LAWN TENNIS.

As showing the popularity of lawn tennis in Wellington district, the correspondent of this paper mentions that there are now fortythree clubs allied to the Wellington Provincial Association with a total membership exceeding 21.00. Every year sees the membership of the Association considerably augmented. The Wellington Lawn Tennis Association has secured from the City Council the leases of certain portions of the Town Belt, aggregating" Bix acres and a half, and a surveyor is now at work preparing an estimate of the £*obable cost of excavating, levelling and laying courts on them. At the Folkestone tournament, Parker, Quill, Doust and Poidevin were glaying. In the second round of the singles, snys an exchange, "Beamish put up an extraordinarily fine game against Parker, and fairly made rings round his opponent, whom he defeated with the greatest ease in two straight sets. Parker was certainly not at his best in this matoh, but I do not think he would have won if he had been playing: in his best form, as Beamish was putting up » game far superior to anything I have seen him play before, all Parker's weird gallery of shots being treated with scant courtesy and returned with interest. Still continuing his fine form, Beamish disposed of E. 8.. Allen in the next round, after • olose three-set match. The winner's service seemed to bother 'E.R. considerably, the amount of ' kick ' he imparted to the Ball making it very difficult of return, especially as he usually ran in on it. Allen was at hi* best in the second set, which he won with the loss of one . game, Beamish . appearing to take matters somewhat slackly. The final net was such an even struggle that, with any luck, the result might quite easily have gone ■the other way. As it turned out, Beamish just got home by the narrowest of margins.' At the same tournament, in the round, Parker and Quill just got home against Pridmore and TJhl, 6-3, _ 8-6, 8-6. Pridmore was the mainstay of his side, playing with the greatest dash and accuracy, but. in the third cet the winners adopted " lobbing " tactics that turned out as successfully as at their previous tournament. The concluding round's of the men's doubles produced some of the most exciting games of the week, and were well wen by Prebble and Dixon, whs had mere than one hard match to go through before they were finally victorious. They had a very olose fight with Parker and Quill in th« semi-final, which

they won by the cloeost of margins by 2 sets to 1, the scores boing^ 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. The ,t>lay at times reached a higii standard, but wnere the losers' game w.as marked by brilliance, the winners relied on their great steadiness to pull them through, a course which eventtially gave them the victory. In the other semi-final, Doust and Poidevin had all their work cut out to dispose of the Aliens, another three-set match being the result. Tho famous twins played extraordinarily well for two sets', and had a good chance of winning, as they won the first set very comfortably, and only lost the second by 8 games to 6. This reverse soemed to dishearten them, as in the final set their play became a trifle wild, while they did not show that accuracy which marked their game in the initial stages of the match. The final between Dixon and Prebble and Doust and Poidevin was another • fine struggle, in •which victory went to the former pair by a very narrow margin. Curiously enough, the scores were exactly the same as their match against Parker and Quill, while the run of the play was on exactly similar linos. The winners were very safe, and rarely made a bad shot, their v overhead work, being Very Bound, of which they had a great deal to do, as the lobbing of the losers was very nearly perfection. Prebble was in fine form, and scored many points with a very cleverly disguised drop shot off a lob. Dixon's service was a great asset to his side, as throughout the match he never lost a service. It was a very fine match, in which all the best points of the game were displayed, • and wrought the large crowd to a great pitch of excitement. That always popular event, the mixed doubles, had rather an unsatisfactory ending, as in the final, after Parker and 3tifiss M. Coles had got the first set against. Prebble and Miss Boothby, and were 5 games all in the second, Parker retired on account of his journey to Homburg. His withdrawal caused great disappointment to the majority of those present, in view of the fact, that a later train might still have given him plenty of lime. Poidevin,' who is also ?oing to Homburg, Btayed until the. end of the tournamerft.'Anyhow, it was extremely hard on Parker's partner. Miss Coles, who deserves every sympathy on her bad luck. The Scarborough tournament was noteworthy on account of the reappearance of H. -L. Doherty. His opponept in the final, F.i G-. Lowe, made a close fight in the first set, in which he was only beaten by 7 games to 5, but in the remaining two -■ sets ' Doherty asserted his superiority in a more marked degree, and only lost two more games in allThe game of the ex-champion shows very little m deterioration, and with a little moire practice he would be as 'good as ever he was. The same beautiful volleying is there, backed up by his marvellous power of anticipation, tke only defect being a alisht. lack of that accuracy which was so marked a feature of his game a few years ago.