ANGLO-COLONIAL TENNIS NOTES.

■ —-_-_. THE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. WELL PLATED ACSTBALIA. (Prom Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON. July 14. A New Zealander, whose writings on tennis have made bim quite "a personage" in circles where the talk runs on racquets, courts, services, aud volleys, had a he-ted argument some weeks ago with a young Englishman concerning the respective merits of rhe English champion n. L. Doherty, and the Australian crack, N'ormau Brookes. The Maorilander, who had seen the Australian beat Doherty iv practice games, was quite confident that if the Fates allowed the twain to meet iv the championship Brookes would win. The Englishman was quite as confident that Doherty would prove moj-e than a match for the Australian, in spite of the suggestions of the practice games aforementioned. The upshot was that the Englishman offered to bet a level sovereign that, given a meeting in the championship, Doherty would win. The New Zealander accepted forthwith. After Brookes had beaten Biseley and Smith, I saw the Englishman. "How about your bet now?" I asked. He replied, "I'll take 13/6 spot cash for it." Such sublime confidence in his champion deserved to be rewarded, and as the cables have already told you, it was. But Doherty's victory was by no means gained in the easy fashion suggested by the score of three sets to love, and 20 games to 12. against the Australian, even though Brookes by no means played up to the standard he had shown wheu opposed to Riseley. If he could have reproduced that form. Doherty s title would have been in very great danger. But Brookes was by no means at his best. ,A"on° can scarcely wonder at that fact. The Australian had had a hard week's work in the London championships at Queen's Club, and on the ■ top of that a strenuous fortnight's play at Wimbledon. Doherty, on the other hand, took the court on Saturday "fresh as a daisy,"' and fit as the proverbial ! fiddle. He had .nough games to keep his eye and hanu iv, and his muscles limber; be bad had the opportunity of studying' day by day bis adversary's play, golden opportunities of discovering

3 j Brookes' weaknesses?* and of familiariz- ; ing himself with the sources of the An* » I tralian"s strengtii. Brootes failed to achieve r his . jtibject -in coming borne, but '"ailed . magnificently.'" a fact which was reeogj nised by the great gathering of enthusiasts wbo were present at the final scene Ij of the most remarkable of all the chami pionship meetings. When Breokes, ciad im » Lhis own, now familiar, blue cloak and gaily . j banded hat. and carrying a friendly towel, t j walked from the arena, the crowd seem•i ed to grasp in a flash the great merits .- lof his performance, and "rose at him." i| I am not guilty of anything of the nature • :of exaggeration iv saying that the pi__di-» - : bestowed on the defeated Australian i.v----i j celled anything ever before experienced at »i a lawn tennis match. And I have heard the > • crowd "barrack for both the Keiisnaws • j and the Baddcley brothers, in the days 1 | when those great 'avourites were wont • to delight the public with brilliant exposi- • ! tions of teani- as then understood' and " I played. Brookes well deserved the unstinted ap--5 j plause given him, not so __Uc_, perhaps, " i for what be had done tbat' day. but for 5 what' he had accomplished during the whole fortnight. The Australian had beaten cv- ; - cry man opposed to him fu three straight sets each till lie 4 met Smith, and during - the whole tournament had only loct five - sets, 'ncludiug those of the championship i round. Therein he aid uot reach the topt most height of his form. His back haud - cross volleying was at times superb, but his [ service lacked the subtlety of. twist and - swerve ana break .that it possessed when Ej he beat Riseley. StilFTie played well—well i ! enough to have made a "hack:* of any less t experienced player than Doherty, or an i inferior tactician to tlie champion. Doher- • ty was frequently beaten in the early • stages by Brootes - volleying tactics, but » then began, to adapt himself to the needs ' of tbe case, by following up his wrvlees, and beating the Australiau at his own ; game of sharp volleying at the' "net. As the play progressed, Dohcrty found Brookes' weak spot, and with remarkably accurate driving and . lobbing forced his . rival to the back,.of thfe court. As I noted [in one or two of" his previous matches, . Brookes several times showed a disinctl- . nation to. chase ihe ball whe nthe chances , were against him getting up a return to ; the base line corners. Iv sereral instances ? he saved himself exertion at the expense . of a point which to onlookers seemed ueed- . lessly sacrificed. Brookes also occasionally lost points by a display of "brilliance." , Dobeity. whose placing was "tbe" feai ttire of the match, risked nothing on either of these counts. He got to everything which jit was possible to get at. aud was stcadij ness personified all through the 65 lnini utes he wrestled with Brookes for the title jof champion. But to . i , j THE PLAY, j The first service was a fault by Brookes. I who, however, won. the first ace with a back handed volley, and subsequently played so well as to take the opening game at 40-15, making his last three aces by service. In the second game, Dohcrty went / 30-love, but returning wide, was beaten by ' a smash, and lost his head at 30 all. Dene* i was called twice, and Doherty eventually' i woo. The Australian fought the third garu» : brilliantly, and was twice unlucky with i strokes that went out by .the merest shaves. Brookes led at 4_-_O, and with » ■ brilliant back hauded volley. This made the games two to one in favour of the colonial, but Doherty levelled matters uj»' by winning the fourth—another 'vautage game—Brookes making two feeble return* into the net. In the fifth game 'vantage was called three times before Doherty woli, Brookes at one time led by 40-1-5. but th« champion pulled up brilliantly. E-ook«a took the next game after the scores ha* ""I Aitho »S h voileyiag well. th. Australian lost the seventh by his fai_"T length in driving, and the cigar* ■ splendid rallies, uy twrcc Returning ISi the net, and being beaten by Donertj-'* beautiful smash stroke. At this stage Dobeity ed by five games to three, but admirable judgment with cross shits enabled Brookes to go 4-3, and then pull up 5 all the crowd cheering lustily Brookes •too- the lead with 6-_."°wit_. yet anothS vantage game, .Dohcrty losJ-i the faS stroke with a return wide of thl _w_ _5? Doherty subsequently rose to the oc_£ hi thl ■, a J ore same ' wen <"» the next by the aid of some clever lobbing and beau ttful passing, and finally took the sets at i S-S the last game being notewortny for brilliant volleying on both sides. B-UkS had begun so well that it was rather disappointing to see him lose tbe second stt by two games to six. His service seemeS to have lost its terrors, while Dohertv was ?h. te ball t^th t ° P ° f 1* f ° rm «*?h__S the ball with superb . judgment. But S,™ i™ was __ err °-»ttc and frequently- returned into the net. The third set however, was finely fought. Brookes won the nrst game without Doherty scorin~ a point. The champion took tho second and. third, and the Australian the fourth, making two all. Deuce was called three time* in the fifth game before Dohertv won and the champion went 4-2 by taking the sixth game while Brookes was at 30. The Australian stuck to his renowned opponent, and by winning the next two games, made the s?ores four all, the first of rhe*e being a love game, and the second a-1-", After .-■> all in the eighth game. Doherty won, with Brookes at 30. and finaliv clinched matters by making the match and the championship secure with a love victory in the last game, the score for the set being 6-4 in his favour. The preliminary stages of the International competition for the Dwizht Davl« Cup. at present held by the British Isles team, commenced yesterday at Queen's Club. Kensington, when Holcoiub» War* and W. JU Clothier, representing America, and A. F. Wilding and Norman Brooke?, representing Australia, put out the champions of France and Austria respectively, in the Singles. Brookes" opponent was Kinzle, the Austrian "second string." who was quit? outClassed by the Australian. The latter lost the opening game of the first set, bnt thereafter did pretty much as he liked with his rival, taking the first set at 6-1, the second at 6-0, and the third at 6-2. The margin of 18 games to three just about represented the respective form of the two players. Kinzle's countryman, a youthful player named Yon Wesseley, provided Wilding with quite a different kettle of fish. The New Zealander had. indeed, a very hard fight against his rival, who is a strong and determined player, with heaps of pluck, a-fast apd difficult service, and powerful fore hand drive, the agility of a cat, and only lacks stamina. At starting. Yon Wesseley was off his game, and Wilding ran to four one. Then the Austfrian got going, and gave Wilding a rare dusting. He quite mastered the New Zealander, and taking five games off the reel, won the set at 6-4. The loser was thoroughly on his mettle in the next set, which he took at 6-3. after a very fine exhibition of all round tennis. In the third. Yon Wesseley made a big effort 10 take a lead, and Wilding was severely tested at all points. Five all was the score before the New Zealander began to assert his superiority. Taking th? next two games, he emerged triumphantly at 7-5. By this time Yon Wesseley was thoroughly "baked." and Wilding, keeping up the pressure gaye him no chance to recover, with the result that the Austrian was badly beaten at 6-1. the New Zealander thus winning the match by 3 sets to on* and 23 games to 15. To-day Brookes and Dunlop meet the Austrian pair in the Doubles, and Ward and Wright oppose the French cracks Max Decugis and M. Germov. Mr A. F. Wilding found some small coa..solation f#r his defeat at Wimbledon in.-! winniug the Herts and North Middlesex Singles at New Barcet on * Saturday. The opposition to the New Zealan.er was feeble, compared to what be had met with in the championship and, * being at the top cf his form, Wildins raa through to ,jhe final without ever being really extended. In the final he bad one of his easiest fatches this season, his antagonist, Figgis, being unable to bold tbe colouLel at any part cf tae gamei and rei tiring defeated by 6-0, 6H»,