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The Rothmans Connaught Hard Court Championships also known simply as the Connaught Hard Courts was a combined men's and women's clay court tennis tournament founded in 1951. The championships were organised by the Connaught Lawn Tennis Club, Chingford, Essex, England. The tournament ran until 1974.

History

The Connaught Hard Court Championships, were established in 1951 as an open tournament held at the Connaught Lawn Tennis Club (f.1885), Chingford, Essex, England. The tournament was continually staged until 1974. The tournament was sponsored by the tobacco company Rothmans International from 1971 to 1974.

Notable winners of the men's singles title included; Tony Mottram, Jack Arkinstall, Torben Ulrich, Sven Davidson, Lew Hoad, Rod Laver, Jaroslav Drobný, and Owen Davidson. Previous winners of women's singles title included; Doris Hart, Angela Mortimer, Christine Truman, Norma Baylon, Ann Haydon Jones, Virginia Wade, and Dianne Fromholtz.

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
1951	Tony Mottram	John Horn	6-0, 6-3
1952	Tony Mottram (2)	Ignacy Tloczynski	2-6, 6-1, 6-3
1953	Jack Arkinstall	Don Black	6-3, 6-0
1954	Torben Ulrich	Bobby Wilson	6-2, 1-6, 6-0
1955	Sven Davidson	Mike Davies	6-4, 6-1
1956	Lew Hoad	Bobby Wilson	6-2, 6-1
1957	Jaroslav Drobný	Mike Davies	6-4, 6-3
1958	Roger Becker	Mike Davies	4-6, 6-4, 6-3
1959	Roger Becker (2)	Bobby Wilson	7-5, 2-6, 6-4
1960	Bobby Wilson	Roger Becker	6-4, 6-4
1961	Bobby Wilson (2)	Alan Mills	8-6, 6-1
1962	Rod Laver	Martin Mulligan	4-6, 6-4, 6-4
1963	Bobby Wilson (3)	Mike Sangster	8-6, 6-4, 6-2
1964	Bobby Wilson (4)	Mike Sangster	6-2, 6-3
1965	Bobby Wilson (5)	Mark Cox	6-2, 8-6
1966	Bobby Wilson (6)	Alan Mills	6-2, 6-2
1967	Birger Folke	Lars Ölander	6-3, 2-6, 14-12
1968	Paul Hutchins	Bobby Wilson	6-2, 1-6, 6-1
↓  Open era  ↓
1969	Allan Stone	John Cooper	6-4, 6-2
1972	Hank Irvine	John Clifton	6-2, 6-2
1973	Owen Davidson	Colin Dowdeswell	3-6, 9-8, 6-1

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
1951	Kay Tuckey	Joy Gannon Mottram	6-4, 6-4
1952	Jean Walker-Smith	Joy Gannon Mottram	1-6, 9-7, 6-4
1953	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry	6-3, 4-6, 6-4
1954	Leonie Thorn Brighton	Jenny Middleton	7-5, 6-3
1955	Angela Mortimer	Elaine Watson	6-1, 6-0
1956	Angela Mortimer (2)	Jenny Middleton	6-3, 6-1
1957	Christine Truman	Elaine Shenton	6-3, 6-3
1958	Christine Truman (2)	Ann Haydon	6-3, 8-6
1959	Angela Mortimer (3)	Christine Truman	6-3, 7-5
1960	Angela Mortimer (4)	Christine Truman	6-1, 4-6, 6-4
1961	Angela Mortimer (5)	Edda Buding	6-3, 6-3
1962	Angela Mortimer (6)	Christine Truman	6-2, 6-4
1963	Norma Baylon	Christine Truman (3)	divide title
1964	Norma Baylon (2)	Christine Truman	3-6, 6-2, 6-4
1965	Elizabeth Starkie	Christine Truman	8-6, 6-3
1966	Ann Haydon Jones	Virginia Wade	6-4, 6-3
1967	Virginia Wade	Pat Walkden	6-0, 9-7
1968	Faye Toyne Moore	Virginia Wade	6-4, 8-6
↓  Open era  ↓
1969	Corinne Molesworth	Shirley Bloomer Brasher	3-6, 6-2, 6-4
1972	Cynthia Sieler	Wendy Appleby	7-5, 7-5
1973	Dianne Fromholtz	Ilana Kloss	6-1, 3-6, 6-4

Tournament records

• Most men's singles titles: Bobby Wilson (6)
• Most men's singles finals: Bobby Wilson (8)
• Most women's singles titles: Angela Mortimer (6)
• Most women's singles finals: Christine Truman (8)

References

1. "SWIRLING near-gale-force wind and rain hit the Rothman's Connaught Hard Court Championships at Chingford Essex yesterday, and flurries snow made play almost impossible". Birmingham Weekly Mercury. Birmingham, England: British Newspaper Archives. 28 May 1972. p. 40.
2. Nieuwland, Alex. "Tournament–Connaught Hard Courts; Chingford". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
3. Wilson, Bobby (1964). St. Paul's Bibliographies: My Side of the Net. Oxford: Oxford Polytechnic Press. p. 76.
4. "History". www.connaughtclub.co.uk. Chingford, England: Connaught Club. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
5. Connaught Club
6. Connaught Club
7. Connaught Club
8. Tennis Archives
9. Connaught Club
10. Connaught Club
11. "Tournament – Connaught Hard Courts; Chingford". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 30 March 2023.

• Clay court tennis tournaments
• Defunct tennis tournaments in the United Kingdom