LAWN TENNIS.

(By "Huka.")

OLYMPIC~GAMES. l'ho Olympic games were started on the bih. May with the covered court tennis championships. So far, Wilding has I scored in his first singles easily. As far its can be gathered, the events are to be continued ofa the 12th May. The above dates are Sundays —in. Continental countries that is the chief day for such sporta arid it is either Sunday or not at all. Doust will partner Wilding, so it is as an Australaiian pair they are competing. Such being the case, New Zealand would hardly be called upon for expenses, it being the duty of the Australasian Asaocia tiOn to foot the bill. Dousfc and Wilding will have to* be in rare form to put the French representatives, Decugia and Gobert, or Laurentz, out. Besides, a strong' team \from England will take some beating. If our men can hold their own in th» covered court events, the graes court niatche* should be a good thing for them. Doust may hot shine in the singles, but should be a great partner for Wilding in the doubles. It may be news to some that Stan Doust is t probably the fastest man on the courts at present playing. His i rushes to the net at a great pace, and his fleet-ness of foot, enable him to Pick 1 up shots which would leave man? * champion standing. Doust was very fast over the 100 yds on the track, and has beett w|th doing the distance in -IQsecs.^ Taking that as correct, no wonder he is a fast starter, and ■so fleet on the courts. Ab a doubles and combined plnyer there are feW players bis equal at the present time. French national chAmpion. j The championship of F**nce was played at Neuilly-sui'-S*in© during March, and W. Laurentz, who is'not yet'2l yews of age, by outing Germot, 6-0, 6*l, 5-7, 6-1, in the final, qualified to fchallenge A. H. Grobert, the holder in the challenge round. Gbbert'itts leading *-2 in the first «fct, when * bail hit the youngster in the eye. The blow was' so severe that 1 he had to retire, and Goberi is again champion. No mention is made of Decugis, yet it is known that he, on the 11th of March, beat Germot, 6-1, 6-2, 64, in the final of the Cannes championship. Of course, Germot is not Goberl?« equal. In the course of the doubles national championship) Gobert and Laurentz beat Mfeny and Canet, 4-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0, and that points to the beaten pair being of some class, although Decugis and Ger-, i mot are reckoned a» being second in playing merit to the winners. Taking all in aIL France has Some 'hot players at the present time, and ,thfey are going to ,take Botee holding in the iitear future, unless other nations come along with some new blood. TENNIS AT STOGKftOLM. The tennis contests at toe Olympio competitions are really, team contests, yet there is nothing in the rules to prevent * solitary player of a notion from taking part in the single*. Eight players frbm any one nation can compete in the singles, and four pair* ire Allowed for in the doubles. It might so happen that Doust mity meet Wilding in the second round of the singles. The. contests are on the "knock out" principlofjutrt like thft ©Tent* in an open meeting. The British Biles has nominated eight players for the singles, and seemingly thftre will be ladies' single* And combined ddublee, as ladies represent* ing the British Isles have been selected to compete. CLASSIFICATION. The official classification of French players for hut year is interesting, in tie* of the Paris t. London match and the Davis Oup contest. It is As follows: —A H. Gobert, owe IS f Mai' Decugis and W. Lauretotz, owe 5-6; M. Germot, owe 1-6; R. Wallet, scratch; Samazeuth, Blaftchy, Meny, feU 1-6; Canet, Foulin, and Gnult, rflp. ,4-6. DAVIS CUP. Should Wallb Myers succeed in bringing oUt an English i«am,to visit Australia, and' New 'Zealand, no' doubt thf time' frill be *d af ranged as tt> fit ih with th© Davis Cup fixtures, and that is probably the reason, why the English attthori' ties aYe so eager to have all the ties played at Melbourne. t$ will be a sort of killing of t#b birds with dne stone, and thus thfc English players. willj aft&r all, succeed ihie year vi getting a guarantee to assist them in the Davis Cup matches. Last year they asked for a guarantee for, the preliminary match against America, but Australasia rightly refused. Now it would appear that they hare worked iheir point nicely, As Australia has offered some £400 and 5b per cent, from all matches played, whM New Zealand has also come to light, certainly with a somewhat smaller sum, by offering a very fait' guarantee for the team 4*4 * appearance, in New Zealand.- It look* like a clever move on the part oi the Englishmen, and bfts c&&hbt help iJut admire the cleverness shown, although regretting that the Mother Country—which claims to be the very.hub of lawn tennis—*hould* have such a keen desife tq Secure" guarantees before sending its team to seek Davis CUp honours. Much wealth isi acquired each year at the Wimbledon Alt England meeting. Is it that the Lawn Tenni* Association of England is being starved whilst the All-England Club fattens? One thing i* certain, that is the AU^England Club "runs the show" ih the British Isles, and, notwithstanding- that mUoh good has been done by Pi A. Voile and others in having the curb platted' Upon that -very conservative body, much yet remain* to be done before the sport Is on a sound and practical ba«e, with the Lawn Teams Association as the highest controlling body. It will-have to be a very strong move that will break down T.?J? tts ™ *£?* wealthy and influential All-England Club; yet for the good of the sport generally throughout the British Isles the sooner the club is placed on the same plane as other clubs in England the sooner will the game, the laws of the game, and other matters receive up-to-date treatment. N.Z. ASSOCIATION. The quartely meeting of the New Zealand Association ill $o be held on the 30th lost. As far as is known at present, there i* nothing Very startling to come forward. Of course, things may develop at the meeting. Will the governing body be able to tell delegates what were the receipts and expenditure at the Davis Cup gathering held in Christchurch T The New Zealartd body has a right to know, alid 6urely it is about time that the profits ! of the meeting Were made public. Thero are other matters, also, that the Management Committee appear* to be keeping up its sleeve, and already a murmur, which at any moment may beqome a roar, ii heard about "Star Chamber" methods. Ine executive has some members who in I past days were very keen in requiring that everything thould be done in open meeting, so that delegates should know ai> the ins and outs, but maybe they have repented, and are finding that it suits thsir book better to conduct business in committee. •