The Stourbridge Open also known as the Trophee Pernod Stourbridge for sponsorship reasons, was a men's and women's grass court tennis tournament founded in September 1887 as the Stourbridge Lawn Tennis Tournament, and first staged at the Stourbridge Cricket Club (f.1888) grounds,
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The ...
in what was then Worcestershire, but is now part of the
West Midlands,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. This tournament has not had a continual history, being established then discontinued on four occasions. The last tournament took place in 1981.
History
The first Stourbridge Lawn Tennis Tournament organised by the Stourbridge Cricket Club was held in September 1887 and ran until 1907. In 1919 a second Stourbridge Open lawn tennis tournament was established by the North Worcestershire Lawn Tennis Club (f.1919), and continued until 1959.
In 1969 the North Worcestershire Lawn Tennis Club and the Stourbridge Old Edwardian Lawn Tennis Club (f.1926) merged to create a new club called the Stourbridge Lawn Tennis and Squash Club. The new club then staged a third Stourbridge tournament called the Stourbridge Open.
In 1971 the tournament was incorporated into the
Bio-Strath Circuit
The Bio-Strath Circuit was a series tour of British tennis tournaments sponsored by the Swiss company Bio-Strath AG, a producer natural food supplements for sports people from 1970 to 1971. The circuit usually began in mid spring in April and ende ...
under the sponsorship name of the ''Bio-Strath Stourbridge Open'' or simply the ''Bio-Strath Stourbridge'', where it was the ninth leg of the circuit that year. The tournament continued until 1974 as part of the
ILTF circuit. In 1979 a fourth Stourbridge tournament was revived as an
ITF Satellite tournament
A satellite tournament is either a minor tournament or event on a competitive sporting tour or one of a group of such tournaments that form a series played in the same country or region.
Poker
A satellite tournament in poker is a qualifying event. ...
called the Pernod Trophy Stourbridge, and played at the current Stourbridge Tennis Club until 1991.
Venues
There has been four versions of the Stourbridge Open staged by three different clubs. The first tournament was organised by the Stourbridge Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. The venue for the second version of the event was the North Worcestershire Lawn Tennis Club (f.1919). The venue for third version was the current Stourbridge Lawn Tennis and Squash Club (f.1969).
[Stourbridge Lawn Tennis and Squash Club]
Event names
* Stourbridge Lawn Tennis Tournament (1887–1907)
* Stourbridge Open Lawn Tennis Tournament (1919–1959)
* Stourbridge Open (1969–70)
* Bio-Strath Stourbridge Open (1971)
* Stourbridge Open (1972–73)
* Trophee Pernod Stourbridge (1979–1981)
References
{{Bio-Strath Circuit
Defunct tennis tournaments in the United Kingdom