The Wemyss Bay Tennis Tournament^[1] was a men's and women's tennis that featured a series of four tennis events all usually played in August each year at the same venue The tournament/s were all organised by the Inverkip Rovers Lawn Tennis Club, that was staged them annually on the tennis courts at Castle Wemyss, Wemyss Bay, Wemyss Bay, Renfrewshire, Scotland.

The events played during the month were Inverkip Rovers LTC Tournament (1882-1886),^[2] the Inverkip Rovers Open (1885-1889)^[3] the Castle Wemyss Open. (1890-1905)^[4] and the Inverkip Rovers Closed Championships (1882-1888).

History

Castle Wemyss was a large mansion in Wemyss Bay, Scotland. It stood on the southern shore of the Firth of Clyde at Wemyss Point, where the firth turns southwards. In August 1882 the Inverkip Rovers Lawn Tennis club began to organise a series of tennis events staged the event annually on the Castle Wemyss Courts at Castle Wemyss, Wemyss Bay, Renfrewshire, Scotland as part of the Wemyss Bay Tennis Tournament.

These tournament were all played during the month of August. That year it established the Inverkip Rovers LTC Tournament.^[5] The same year the club also organised a closed championship event called the Inverkip Rovers Closed Championships that was only open to club members only.

In 1885 it create a new open tournament the Inverkip Rovers Open that was staged the event annually on the Castle Wemyss Courts until 1889.^[6] In 1890 the club established another new new tournament for men Castle Wemyss Open - Castle Wemyss Cup..^[7] That event was also open featuring mixed doubles for women. In 1905 the Wemyss Bay Tennis Tournament was discontinued after 23 years.

Finals

Inverkip Rovers Closed Championships

(Open to club members only).^[8]

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1882	Horatio Renaud Babington Peile	?	?.[8]
1883	George Arbuthnot Burns	Horatio R. Babington Peile	5-6 3-6 6-3 6-5 6-5.[8]
1884	Horatio R. Babington Peile (2)	D.M. Hannay	3 sets to 2.[8]
1885	Charles H. J. Higginbotham	D.M. Hannay	2 sets to 1.[8]
1886	Charles H. J. Higginbotham (2)	G.H. Aitken	7-5 6-4 0-6 6-4.[8]
1887	Archibald Thomson	Henry Guy Nadin	w.o.[8]
1888	Horatio R. Babington Peile (3)	J.C. Burns	4-6 6-3 6-3.[8]

Inverkip Rovers LTC Tournament

Men's singles.^[9]

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1882	Horatio Renaud Babington Peile	George Nelson Stenhouse	6-1, 6-2 .[9]
1883	George Arbuthnot Burns	James Locke	3-6 6-3 9-7 6-2.[9]
1884	Horatio Renaud Babington Peile (2)	Richard Millar Watson	6-0, 6-3, 6-8. 6-8, 6-3.[9]
1886	Richard Millar Watson	Forrester John Thomson	7-5 6-1 6-3[9]

Inverkip Rovers Open

Men's singles.^[10]

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1885	Charles H. J. Higginbotham	?	?.[10]
1886	Charles H. J. Higginbotham (2)	Edward Mortimer Shand	7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 6-4 .[10]
1887	Archibald Thomson	Henry Guy Nadin	w.o..[10]
1888	Richard Millar Watson	Henry Guy Nadin	0-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1[10]
1889	Louis J. Grant[11]	Richard Millar Watson	w.o.[10]

Mens Doubles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1886	Charles H. J. Higginbotham D.M. Hannay	Walter R. Baines Latham T.F. Donald	5-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-5, 6-4.[10]

Mixed Doubles

(Incomplete roll)

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1886	G.H. Aitken Miss Macquisten	D.M. Hannay Mrs Macquisten	3-6, 6-3, 6-3.[10]

Castle Wemyss Open

Castle Wemyss Cup.^[12]

Year	Winner	Runner-up	Score
1890	G. Scott-Jackson	?	?.[10]
1891	Richard Millar Watson	Edward Mortimer Shand	7–5, 6–4, 0–6, 6-4 .[12]
1892	Henry Guy Nadin	Howard Augustus Taylor	?.[12]
1893	Gerald Peacocke	Arthur Knox Cronin	6–2, 6–4, 9-7.[12]
1894	Gerald Peacocke (2)	Henry Guy Nadin	4–6, 10–8, 6–0, 6-3 .[12]
1895	Kenneth Ramsden Marley	Gerald Peacocke (3)	6–4, 7–5, 7-5 .[12]
1898	Gerald Peacocke (4)	George Lawrence Orme	w.o.[12]
1899	Gerald Peacocke (5)	James Anthony Traill	6–4, 0–6, 6–2.[12]
1905	Reginald Doherty	James Anthony Traill	6–2, 6–3, 5–7, 6-3.[13]

References