Lawn Tennis.

"[By Huka.] Lawn tennis players in New Zealand are already all- on the move in anticipation of the tournament at Christchurch in December, and grass players are making arrangements to at once' get solid practice on the hard courts. . Already players have been selected for practice, in view of the matches — New Zealand v. England or Australia. Without doubt there will be collected at Christchurch this Christmas the finest body of players, foreign and colonial, that h;is ever been eeen in Australasia, and the player who aims to be one of the successful competitors -nrill have to bo in the , very best of condition. Therefore a careful preparation is necVssary, and the wise ones will start now with steady work. Some of our best players - should also improve their weak strokes, and 'even our very best ; can improve their eervic^ A. F. WILDING. A. F. Wilding, the Canterbury play«r, has come to the front in England with a great rush 'this year, and has improved'his form ' wonderfully. He will return to New Zealand m time for the Christmas championships ; therefore his performances are of more than usual interest.- , Canterbury will be considerably strengthened with Wilding as a representative, and, although the coming meeting is already booming the game tremendously with all the clubs in Christchurch, Wilding will bo the means of bringing out some of the promising players, and giving the game an extra impetus. ' Wilding got to the fourth round of the Monte Carlo Championship, being beaten by H. L Doherty, the world's champion, B—6,8 — 6, 6—3,6 — 3, o—6, 6—o, Doherty beat- Eaves in the final 6—3,6 — 3, 11—9. Doherty and Eaves beat Wild■ing and Ritchie in the 'doubles 6—2,6 — 2, 7—5, 6—4. Doherty and Miss Eastlake Smith beat Wilding and Miss Van Hoo--brotlck 'in the Combined 6—4,6 — 4, 6—o.6 — 0. Wilding and M. Templo .won the Handicap Doubles from ' scratch mark. At Nice; for the Championship of the South of France, Winding beat Ritchie 6—3, 6—o,6 — 0, in the second round ; beat Wfl,la 6—2,6 — 2, B—68 — 6 in the third round ; -beat Gore 6—2,6 — 2, 6—o6 — 0 in the fourth round;, "but £L, L. Doherty put him out in the "final, 6— 3, B—6, 6—2. Doherty and Eaves beat Wilding and C. G. Allen in -the Doubles' 3—6, &-6, 6-3, 6-4. Mme. "Popp" and Doherty, beat Mies Eastlake Smith and Wilding in tho second round Combined, 6—3, 4—6, B—6;8 — 6 ; the former pair won the final. Wilding divided . the final of Combined Handicap. -At Cannes Wilding won the Championship, beating Ritchie, 9—7,9 — 7, 6—2,6 — 2, in the semi-final, and Eaves 6—2,6 — 2, 6—l, .6—3, in the final. Wilding and Ritchift , beat Doherty and Eaves 6—3,6 — 3, 6—36 — 3 in the Championship Doubles, and won the final from Gore and Hilly ard, 6—4,6 — 4, 6—2, 6—3.6 — 3. Mine. "Popp" and Doherty beat Miss Smith and. Wilding in *the Combined, 6—l,6 — 1, 6—4,6 — 4, but the former pair were beaten in the final by Mrs. Winch and Eaves, I—6,1 — 6, 6—4,6 — 4, 6—4. _ ' Wilding won the Championship of Barcelona, and his playing was quite a revelation to all the 'Spanish enthusiasts. With Myers he won ibe Doubles. He also won the Handicap Singles from owes 40, and the Handicap DuiXles with Myers. By *his'-sriri''in the" Championship, he secured the King of Spain's Challenge Cup. Wilding again distinguished himself by beating Ritchie, (> — 2, 6—l,6 — 1, 6—l, in the final of the 'French Covered Court Championship Singles, and he, with Ritchie, also took /the Doubles. He was beaten in the finals of the Handicap Singles and Doubles. Again at Wiesbaden the New Zealander weni through five heavy rounds, and won the Wiesbaden Cup, beating O. Froitzheim in the final, 6—l, 9—7, 6—3,6 — 3, and he also won the ChamEionship, beating the holder (Froitzeim) in the semi-final, 6—3,6 — 3, 6—o, and Schmidt-Knatz in the final, 6—2,6 — 2, 6—l,6 — 1, 6—3. With Simond he took the Doubles, beating Lemaire de Warzee and Traseneter in the final, 6—3,6 — 3, 6—o, 6—36 — 3 He also won the Combined with Mile. Masson. At the Covered Court Championships held by the Queen's Club, at London, Wilding was in great demand, its he had just returned from the Continent. By reports to hand, his play was of a high order, and his game has been improved immensely. On the opening day the best form was shown by the New Zealander. who beat T. K. Mackay, 6—3, 6—l, 6—l—lß games to 5. Then in the second round on the next day, Wilding was again va good form, and he disposed if Ritchie with scores of 6^-3, 6—3,6 — 3, 6—l.6 — 1. The winner played splendidly throughout, his service (American) being particularly severe. Ritchie made some fine individual strokes, but was completely outplayed, and only won twice against the service in the entire rubber, which lasted three-quarters of tin hour. Ritcftie was continually forced back to the base-line, and Wilding's placing at the net is said to have been equal to anything seen of late years in the covered courts.

Those bolder spirits of the theatre gallery who are not afraid of raising their voices in public are beginning to cultivate sarcastic variations of the ancient, but still much-needed, cry, "Speak up" (writes M.A.P.). A waggish occupant of the gallery at a West-end house- of musical comedy shouted the other night to a pretty but more than somewhat indistinct lady artist. " Don't b© nervous, my dear; it's only me!" it another theatre where tho faro is comedy without tho music — and ( a very good comedy , too — on© of tho "'gods " called down to an actor who had just finished making rather a long speech, " Will you say that again, please? I didn't hear it!" Perhaps tho most disturbing remark of th» "speak-up" order was that made- to a very romantic actor who was making love in absurdly , low tones to a lady whoso wrongly-arranged attitude— she was somewhat inexperienced — obliged him to turn with his back to tho audience. "Left hear tho etory, guv'ner— if it ain't imjprojjari'i