DAVIS CUP.

FIRST ROUND TO-DAY. LAWN TENNIS. BIUE RIBBON THE COMPETITORS. (By Cable.—Press Association.— CopyrigM.) (P.eeeived 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. Brookes, Patterson, and Andoraon have been chosen to represent Australasia in the Davis Cup Challenge round. Kingscote, Lowe, and Beamish will represent the British laics. The weather is fine for the first dor's play of the Davis Cup matches. The courts are in excellent trim, and fast. The competitors an- at the top of their form. To-day the tirst two rounds oi the singles will be played, Patterson meeting Lowe and Anderson meeting IChigscote. On Saturday the doubles will be played, Brookes and Patterson playing '.vintrs-i-oto and Beamish. On Monday the linals of the singles will be decided.— (A. and N.Z. Cable.) THE ENGLISHMEN. The Britishers have had fully a month's practice at Double Bay, and should be in good fettle, says a Sydney writer. Their captain, Colonel Algernon It. F. Kingscote, was born in India in ISS!>, and therefore, only -'50 years of age. He learnt the game mainly in Switzerland, where he won several championships in 1908. In 1010 he joined the Koyal Garrison Artillery, and went to India, where he won the championship of Bengal in 1913. At the outbreak of war he took his place in the firing line, his baptism under tire being on the Aisne. Last year he defeated Gobert, the champion of France, in the final of the Davis Cup match between the British [sles and France in straight sets—G —1, fi—l, 7—5. This performance alone stamps him as. a first class player Laurentz, one of the leading players of France, stated that the accuracy of Kingteote's pcfising shots, especially on the backhand, were marvellous Undoubtedly he is the str»ng3St of the visiting trio. He possesses a very severe smash from almost any part of Ihf) court, drives forcibly ou cither hand, and is a past master on the low volley. This will be his fifth Da"is Cup contest. LOWE AND BEAMiSiI. Major Arthur Holden Lowe will £ reliably, with his captain, represent in tha singles. He was born in ISSii, and - % ill celebrate his 34th birthday on the 3th instant. He learnt the game principally at the Queen's Club and All England Ll'C. In 11105 he won his first tournament —the Singles Handicap at EiKora. Since then he has anneed many championships. Arthur Ernest Beamish—who saw active service as a lieutenant in the motor transport —is the veteran of the visiting team, and has just turned the 40-year corner. He is the stylist of the party. He came into prominence in 1908, when he won the Irish Doubles Championship with S. F. Scroope. In the following year he annexed the Irish Jlixed Doubles Championship, in partnership with Miss Ramsay. Beamish was a member of the British Isles team which wrested the Cup from Australasia at Melbourne in 1912. On that occasion he played in the doubles with Parke, but failed to gain a set from Brookes and Dunlop, who won C—l, o—l, 7—5. WELL KNOWN AUSTRALIANS. Of the Australasian players, Patterson is the holder, and Brookes the runnerup of the world's singles championship, and the two in partnership hold the doubles championship of the United States of America. J. O. Anderson is the present champion of New South Wales, and had the distinction of beating Brookes in the singles in the recent inter-State against Victoria. Thomas is the holder, with o'Hara Wood, of the world doubles championship. HISTORY OF THE CUP. It was in January, 1910, that Dr. J>wigbt F. Davis, of St. Louis, U.H.A., offered a trophy "to be a eort of International Challenge Cup" for lawn term o. Although the original draft condi ion., were materially revised, .scarcely any change has been made in their princ file to decide the question of internati' na: supremacy by the arbitrament of four singles and one double, and to play the challenge round on the courts of tho holder. For three years only England and America competed, but in 1904 Be'gium, Austria and IFra-nee came in. The n«;xt year Australasia, represented by Brookui and Wilding, competed for the t'lret time, followed in 1!)11 by South Africa, while in 1913 the British Tsles (hol'crs) were challenged by Australia, Anicrict, Germany, France. South Africa., Can:uU. and Belgium. This was the largest entry to date. Of the 13 contests actually played. Australasia has won 5, beating England once, and America 4 times; England has won 5, bcatuig America 3 times, and Australasia and Belgium once each; and America has beaten 'England 3 time,. In the scries oi nine years in which Australasia has competed the only representatives -have boen: Norman Brookes, Anthony Wilding, A. W. Dunlop, L. 0. S. Poidevin, and R. V.'. Heath. Brookes did not play in 1910, nor Wild ing in 1913 and IM2. A. W. Gore, who played for England in the initial contest in 1910, and with Roper Barrett lost the 1907 Challenge Round to Brookes and Wilding, al*o helped to win the preliminary ties in 1912, the three contests covering a period of 1.3 years! For five years H. L. Doherty did noc lose a single or double match in England or America—a performance -without parallel in the Davis Cap. As far back as 19'ltl A. E. Beamish, a member of the present visiting English team, helped C. P. Dixon to beat America in the doubles in the final round of the preliminary ties; though, as Dixon and Lowe both lost both their singles, tho Amerkrans won by 4 matches tn 1.

The following table shows the resu'.ie of the Challenge Kounde at a glance:— JSf nostonI ' U U ;s - A America beat "England *_o \'a?}, ■.- ■ America (walk over) .. _ iflS wiSuilaSS England beat *Beiginm v:::;;;;;: .to ««» :::::::::::::: SttSiS: i"ii f i, ■ f . " • Y • ■ x- - V Australasia (wslk orer) — inS Ctastclmrch. N.z Australasia beat America .->_o I : wi',, Olr ? e Knclanrt l.rat Australasia 3-2 1OT4 New Yort merira bpat KnBland -*- 1 „ -;? n t,? rk ,. ••■••- •••••• Australasia beat America 3—2 lUlo-lD No contests, owing to the war.