The 1884 Women's tennis season was a tennis circuit composed of 33 national, regional, county, and regular tournaments. The season began in March in Brooklyn, United States, and ended in December in Melbourne, Australia.
Season summary Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win.
1884 sees a slight expansion in the number women's singles events being held as the tennis circuit continues to grow.Berry. David (2020). A people's history of tennis. (2) Feminists. Pluto Books London ISBN 978-0745339658. p.30. In March the 23rd Regiment Armory Indoors tournament is held at the 23rd Regiment Armory in Brooklyn is the first indoor wood court tournament for women held in the United States, the event is won by Bessie Hazard.
In May 1884 at the first major event of the year the Irish ChampionshipsIrish TV Documentary (4 Jul 2016). The True Tale Of The Irish Tennis Murderer. Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE). Dublin. Ireland. in Dublin, Ireland. In the women's singles final holder Ireland's May Langrishe is defeated by England's Maud Watson. Watson also claims the mixed doubles title with William Renshaw against Ireland's Connie Butler and Scotlands John Galbraith Horn. In terms of draw size the West of England Championships was the largest tournament of the year with a draw of 46 across three events.
In June 1884 at the second major tournament of the year the Northern Championships in Liverpool England's Edith Davies achieves a clean sweep winning singles title against Margaret Bracewell, she also picks up the doubles title with Miss Eckersley defeating sisters Annie and Lottie Dod, and the mixed doubles title paired with Ireland's Ernest Browne. In July in South Africa the first major women's tournament the Natal Championships is played in Pietermaritzburg, and in South East Asia the Singapore Cricket Club establishes a ladies lawn tennis club who stage a tournament later in December.
At the 1884 Wimbledon Championships the world's first major tennis tournament women's championships events are staged for the first time, in the singles competition Maud Watson defeats her sister Lilian Watson to claim the very first ladies championship event. At the U.S. National Championships there was still no women's championship events held.
In Australasia the first singles tournaments for women are held. In October the Carisbrook tournament in Dunedin, New Zealand is staged for the first time. In December the first Victorian Championships for women is held in Melbourne, Australia and played on asphalt courts. In 1913 the International Lawn Tennis Federation was created, that consisted of national member associations. The ILTF through its associated members then became responsible for supervising women's tour events.
Results 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 challenge round final
Key Important. National Provincial/State/Regional County Regular
Singles Results included:. + Tournaments (30) # Date endTournament Location Surface Winner Finalist Score1.6-Mar-188423d Regiment Armory IndoorsBrooklynWood (i) Bessie Hazard Miss N. Hanly 6–3, 5–6, 6–4 2.24-May-1884Irish Championships Dublin Grass Maud Watson May Langrishe6–3, 6–2, 6–23.24-May-1884Whitehouse OpenEdinburghGrass Jane Meikle Julia Ferguson 10–8, 6–24.31-May-1884West of England ChampionshipsBathGrass Edith Davies Lilian Cole 6–4, 6–45.10-Jun-1884Waterloo TournamentLiverpoolGrass Margaret Bracewell E. Gordon 6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6–16.14-Jun-1884East Gloucestershire ChampionshipsCheltenhamGrass Edith Davies Louisa Martin 3–6, 6–5, 6–37.19-Jun-1884Northern ChampionshipsLiverpoolGrass Edith Davies Margaret Bracewell2–6, 6–4, 6–48.21-Jun-1884London Athletic Club TournamentStamford BridgeGrass Maud Watson Edith Cole6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–19.26-Jun-1884Ealing LTC Championship EalingGrass Mrs. Streetern Charlotte Cooper6–4, 4–6, 6–510.1-Jul-1884Kilkenny County and City TournamentKilkennyGrass Mabel Cahill May Langrishe6–4, 6–411.5-Jul-1884Natal ChampionshipsPietermaritzburgGrass Miss. Pearson L. Button 6–0, 6–0, 3–6, 7–512.18-Jul-1884Hull Westbourne Avenue Tournament HullGrass Mabel Boulton E.D. Ramsey 6–0, 7–513.19-Jul-1884Wimbledon ChampionshipsLondonGrass Maud Watson Lilian Watson 6–8, 6–3, 6–314.25-Jul-1884Midland Counties ChampionshipsEdgbastonGrass Miss Noon E Richardson3–6, 8–6, 6–315.2-Aug-1884Chiswick Park TournamentChiswick ParkGrass Blanche Bingley Miss Wing 6–3, 6–316.9-Aug-1884Exmouth OpenExmouthGrass Maud Watson Agnes Watts 6–1, 7–5, 6–317.16-Aug-1884North Yorkshire TournamentScarboroughGrass Constance Hodgson Beatrice Wood 7–5, 6–318.16-Aug-1884East Grinstead OpenEast Grinstead Grass Miss Cobbold Ada Strapp 6–1, 6–419.21-Aug-1884Saxmundham Lawn Tennis Tournament Saxmundham Grass May Marriott G. Rant 6–1, 6–120.23-Aug-1884Derbyshire Championships BuxtonGrass Agnes Watts Florence Stanuell 6–1, 6–221.23-Aug-1884South of Scotland ChampionshipsMoffatGrass Jane Meikle Lottie Paterson 6–3, 6–422.23-Aug-1884Whitby Open Lawn Tennis TournamentWhitbyGrass L. Cheetham A.J. Osmond 6–3, 6–423.30-Aug-1884St. Paul OpenSaint Paul Grass Miss Napier Miss K. Gilman 2–1 sets 24.5-Sep-1884Bournemouth Lawn Tennis Club TournamentBournemouth Grass F. Davies Mrs Hornby 3–6, 6–2, 6–525.6-Sep-1884South of England ChampionshipsEastbourneGrass Frances Burton Nellie Burton 6–2, 6–426.27-Sep-1884Sussex County Lawn Tennis TournamentBrightonGrass M. Leslie Eva Adshead def.?27.16-Oct-1884Carisbrook Tournament DunedinGrass F. E. Maitland ? Won29.19-Dec-1884Victorian ChampionshipsMelbourneAsphalt E. MacKenzie A. Bayles 10-4 (games)30.Government of SingaporeDec-1884Singapore Ladies LTC TournamentSingaporeGrassresults unknown ditto ditto
Tournament winners Singles This is list of winners sorted by number of singles titles (major titles in bold) Maud Watson (4) Exmouth, Irish Championships, Wimbledon Championships, Stamford Bridge. Edith Davies (3) Bath, Cheltenham, Northern Championships Jane Meikle (2) Edinburgh, Moffat Bessie Hazard (1) Brooklyn Margaret Bracewell (1) Liverpool Mrs. Streetern (1) Ealing Mabel Cahill (1) Kilkenny Miss. Pearson (1) Pietermaritzburg Mabel Boulton (1) Hull Miss Noon (1) Edgbaston Blanche Bingley (1) Chiswick Park Constance Hodgson (1) Scarborough Miss Cobbold (1) East Grinstead May Marriott (1) Saxmundham Agnes Watts (1) Buxton L. Cheetham (1) Whitby Miss Napier (1) St. Paul F. Davies (1) Bournemouth Frances Burton (1) Eastbourne M. Leslie (1) Brighton F. E. Maitland (1) Dunedin E. MacKenzie (1) Melbourne
Doubles This is list of winners sorted by number of doubles titles (major titles in bold) Davies, Eckersley, Mardall and Watts won titles with different partners. Edith Davies & Miss Eckersley/ Florence Mardall (4) Bath, Cheltenham, Edgbaston, Northern Championships. Florence Mardall & Edith Davies (3) Bath, Cheltenham, Edgbaston Miss Eckersley & Margaret Bracewell/ Edith Davies (2) Liverpool II, Northern Championships Agnes Watts & Effie Noon/ Miss Noon (2) Buxton, Exmouth. Adela Langrishe & May Langrishe (1) Irish Championships. Margaret Bracewell & Miss Eckersley (1) Liverpool II. Lilian Watson & Maud Watson (1) Edgbaston. Effie Noon & Agnes Watts (1) Exmouth. Annie Riddell & M. Rose (1) Melbourne A. Turner & Miss Turner (1) Scarborough. Miss Cobbold & Miss Richardson (1) East Grinstead. Miss Noon & Agnes Watts (1) Buxton. A. Foster & G. Rant (1) Saxmundham. Miss Mockler & Miss Skirrow (1) Bournemouth. Blanche Bingley & M. Leslie (1) Brighton.
Mixed doubles This is list of winners sorted by number of mixed doubles titles (major titles in bold) Maud Watson & William Renshaw/ John Redfern Deykin (2) Exmouth, Irish Championships. Florence Mardall & Charles Gostling/ John Redfern Deykin (2) Bath, Edgbaston. Miss Hanly & Mr. Hough (1) Brooklyn. Margaret Bracewell & J. Bruce Ismay (1) Liverpool II. Edith Davies & Ernest Browne (1) Northern Championships. Miss Noon & Frank Noon (1) Leamington. Marian Bradshaw & Herbert Wilberforce (1) Darlington. Miss Bourchier & Donald Stewart (1) Chiswick Park. Ellen Ramsay & Ernest Browne (1) Scarborough. Miss Taylor & William Renshaw (1) East Grinstead. Lilian Cole & Charles E. Pine-Coffin (1) Teignmouth. Ethel Surtees & Charles Grinstead (1) Buxton. Miss Burnand & E.M. Hansell (1) Saxmundham. D. Radcliffe & John Charles Kay (1) Whitby. Blanche Bingley & E. Barratt-Smith (1) Brighton. Annie Riddel & Walter J. Riddell (1) Melbourne. Annie Lamb & Mr Cropper (1) Sydney.
Statistical summary Singles Total Tournaments (30) Most Titles: Maud Watson (4) Most Finals: Maud Watson (4) Most Matches Played: Maud Watson (15) Most Matches Won: Maud Watson (15) Match Winning %: Maud Watson (100%) Most Tournaments Played: Maud Watson (4)
Doubles Total Tournaments: (14) Most Titles: Edith Davies (4) Most Finals: Edith Davies (4)
Mix Doubles Total Tournaments: (20) Most Titles: Florence Mardall / Maud Watson (2) Most Finals: Florence Mardall / Maud Watson (2)
References