The Seabright Invitational Tournament also known as the Seabright Invitation was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament staged annually at the

Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club The Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club is a historic private sports club in Rumson, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1877 and incorporated in 1886, it is one of the oldest active tennis clubs and claims to be the olde ...

Rumson, New Jersey Rumson is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,343, a ...

, United States from 1884 to 1950.National Historic Landmark Nomination: Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, United States Department of the Interior. pp. 16, 19–21.

History

The

is a historic private sports club in Rumson,

Monmouth County Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by ...

, New Jersey in the United States. It was founded in 1877 and incorporated officially in 1886. In 1884, the club held its first Seabright Invitational Tournament,Gems, Borish and Pfister. (2017) p.173. the men's singles was won Joseph Sill Clark Sr. The tournament continued to be staged annually until 1889 when it was discontinued. In 1894 the tournament was reestablished, and in 1920 a permanent women's event was finally added to the schedule. The event was suspended from 1943 to 1945 because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It resumed in 1946 and continued to be held until 1949. In 1950, the organizing committee of

voted to discontinue the event, due to ongoing cost of the maintenance of the grass courts, and the budget needed to build new permanent spectator seating made it untenable. Contrary to official sources the other reason the tournament was ended was not because of funding, but because the members grew tired of the fuss of organizing the event."Sport: Too Much Fuss"
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', August 14, 1950. Accessed March 12, 2023.

Finals

Men's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Women's singles

(Incomplete roll)

Other tournaments

The club during the 1880s early 1890s also organised other tournaments usually as a one off events occasionally a couple of editions.

References

{{reflist 1884 establishments in New Jersey 1950 disestablishments in New Jersey Grass court tennis tournaments Defunct tennis tournaments in the United States Rumson, New Jersey Tennis tournaments in New Jersey