On 25 August 1930 the Hoylake and West Kirby Open lawn tennis tournament was established. The tournament was unique in that it was played on public tennis courts at the
Ashton Park,
West Kirby,
Cheshire. In 1970 the tobacco company
Rothmans International took over sponsorship of the tournament. It became a major stop on the
ILTF Circuit in July just after Wimbledon until its demise in the mid-1970s. In 1960 and from 1967 the tournament was also valid as
North of England Championships with the winners succeeding to both titles. The tournament was predominantly played on
grass courts except for the 1974 edition that was played on
clay courts. ==Finals==