAWN TENNIS: STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB TOURNAMENT. "Fine weather favoured the tennis tournament on Friday last 26th July, when there was a large and most influential attendance. The original programme was somewhat curtailed, inasmuch as two matches were withdrawn." Lichfield Mercury. British Newspaper Archives. 2 August 1878. Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. page.5.Staffordshire County Cricket Club Lawn Tennis Tournament.Staffordshire County Cricket GroundLichfield, Staffordshire, EnglandGrassSingles Jonas Henry William Gardner?
August DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist 12–19 AugustScottish Championships Edinburgh, Great BritainSingles James Patten MacDougall
September DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist6 September.Armagh Lawn Tennis TournamentArmagh Lawn Tennis ClubArmagh, IrelandGrassSingles - Doubles W.F. Templer ? Robert Shaw Templer 8–9 SeptemberCounty Wicklow ChampionshipsBromley, County Wicklow, IrelandGrassSingles Henry Evelyn Tombe? Captain Hughes? Captain Hughes George Gordon Tombe S. H. Butcher Augustine Lefroy George Gordon Tombe 16–17 SeptemberWaterford TournamentWaterford, IrelandGrassSingles Vere St. Leger Goold? J. M. Brown Henry Joseph Gallwey J. C. Roberts Patrick Joseph Gallwey William Joseph Gallwey Pierce Barron-Newell 23 September.Newon Abbott Lawn Tennis Tournament Newton Abbot Archery and Lawn Tennis ClubSouth Devon Cricket Club GroundNewton Abbot, Devon, EnglandGrassSingles - Doubles Rev. William Hughes? W. Sandilands 26–30 September.South of Ireland ChampionshipsLimerick Cricket ClubLimerick, IrelandGrassSingles Vere St. Leger Goold8–6, 8–6 William Henry Darby William Henry Darby H H Eliott Joseph Fritz James Heffernan Considine Robert Howden Kelly Charles Mounoir Sumner Heffernan Considine Helena Considine6-3, 6–5, 6-2 Robert Howden Kelly Miss Lumley
October DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalistOctober.Lawn Tennis."The Moy and Charlemont Lawn Tennis Tournament held by the Moy and Charlemont Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club that started monday ended on Thursday, the gentleman's tournament was won by Mr. Robert Baron Templer". The Tyrone Constitution. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.: British Newspaper Archives. 18 October 1878. pp. 3, 4.Moy and Charlemont LTC TournamentMoy and Charlemont Croquet and Lawn Tennis ClubMoy, County Tyrone, Northern IrelandSingles Robert Baron Templer? S. Phipson Robert Baron Templer H. Ringwood Archibald Alexander Hamilton H. Ringwood Robert Shaw Templer 7–12 OctoberDublin University Championships Dublin, IrelandHard (Asphalt)Singles James Jackson Sherrard? William Morgan Jellett Henry James Daly? William Morgan Jellett Henry James Daly Richard Manders George Henry Shannon 10 October. Bournemouth CLTC Autumn TournamentBournemouth CLTCDean Park Cricket GroundBournemouth, EnglandGrassSingles - Doubles Hubert James Medlycott?
November to December No events
Tournament winners major tournaments in bold Patrick Francis Hadow – Wimbledon Championships-(1) W.F. Templer, Armagh, (1) Edmond Bennet Brackenbury, Bournemouth I, (1) Sir Hubert James Medlycott, Bournemouth II, (1) Henry Evelyn Tombe, Bromley, (1) James Jackson Sherrard, Dublin II, (1) James Patten MacDougall, Edinburgh, (1) Clement Edward Cottrell, Esher, (1) Jonas Henry William Gardner–, Lichfield, (1) William Henry Darby, Limerick, (1) Robert Baron Templer, Moy, (1) Gwyn Saunders, Newcastle Emlyn, (1) William Hughes, Newton Abbott, (1) Vere St. Leger Goold, Waterford, (1)
See also 1878 women's tennis season 1878 Tennis Season 1878 in sports
References
Sources
A Social History of Tennis in Britain: Lake, Robert J. (2014), Volume 5 of Routledge Research in Sports History. Routledge, UK, . Ayre's Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, 1908 to 1938, A. Wallis Myers. British Lawn Tennis and Squash Magazine, 1948 to 1967, British Lawn Tennis Ltd, UK. Dunlop Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, G.P. Hughes, 1939 to 1958, Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd, UK Lawn tennis and Badminton Magazine, 1906 to 1973, UK. Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annuals and Compendia, Lowe, Sir F. Gordon, Eyre & Spottiswoode Spalding's Lawn Tennis Annuals from 1885 to 1922, American Sports Pub. Co, USA. Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice, Nauright John and Parrish Charles, (2012), ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, Cal, USA, . The Concise History of Tennis, Mazak Karoly, (2010), 6th Edition, 2015. Tennis; A Cultural History, Gillmeister Heiner, (1997), Leicester University Press, Leicester, UK. The Tennis Book, edited by Michael Bartlett and Bob Gillen, Arbor House, New York, 1981 The World of Tennis Annuals, Barrett John, 1970 to 2001. Total Tennis:The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia, by Bud Collins, Sport Classic Books, Toronto, Canada, Wright & Ditson Officially Adopted Lawn Tennis Guide's 1890 to 1920 Wright & Ditsons Publishers, Boston, Mass, USA. http://www.tennisarchives.com/ https://thetennisbase.com/
External links 1878 Scottish Championships 1878 South of Ireland Championships, The Limerick Cup Ireland