TENNIS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 125, 8 March 1935, Page 2

TENNIS.

ASHBURTON CLUB'S TOURNEY. A progressive doubles tournament was played by women members of the Ashburton Lawn Tennis Club yesterday afternoon. The winner was Miss B. Sim. The prize was given by Miss B. Anderson. MATCH AT METHVEN. A very enjoyable tennis match was played on the Methven Club's courts yesterday between teams representing the staff and pupils of the Methven District High School. The result was very iclose, each side winning eigjht sets, but the staff won on games, 61 to 53. At the conclusion the school team was entertained at afternoon tea by the staff. The details are as follow, staff names being given first:— Singles-C. P". Whatman 5, Freda Dalton 6; A. K.. Gourley 6, M. Shearer 5; Miss Wade 4, Clarice Fleming 6; Miss Vesty 6, Vera Beattie 1; Miss Lock 6, J. Campbell 2; Miss Smith 3 ? M. Morgan 6; Miss Fleming 3, M. Battson 6; F. Montgomery 6, M. Campion 3. Doubles —Whatman and Gourley 5, F. Dalton and M. Shearer 6; Misses

Wade and Smith 5, M. Morgan and M. Campion 6; Miss Vesty and Lock 6, C. Fleming and J. Campbell 3; Montgomery and Miss Fleming 6, M. Battson and V. Beattie 3. Staff—Eight sets, 61 games ; SchoolEight sets, 53 games. TEAMS FOR TO-MORROW. The following will represent theii respective clubs in tennis matches to-morrow: — Methven. Against Leeston, at Leeston— D. G. Wallace, A. Wilson, S. M. Jackman, G. Olds, W. Martin, E. Hawkhead, D. Meuller, A. Marsden, Misses F. iDalton, G. Shearer, N. Holmes, Mesdames G. Olds, A. White, D. G. Wallace L. L. Richards and Miss M. Campbell. BOROTRA'S SECRET OF ETERNAL YOUTH. REMARKABLE SUCCESS IN PARIS TOURNAMENT. In his long career Jean Borotra has seldom brought off a finer win than the success he achieved in the Paris Christmas tournament (says a writer in a London-paper). The Coupe de Noel has fallen to him before more than once, the first time being 13 years ago; but he has not often played better than he did this time. To give away nearly eight years to ,a player like Daniel Prenn, who is as strong as two bulls, to play him for three solid hours on wood, " the most tiring surface of all, and to beat him in the end, would have called forth an eyen more emphatic word than "prodigious" from Dominie Sampson, if that ancient character could have witnessed the performBorotra seems to possess the secret of eternal youth j again and again during the last few years he has said, "No more singles for me!" But, whenever he is persuaded, or persuades himself, to turn out for one, his opponents, whoever they may be, have to beware of him. Not only of his strokes, but also of his tactics; those limp and languid periods which lead the uninitiated to imagine that the end has almost come are superseded by such astonishing bursts of resurrected energy that Borotra's opponents are swept oft their feet before they know where they are, and the spectators are left gasping as they see victory snatched out of the very jaws of disaster. With Prenn thus disposed of, and H. W. Austin unluckily obliged to retire from the competition owing to some malady which often seems to attack him in Paris, only the young lefthander, J. Lesueur, was left to bar Borotra's path. Lesueur is one o,f the most improved French players, and he put up quite a good fight in the final, but had to admit defeat in the end. Borotra neatly rounded off a good week's work by winning the doubles with Marcel Bernard, who, after a period of quiescence, is again showing some of the form that made him, a year ago, a French "hope."