Hawke's Bay Championships

The Hawke's Bay Championships was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in 1886 as men's event called the Napier Open. The tournament ran annually through til 1972 until it was discontinued.

History

In late December 1885 the Napier Lawn Tennis Club organised the first Napier Open men's tournament, which was played at Farndon Park. There was also a mixed doubles event staged from 1887 under the tournament name Farndon Park Open. The tournament ran annually under that name, when the competition was expanded to include the Hawke's Bay area thus becoming a regional event called the Hawke's Bay Open in 1900 and organised by the Hawke's Bay Tennis Association. In 1908 the event was re-branded as the Hawke's Bay Championships. The championships were staged annually with the exception of World War One until 1972 when they were discontinued.

Locations

The tournament was held in various locations such as Dannevirke, Hastings, Havelock North, Napier and Waipawa in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.