[By Huka ]

Sevcrnl of tho city club* luv« not | yet completed their usunl club ovents, ' while othere haro not only completed nil their miial event*, but have nUo made urniugemenU for tho winter contests. One n.ub has received 25 mon'it nnd 23 ladies' entries for a "combined," which | will bo started, possibly, next month. Club members mint bo catered for during tho winter now, as wo.l as the summer, j and tho clubs who do so will surely gain j thereby. All tho best players in Engmnd have nt last como to tho conclusion that to excel at tho gnmo they must I keep their "eyo in" during the winter ' mont His, and the consequence is that covered court practice is now gcnor.iliy adopted by them. Of course thoy do l.ot go in for such constant piay as in the summer, but nt the len.st * attend tho courts once a week. New «hots arc practised and tho wenk points in play attended to. A certain player who hnd a very weak service was known to acquire the American service by constant atudy and practice during the winter, and «.i.iii» j plotely overthrew his old opponent.?, who could bent him noisily beforo, nt tho first summer meeting. ! Tennis players nnd others will bo giv- ! ing their attention to the contests in ! England, whero our representative!! will ' shortly bo striving hard against the pick of tho world for victory. Kcvor Wtore in any sport havo so many nationa boon • pitted against one another, and it *nyu a. lot for tho popularity of the game ol lawn tennis that it should lead tho way. Firstly comes the All England Championships, which will he played at Wimbledon, -starting on 26th June, in ivnich no doubt all tho crack plnyers of the world will bo competing. Additional interest has been added to the All Kuk land bluo ribbon event by a veiy genelous offer of a ctip vnlued at £20, j.rosentcd by the surviving members of tho family- of the Iftto Ernest und V-illinm Renshaw. This gracoful gift, intended to perpetuate* tho memory of such great players, must be a sovirco of lively gratification to everyone who takes an interest in tho game ; for not only is the namo of Renshaw symbolical of all thnt is sportsmanlike and fair-minded wherever tho < gnmo w pluyud, but representative of tho scientific character of the game a« tit prosent in vogue. The gift will bo known ac "The Renshaw Cup," nnd one will be prewonted annually, to bo won outright year after year. No sooner will thcec championships be over than tho international contests will begin on Blh July and extending lo tho Challenge round, which will he played on 21st, 22nd, and 24th July. Then, again, a tenm composed of four Australians nnd two Now Zo;i',nndei« will (nfi an Austnilasinn tenm) compote against tho pick of Groat Britain, So far the dftlc of this match hns not bcon fixed, but it will probably be played before the All England Championships in June. The team to represent tho colonies will probably ho selected from the following p-ny-ent: — Brookes, Dunlop, Douat, Pnrkcr, Wilding, OewhuiHt, J-'uviw, nnd Poidevin. E. B. I)ewhur*t (who is nn Australian) must be consldeicd, ns he hns just lately beaten W. 0. Grant, an American player ol repute, l/i iho (Inul of tho United Stall* Covered Court Championship. Dawhurat was chißsiHed amongst the first Bight playoi'H of America Inst yenr. I'hc tram to represent America in tho internal km, il content will consist of Messrs OiothliT und Lamed for tho singles, mill the noted pair Ward and Wright for the double*. Cheat Britain will possibly tie-

pond upon tho famous Doherty Bios., \wth Ritchie at, nn assistant. Tho Monte. Carlo and Cannes Tournaments aro over, and as usual all the tiistelavs players wore competing. H. L. Dohoity won the 3000 francs Mouto Carlo Challenge Cup, he-ntini; M. J. CJ. Ritchie in the iinul, 6—4, B—6, 6—4. Ritchie won four games miming „,' tho tjnal hft, scoring thirteen .successive, aces off the reel, .md led 4—2, but Dohorty then took four M might games and match. The Dohorty Bios, bent E. R. a iul 0. G. Allen (tho twins) in the final of tho doubles, 7—5, 6—2, 9—7, and ns that wns their third successive win, they cany olf Iho handsome cups worth 500 francs each, which now will have to bo leplaced. Miss Douglas*, tho KnglU.li champion, won tho ladies' singles from her countrywoman, Mi.sa Wilson, 6~-4, 6—l. H. k Dohcrly and Mibs Kentish, and It. F. Doherty and "Mrs*. Adams" wero beaten in Iho combined event), which was won by Miss Douglas and E. R. Allen. R. F. Doherty won the handicap single!* from owes 40. Ho beat Ritchie (owes 15) 4—64 — 6 in first round, 7—5,7 — 5, 6—4. At Cannes tho Doherty Bros, won doubles, beating Ritchie and Hiiiiond, 6—4,6 — 4, 6—l, 4—6,4 — 6, 7—67 — 6 in final ; and R. F. Doherty and " Mrs. Adams" won combined. R. P. (owes IB I—6) nlso put up ft great peiformanco in handicap singles, winning final from fjiandersou (roc 15 4—6), 7—5,7 — 5, B—6.8 — 6. Under tho heading, " Beyond the Vaile," by P. W. Payn, Mr. P.' A. Vailo's work, "'Modern Lawn Tennis," is severely criticised. The following speaks for itseli : — "1 only intend to giv<\ ono extract from Air. Vailo's prncKcal instructions, because in itself it speaks volumes. On pago 22, Vailo says : Many of our best playors play thoir forehand shot when the ball is at the top of its bound, with a sweeping horizontal stroke, but tho beginner will Und it easier to let tho ball fall until it is within 9in or lOin of the ground beforo he . hits il." Mr. Payn attacks ns follows: — ! " One might as well tell a beginner at golf that many of the best players drive tho ball in a straight lino from the tee, but the beginner will find it earier to slice it to the right. There is no more pernicious fault which is ever liable to beset alike the novice and the old hand at lawn tennis tlinn this of waiting as described before striking the ball. Players of liu'cn tournament experience know very well thnt hnlf, or more than half, of tho secret of the success or iailuro of a player in any particular nuitr-h lies in the speed or sheknefts which ho nisninvN tlumighoul in getting on to the bnll immediately aftw it has bounded. He ourlil to I>e on to it like a knife overy time, and his action in this respect, especially as regards the return of tho service, is ns fins a mirror of the stote of his mind and will as anything that onn be found." Mr Pnyn condf>nin<i in the following words: "Mr. Vaile'n advice in disastrous, inasmuch ns he advices a beginner to stnrt with a fault, which j is the most difficult to erndiealoafterwoTdi ' of any which prevent a player from attain- ) ins to success." (The Doherty Brov nd- I vine tho tnkiiifl: of the ball at th« top of the j bound, nnd when doint; so the hfid of the rnrkot should be higher thnn tho wmt.— Huka.) '