There can be few sponsors in British sport, and certainly not in tennis, who have given their financial backing to one particular sport for 10 years, let alone 25 years, so it is with great sadness that BWTA  say goodbye to Tate & Lyle at the end of this year after an association which has lasted a quarter of a century.

In those 25 years the events Tate & Lyle have supported have varied slightly but, since 1988 the format for the main autumn weekend has been familiar – main singles event, ‘B’ singles and the Masters event of the enormously popular ‘Housewives’ Doubles – although nowadays, in deference to the single woman, the event is known as the ‘One-Day’ Doubles.

Way back in 1977 Tate & Lyle began their sponsorship with two weekends of singles events for Britain’s up and coming youngsters.  The first two winners were Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs – both still under the age of 18 but by then featuring in the British ranking system.  Jo went on to win one of the weekends held the following year, by which time she was ranked 12 in the UK and already starting to make a name for herself.  The format of two Tate & Lyle weekends a year was to last for eight years and another top British junior of that generation, Kate Brasher, was to feature three times on the Honours Roll.

By 1984 the number of indoor courts in Britain was increasing and, in 1985, the Matchpoint Centre in Bramhall played host to a singles event, which was won by the then British No.9, Sara Gomer who defeated the current 16 & Under national champion, Clare Wood.  This weekend also included for the first time a ‘Housewives’ event, made up of local players.  This format continued for three years until, in 1988, the event moved to the Surrey Tennis & Country Club.  For the first time, a ‘Masters’ was held for a series of ‘Housewives’ doubles events which had taken place that year.  The following year the Tate & Lyle weekend moved to the new indoor courts at The All England Club, Wimbledon, which has been the venue up until the present day.

The main singles event has always attracted some of Britain’s best but 1991 was a ‘cream’ year in which Samantha Smith, then ranked 119 in the world and No. 5 in the UK, defeated the British No. 6 and defending champion, Clare Wood 6-4 6-1.  Clare went on to win the title again the following year, defeating Karen Cross who, in turn, won the main singles event in 1993.  The word had gone round that if you were runner-up one year you would win the next!  Over the years several girls who have won the ‘B’ singles have gone on to do well in the main event.  In 1999 Hannah Collin became the first player to claim both the Tate & Lyle singles and the Nationals title at Telford a few weeks later.

While the main event naturally corners most of the publicity, there is no doubt that the Masters event of the ‘One-Day’ Doubles occupies a unique place in the heart of the Tate & Lyle weekend.  From small beginnings, the One-Day Doubles events staged throughout the year at various venues have proved to be enormously enjoyable with many pairings attempting to find their way through to the Masters by entering different events.  In the early years of the Masters it soon became apparent that some couples were pretty ‘hot’ and two pairings each won the Masters for two consecutive years. Sue Day and Jill Stanton, reached four consecutive finals (1989-1992), and won on the first two occasions.  In their third and fourth year, they were runners-up to Jane Green and Lynne Hunt. In order to give others a chance, it was then decreed that anyone winning the Masters would be barred from competing in the One-Day Doubles for a three year period.  Jane and Lynne, were to come back in 1996, however, and were runners-up in spite of the fact that Lynne was a mother-to-be!  They have gone on to be runners-up twice since then, in 1999 and again last year. So high on the list of priorities is the Masters is that it has even been known for players to cross the Atlantic in order to take part!

While Tate & Lyle have proved to be the most loyal of sponsors, there are two people who have been involved with the sponsorship for 18 years and without whom the event would be strangely lacking.  Stand up Reg and Hazel Parry, who travel the length and breadth of the country, come rain or shine, all through the summer months to be with their ‘girls’.

Heather Dallas
November 2001

NB – this is a revised version of an article on Tate & Lyle which was published in BWTA’s 25th Anniversary issue of Hits & Misses in May 1999. 

Tate & Lyle Roll of Honour 
(Main singles and One-Day Doubles Masters only)