The Highland Championships (informally called the Scottish Highland Championships) was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament first established in 1896 as part of the Atholl Hydropathic Open Lawn Tennis Tournament.^[1] Also known as the Bell's Highland Championships for sponsorship reasons (1974–1981).^[2]

The championships were first held at the Athole Hydropathic tennis courts, Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland. The tournament was staged annually as part of the ILTF Circuit until 1981.^[3]

History

In 1878, the Atholl Hydropathic was opened. In August 1896, the hotel established its first lawn tennis event, the Atholl Hydropathic Open Lawn Tennis Tournament of which the Highland Lawn Tennis Championship Trophy was played for as part of the gentleman's singles programme.^[4] It was part of the Scottish Lawn Tennis Association (SLTA) circuit from inception. In 1913, the venue's name was changed to the Athol Palace Hotel. The championships were temporarily suspended during both the first and second world wars. It continued to be held annually as part of the official international ILTF Circuit from 1913. At the 1930 championships 149 players entered the tournament for play.^[5]

In 1974, the Scottish whisky company Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd. decided to sponsor the event under the brand name the Bell's Highland Championships. That year, 14-year-old Judith Erskine (future mother of grand slam champion Andy Murray) won all three titles of the Bell's Junior Championship of the Highlands.^[6] It ran until 1981,^[7] when it ceased to part of the international worldwide tennis circuit. The tournament continues to be staged at the same venue today, now known as the Highland Tennis Championships,^[8] or Tennis Championships of the Highlands. The tournament is currently administered by Tennis Scotland.

Venue

Atholl Palace, Pitlochry venue for this tennis event.

In 1874, the Perthshire architect, Andrew Heiton was commissioned to design a Scottish baronial-style hydropathic establishment, with accommodation.^[9] In 1878, the building was officially opened and named the Athole Hydropathic.^[10] In 1913, its name was changed to The Atholl Palace Hotel.^[10]

Finals

Men's singles

Harry S. Barlow first men's singles champion c. 1900.

(incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
↓  SLTA Circuit  ↓
Highland Lawn Tennis Championship Trophy
1897[3]	Harry Sibthorpe Barlow	Clement Cazalet	w.o.
1899[11]	Sydney Lawrence Fry	Rupert Hamblin-Smith	6–1, 6–3, 6–4
1900[3]	Alfred Aitken Thomson	Richard Millar Watson	w.o.
Highland Lawn Tennis Championships
1901[3]	Sydney Lawrence Fry (2)	James Cecil Parke	6–1, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2
1903[3]	E.G. Whittle	C.H. Moss	6–1, 6–3, 4–6, 6–2
1905[3]	W.E. McKechnie	T.B. Pollard	6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
Highland Championships
1938[12]	Colin Gregory	Alfred Eustace Fannin	6–4, 3–6, 8–6
1940/1945	Not held (due to World War II)
1947[3]	David M. Duncan	S.H. Allan	6–2, 7–5
1948[3]	John Stewart Ross	G.W. O'Connor	7–5, 7–5
1949[3]	John C. George Savile	Arthur J. Gould	8–10, 6–2, 6–0
1950[3]	Tadeusz Slawek[13]	John C. George Savile	6–1, 6–1
1951[3]	Tadeusz Slawek (2)	R.H. Thomson	6–3, 6–1
1952[3]	Tadeusz Slawek (3)	A.G. Potter	6–0, 7–5
1953[3]	A.L. Graeme	N.J. Gibson	6–4, 4–6, 6–2
1954[3]	John R. Maguire	D.B. Dempsey	6–3, 6–1
1955[3]	Brian Douglas Ford[14]	J.J. Carmichael	6–1, 6–2
1956[3]	Alan Ronald Mills	D.B. Dempsey	6–0, 6–3
1957[3]	D.B. Dempsey	A. Bloomfield	6–3, 6–2
1959[3]	Aaron S. Black	D.C. Burrows	13–11, 6–1
1960[3]	D.B. Dempsey (2)	Aaron S. Black	2–6, 11–9, 6–0
1961[3]	D.B. Dempsey (3)	Ken Riley	6–3, 4–6, 6–1
1962[3]	Mark Cox	John Blizard [15]	6–3, 6–0
1964[3]	J.C. Reynolds	T.C. MacNair	6–2, 6–2
↓  Open era  ↓
1972[3]	John Graham Clifton	David Alan Lloyd	6–2, 6–2
Bell's Highland Championships
1975[3]	David Alan Lloyd	Hugh Thomson[16]	6–3, 6–0
1976[3]	Graeme Notman[17]	Ken Revie	6–3, 6–2
1977[3]	Jasper Cooper	Robbie Rockwell	4–6, 6–2, 6–4
1978[3]	K. Reynolds	Peter Littlewood	6–3, 6–3
1979[3]	K. Reynolds (2)	J. McKechnie	6–4, 6–3
1980 [3]	Mark Powell	Keith Kordula[18]	6–3, 6–2
1981[3]	P. Priest	N. Carmichaell	6–3, 6–3

Women's singles

Anita Lizana of Chile won 1 singles titles.

Esna Boyd of Australian won 2 singles titles.

(incomplete roll)

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
↓  SLTA Circuit  ↓
Highland Lawn Tennis Championship Trophy
1897	Lottie Paterson	Jane Corder	6–3, 6–3
1899	Florence Stanuell	Lottie Paterson	6–2, 3–6, 6–2
1900	Ruth Dyas Durlacher	Lottie Paterson	6–4, 6–3
Highland Lawn Tennis Championships
1903	Alice Maud Ferguson	Minnie Hunter	6–3, 8–6
↓  ILTF Circuit  ↓
Highland Championships
1922	Mary Gray Welsh	Mary Thom	6–1, 9–7
1928	Winifred Mason	Olga Webb	1–6, 6–1, 6–3
1929	Winifred Mason (2)	Geraldine Beamish	6–0, 6–4
1933	Esna Boyd Robertson	Joan Hartigan	6–2, 6–2
1934	Esna Boyd Robertson (2)	Kathleen Robertson	6-2, 6-0
1935	Madge Slaney	Esna Boyd Robertson	6–2, 6–1
1936	Anita Lizana	Madge Slaney	6–4, 6–3
1940/1945	Not held (due to World War II)
1948	Helena Czolowska	Betty Lombard	6–2, 7–5
1950	Mrs C.M. Mitchell	Chloe Rhodes	6–4, 2–6, 8–6
1952	Joyce Reid	E. Vlandy	6–0, 7–5
1953	Beryl Bartlett	Helena Czolowska	6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1961	Ann McAlpine	Sally Holdsworth	6–1, 6–4
1962	Joyce Barclay	Alison Stroud	7–5, 6–3
1967	Winnie Shaw	Margaret H. O'Donnell	6–4, 7–5
↓  Open era  ↓
Bell's Highland Championships
1975	Joyce Barclay Hume (2)	Winnie Shaw Wooldridge	6–8, 6–0, 6–3
1976	Joyce Barclay Hume (3)	Jill Cottrell	6–3, 7–5
1977	Jill Cottrell	Marjorie Love	1–6, 6–1, 6–2
1978	Jill Cottrell (2)	E. Armstrong	6–1, 6–4
1979	G. Armstrong	Eleanor Lightbody	7–5, 6–8, 6–3
1980	D. Boothman	L. Ristic	10–8, 6–2
1981	L. Reid	D. Boothman	6–4, 6–1

Event names

• Highland Lawn Tennis Championship Trophy (1896–1900)
• Highland Lawn Tennis Championships (1901–1913)
• Highland Championships (1914–1973)
• Bell's Highland Championships (1974–1981)

References