The British Columbia Championships^[1] also known as the British Columbia Lawn Tennis Championships^[2] or the Labatts British Columbia Championships (for sponsorship reasons) was a men's and women's international tennis tournament founded in 1886 as the Victoria Lawn Tennis Challenge Cup.^[3] also called the British Columbia Challenge Cup.^[4]

It was first played at the Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard, Victoria British Columbia, Canada. The tournament ran as part of ILTF Circuit until 1973. The tournament continued as part of the Satellite Circuit until 1978 when it was discontinued.

History

In 1886 Victoria Lawn Tennis Challenge Cup was played at the naval base of the British Royal Navy in Esquimalt Royal Navy Dockyard ,Esquimalt, Canada. The tournament was then organized by the Victoria Lawn Tennis Club (f. 1884)^[5] During the World War I, from 1915 to 1918.^[6] the championships were not held In 1925, 1926,and 1930 the tournament was jointly valid as Canadian International Championships. From 1940 to 1945 the tournament was not held again due to World War II.

In 1973 the event ceased to be a part of the worldwide ILTF Circuit. In 1974 it was downgraded to the Satellite Circuit joining the Western Satellite Circuit. In 1975 it became part of the Pacific Northwest Satellite Tour. In 1976 it was part American Express Western Challenger Circuit. In 1975 the Labatt Brewing Company took over sponsorship the event. In 1977 the tournament was not held. In 1978 in its final year it became part of the Canadian Challenger Circuit then was discontinued.

Venue

The tournament was held at the Victoria Lawn Tennis Club. In 1950 its name was changed to the Victoria Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club.^[7] In 1963 the club's name was altered again to the Victoria Racquet Club.^[8] The event was played exclusively on grass courts until 1966 when it switched to hard courts.^[9]

Finals

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),^[10] in some tournaments not all.

Men's singles

Included:^[11]

Year	Champion	Runner up	Score
British Columbia Challenge Cup
1886	R. H. Handcock	Julian Gaisford	?
1887	R. H. Handcock (2)	Harvey Coombe	3–0, retd.
British Columbia Lawn Tennis Championships[12]
1888 (CR)	John Chawner Williams	R. H. Handcock	?
1889 (CR)	Charles Longe	John Chawner Williams	6–1, 6–0, 6–0
1890 (CR)	Charles Longe (2)	Harvey Combe	4–6, 6–8, 7–5, 6–0, 6–2
1891 (CR)	Charles Longe (3)	John Fortescue Foulkes	6–8, 6–0, 6–1, 6–3
1892	John Fortescue Foulkes	Arthur Longe	6–3, 6–3, 6–3
1893	Charles Longe (4)	Lancelot Pelly	6–0, 6–1, 6–3
1894	John Fortescue Foulkes (2)	Charles Longe	6–1, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4
1895	John Fortescue Foulkes (3)	Harvey Combe	2–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–4
1896	John Fortescue Foulkes (4)	George Hurd	6–1, 7–5, 6–4
1897	John Fortescue Foulkes (5)	George Hurd	6–0, 6–1, 6–1
1898	John Fortescue Foulkes (6)	Robert Branks Powell	6–1, 6–2, 6–1
1899 (CR)	John Fortescue Foulkes (7)	Lancelot Pelly	6–1, 6–2, 6–2
1900 (CR)	John Fortescue Foulkes (8)	Robert Powell	6–1, 6–2, 6–1
1901	Robert Powell	Albert Goward	6–1, 6–2, 6–3
1902 (CR)	Albert Goward	Robert Powell	6–0, 6–1, 6–0
1903 (CR)	Robert Powell (2)	Albert Goward	7–5, 6–0, 6–3
1904 (CR)	Robert Powell (3)	Walter Bethel	6–3, 3–6, 7–5, 6–1
1905	Capt. Wright	Bernie Schwengers	6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2
1906	Joe Tyler	Bernie Schwengers	5–7, 6–1, 6–1, 1–6, 6–4
1907 (CR)	Bernie Schwengers	Joe Tyler	8–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4
1908 (CR)	Bernie Schwengers (2)	Bruce Smith	6–3, 6–1, 6–2
1909 (CR)	Joe Tyler (2)	Bernie Schwengers	5–7, 6–1, 6–1, 1–6, 6–4
1910 (CR)	Bernie Schwengers (3)	Joe Tyler	6–2, 6–1, 6–0
1911	Joe Tyler (3)	Beverly Rhodes	7–5, 6–0, 6–2
1912 (CR)	Bill Johnston	Joe Tyler	6–0, 7–5, 6–1
1913[13]	Joe Tyler (4)	Herbert Garrett	6–4, 6–3, 6–2
1914	Bernie Schwengers (4)	Henry Breck	6–2, 6–1, 6–4
1915–1918: Not held (due to World War I)
1919	Ashley Stuart Milne	R. C. Mercer	10–8, 6–1, 6–2
1920 (CR)	Phil Neer	Ashley Stuart Milne	3–6, 6–2, 11–9, 6–3
1921	Marshall Allen	Carl Gardner	6–4, 6–4, 8–6
1922 (HR)	Keith Verley	Marshall Allen	8–6, 5–7, 7–5, 6–3
1923	Keith Verley (2)	John Proctor	7–5, 6–2, 5–7, 6–3
1924	Ray Casey	Ed Chandler	6–1, 6–2, 6–3
1925	Leroy Rennie	Marsh Gordon	6–2, 6–2, 6–3
1926	Leon de Turenne	Wallace Scott	6–4, 6–3, 6–0
1927	John Risso	Bradshaw Harrison	6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
1928	Bradshaw Harrison	Leon de Turenne	6–3, 3–6, 9–7, 6–1
1929	Jerry Bartosh	Kurt Berndt	6–3, 6–1, 10–8
1930	Joe Coughlin	Henry Prusoff	6–2, 4–6, 8–6, 6–3
1931	Henry Prusoff	Laurason Driscoll	10–8, 1–6, 6–0, 7-5
1932	Henry Prusoff (2)	John Murio	6:2, 6:3, 6:2
1933	John Murio	Charlie Hunt	6–3, 6–2, 6-2
1934	Mel Dranga	Wayne Sabin	6–0, 8–6, 6-1
1935	Gene Smith	Dick Bennett	8-6, 6–2, 7-5
1936	John Murio (2)	Verne Hughes	6–4, 6–1, 6-4
1937	Dick Bennett	Morton Ballogh	6–2, 6–0, 3–6, 5–7, 6-2
1938	Mel Dranga (2)	Bobby Caruthers	6:3, 2:6, 2:6, 6:2, 6:1
1939	Eddie Amark	Tate Coulthard	7–5, 6–4, 6-3
1940–1945: No held (due to World War II)
British Columbia Championships
1946	Bud Gilmore	Sam Lee	5–7, 1–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6-1
1947	Arnold Beisser	Merwin Miller	6–4, 6–4, 6-1
1948	John Fleitz	Jack Lowe	2–6, 6–4, 6–1, 7-5
1949	Jim Kroesen	Jack Shoemaker	6–4, 11–13, 7–5, 6-4
1950	Lorne Main	Ed Kauder	6–2, 7–5, 6-1
1951	Merwin Miller	Paul Willey	7–9, 6–3, 6–4, 2–6, 6-3
1952	Jerry DeWitts	Fred Fisher	7–5, 6–2, 6-0
1953	Jim Demas	Stanley Hack	3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6-0
1954	Seth Petersen	Jim Demas	4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 8-6
1955	Harry Buttimer	Joe Woolfson	6–4, 4–6, 6-1
1956	Paul Willey	Bill Rose	6–2, 6–0, 6-3
1957	Merwin Miller (2)	Gordon Davis	6–4, 6–3, 6-2
1958	Jim Watson	Bill Rose	4–6, 2–6, 6–2, 6–3, 7-5
1959	Bill Hoogs Jr.	Dale Rohland	6–1, 3–6, 1–6, 6–4, 6-2
1960	Bobby Delgado	Forrest Stewart	1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–8, 6-2
1961	Yoshi Minegishi	Paul Welles	6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6-3
1962	Dave Sanderlin	Chuck Rambeau	6–4, 4–6, 6–4, 6-4
1963	Jerry Cromwell	Bob Sherman	6–4, 3–6, 6-4
1964	Jaime Subirats	Steve Tidbal	6–3, 6-3
1965	Dick Leach	Jack Neer	7–5, 7-5
1966	Bob Puddiecombe	Don McCormick	6–2, 6–4, 12-10
1967	Tom Muench	Doug Verdieck	1–6, 6–4, 6-0
1968	Jim Parker	Bill Tym	11–9, 8-6
Open era
1969	Pierce Kelley	Craig Hardy	6–3, 6-2
1970	Steve Cornell	Mike Mullan	6–2, 6-2
1971[14]	Avery Rush	Manuel Castenada	6–4, 7-5
1972	Chip Fisher	Peter Campbell	6–3, 6-2
1973	João Soares	Bill Hoover	6–1, 6-4
1974	Chip Fisher (2)	Jerry Van Linge	4–6, 7–5, 7-6
Labatts British Columbia Championships
1975	Dave Kanter	Stan Pasarell	7–6, 6-3
1976	Paul McNamee	Dick Bohrnstedt	7–6, 6-3
1977: Event not held
1978	Bill Lloyd	Bruce Kleege	6–2, 6-1

References