THE LAWN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 15, 18 January 1905, Page 9

THE LAWN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

•7-r, e dally written for the "Auckland Star".i

Tf any pr"°t ot " tile popularity of lavra ;_ \* r w Zealand were needed, the fnnat? i" - that vi'hin the short space of a fortnight- during the Christmas and New y,.-,r holiday? no less than five open , tr ,.r S h?ve been held in the colony 11 he sufficient to -alisfv even the PinUlll i» ■ _ t pxa <"tincr. 1« previous years the Zealand Lawn Tennis A-soriation j, a , conserved the period between , ma , -mil Ve\\ Year solely for the M-.-e;.ni2. hut an experi- ,,. n W.i- ma.le ihi- year, ami permission ■~„„ ihe lliiwkc - .- Hhv Association fT,\ t LI . ru „ j tmirnaniei'i < oniemporancons- . ' whjip Vuckland and lanierbury UoeiaiH'U? were granted leave lo hold :,;.,,,- prnrhicial .banipiotiships ..n the v Ypai dates, thus enabling an ener- ' ",j- coropetiuT to take pun in more fiian n n»- meeiin_. 'I'hc Taranaki Tjawn Vcsni-iat ion ftirtJ'.er took ;'.dCantK" l '">'' ,l,r i!l ' , " N "' v,s,ors l 0 ,ho rxbibHion and .-srnival to bold their f ,-„,mpi.m.ships ■-~ the Sth. Hth and -1 It c ,'.lanuan.and 1 he good attendances recorded have fully justified the departure f-cn thru' ordinary date. When one descends from hard facts nnd rmnes to the standard of play, as .-inipar-Tl " : 'ii previous year- it i- dilfiTiir to -0 positive thai an advance Its. been made. Certainly at the rhamptonsliio meeting in Dunedin this it? ntwrt f. question, when the crack players ■Jerr .'hir-flv conspicuous by tbrii abThis was lmfortnnate for Dunf tin. but it t-ottld hardly have been helpr \ in tbe r-irmmst-anees. (>nJv three months previously the six best men in \>w Zeabind rutd jotirncyed to Sydney. jnd in ? P' tr °- '' !ian - prt conditions had f hown the strength of tennis in our Hony by defeating, in a ma.tcb extend- ; n? ever two the 't-c-t team New South Wale 1 could pnt against tltfrn. "-hj. ry ,i meritorious feat but t heir idwm-c from New Zealand tijil? Tt imiio-sibie i"t t i-.esc plny«TS-- ,;.;., t |, r r.xeeption f'l IL A. Parkor•n"et furti'Pi leave to attend the Dunwiin n.-tin-. This fact- though if may „„t l w re afTeefd the final results--none • -~, '~... robbed the meeting of a great deal oi it? ird-rrst. but i-very i-loud has a -Jv-r linitifr. and i 1:- entry of R. T,r,-ptt. ihf risin.- ; nil-' Melbourne play•y tn some ext'-ni coKnterbalaii'.cd the ab-<Ti('» n| the -1 hers. Four ii.i' of ;»-i It-el weaihrr and all A\,-e!k>nt entry a- regard- number should have ensured cottiph-io -uc.-c-s. but in of -11 these favourable conditions it i- very doubtful whether tbe meeting will Drove a success financially. The aiteniiance of t he public wa- of the must mcugre description, and the New Zealand .\sfociation would be well advised not tn bold meetings so far South as Dun- : (din. ivhere climatic conditions are not a; a rule favourable 10 tennis. Ihul 'here been a wet day or two there must liare been a loss, and this would have beta a considerable -c L back to the V.Z.L.T.A.. who wpre guarantors "f thr meeting. On the opening day it was Units evident that thy members of the fommittee v.err- new to their work, and by rushing on the handicap events tliey nanised to gel the championships in a very ouiigt-u-J *tat°. At the end 0/the first day matter.- were in more or l«ss-of * muddle, but Mr fL X. troldie. tie spfrntarv of the X.Z.L.T. Associa rinn. was ah|p t C i ger things =t-j-aighten- <■■: out. and b\ the las' day miilters were in a satisfactory position. Another deTail by no means ennduei-.e to good play r.;i- 'he Pi-onoroy with which balls "•Tf served out. No doubl it would be in have new balls for every tnan-h. hut they -hould certHinlv be used in aU ■:hanipion i ldp matches, or players *i ! ! get dissatisfied. Turning to t'r.r play itself, the whole ".tritemenf of the toui naiuent wa« ! ir_rtically compressed into ihrre natr-he-. The meeting o r Misses Pownr<:i ami Xinineley. H. A. Barker and • '■ Lyi-ftt. nnd also ihr-e four players n "'he tiual of the ( ninbined ( hampionfiiip proiluced some splendid exhibitions <>'■ tennis. Mi<s Pnwdrell has made ireat stnrlp- in i;,,. |~c) two years, and nw stands in a po-ilioti second only to Miss Xutinel-;.. Two 01 1 l.rec years'ago • 2-- Xnnnelpy's -upremaey was unflouoled. hi!? now. although she won <»tli at Ihinedin and A-hhurton. it is n| ii'e un the (iirds that victory might r?st tne other way \erv shortly. In JlieDnnedm match, which was the fine.'t tenuis ever -ce n in New Zealand. Miss Xunnp|ey played rather nervously. while the Taranaki lady quite excelled herself. This wa- the more obvious at Ashbunon when M'rss Nunneley. who Had not sn much ai -take, asserted herand won r-omiortably in straight Sets. Mi = - Nimnelev's |i r >t -prvice is mor-il -Uperi.T |„ \|,-. I'ow-dtTirS. but "" -eeon.l ~ „„, , 0 ,_ rr , r , r| |, js s]pw and bound- :;igh ail ,l gives 1..,., much oprortuany foi , cntshm 2 return. Roth, itavp ~,ir,n , 1,( i f orc .j lJ|t ,',| , lr j vr . s . \Jiss Minaeley's being ink n at the top of h " ""'iliri. aii<l Mi., powdreHV elmse In ft' iround. Their iwrual rxectiticn of lady i-hampion IPap- an inestimable "ivantagp ,„ t |,e ,j„„. „ ajn< . (! v tak--2 tfie ball ai it, poiiil. ' "ben Mi NS i'owdrell can do t hi- the nampionship !na y change hand-. Their ahoul balance: |>owyi~ is the more -eve r ,. and j n |,e;ter Y'p while Mi... N„ nnMpv -, U safrl , J* latter is, of curse. , far more ex-PTient-pd player, and liiis i, 0 f material m winning matches: Miss J"**!!, no the other hand, is inclined "it rf<-kles»i\ H | critical moment*. wT- " s iiv ' Nii " n = -« !i ""^- , d i" ' M "' n Vl ' all ai:d three all was 11 . ,v ' 1 - i'liylxMiv'" gam--. At this V Y W> N, ''"iel-v kepi he,- head well. ~;.. a.-curaleU she look the .;'; iranies. ami |he maL.-h and iU r' , r j l ' ,l| ' i ' ,,,^M l' or \,-u X.-ala-id for »Mv'm.!.', ~'n"7~'"' y '"' ir - '•' "' al I""" 1 '" •" Zn "' li "' ; '•"" , - I,iU,, ' rV '*'' t,„Y" '"'" ■*'"'' I'arker was -ensaV, '" ' N "l"til, -laires. The Vif r ...;'" Y rt " ! hi,fi 'Ya trcnendous i'" ferrous ;,""' ,li "' WHS '•"'»"* ° ff ' |l!p , •-;:";'-" -Mi-n-me ...,..- >r|f ■ . ' - 1 ""-''' • \> Ho c .iHccu-d hullr * I, n returning what cam- into bis ,„„," :, "" '•'■"•'iliK thes, ~, ~„. |„. SI - Ai \. -, n " L d f r - lhp I"" 1 ' -"ou 1,-ga,, lo tell wa= „'V' a '" i : ' WHS "hvious 1 hat he rel?n,. bl °T n - s " l>ark "' flpvoled v- 4 ,.V Upssl .y. ,n rearing I iui down ti'adp n k l oi la Jhe champion %tTnkf *- hnX tnlvinsr thr fircea ; ' at tlu> ,n r of the. bound be of tun. a f 05s thp p ourf with no loss risk of f n P racti^ without effort or ** <«atwJ; Ly ; Rt t kppt nin " aar) jm- . •' anfl tnongh even- now wnuld disturb the wearing hr flv,sl "' s of brilliancy, ftbj. p ar , J '"'" ;1 inomcTit and of no real H»od biuk ",".""" i-"sembled that of •cult ?hr-. . l ; j •'•>'' r . : its risked no dil- . r_ nij.ycd fe r positi -a the

renter. T;- Hl f baekllan « *** the best Tat ll of + > S Pla 7" a " d the "«• wsb Lycett s weakness. Lycett's smashing and volleying were deadly, an d so I was his forehand drive, but his service is too simple aad his backhand should have more attention. This match was another example of the absolute necessity of being in training for championship contests. The Mixed Double referred to was probably the finest ever ?fp " ln New Zealand- All four players were on their mettle, and the pbtv 'was brilliant m the extreme. Parker' and Lycett had an easy vietorv iv tbe final K>t the Men's Championship Doubles, but all their lassitude seemed to vanish in the Mixed. Miss Powdrell shines in a Mixed Double, and her drive is deceptive and difficult to anticipate; the way she beat Parker at the net was a revelation. The two ladies bombarded each nther with lon<r tlrivvs and occasionally a man would step in and kill 'he ball absolutely, or else he clean passed. Tt was anybody's match right up to the finish, and t he vanquished played quite as well as the victors. Borrows, who fought, out the final of th" Championship wil.li Parker, was fortunate in getting on tho easy side of the draw, his only hard match Iwing with P. Marshall, who is not the player he wa« in IS!)::. Ii this match it looked at one time as if Marshall would win. but Borrow? (who keeps in more regular practice than his opponent) was too steady for him at the critical moments. Marshall's driving was brilliant but, erratic, and his strokes too often found the net. The most promising of the younger competitors were the two Dunedin cracks, ('. G. White and E. Salmond. Of the two White is the more showy player. hut Salmond is the more accurate "and places with a greater knowledge of position than bis clubmate. Both these players only require practice against tirst-class men as a regular thing "to become quite front-rankers. White has a fine service, which he often follows to the net with great effect, while Salinond's strongest point is his backhand, which is remarkably good for a player of his calibre. The Brown Rro«. arc also very promising, particularly R. S. Brown, to whom my remarks about Messrs Salmond and White i htaining good practice also apply. Harraway. a first class player of the early nineties, won his first mat-eb j against Cachemaille rather easily, but was. unfortunately, in poor health, and wrt- compelled to scratch to Dr. Marshall 'in t lie t bird round. Miss Campbell, who contested the final of ihe Ladies' Championship against Miss Nunneley. has a record of i-hain- | pionships 10 her credit for the Otagri j province, almost rivalling Mis., Nunnej ley'- New Zealand performances. Miss I Campbell had an easy progress to the semi-final, but then she and Miss Nichol- ' son. of Christehurch, had a most determined struggle before the Dunedin lady emerged victorious. Miss Niehol- | son (her opponent i plays every stroke with ti great amount of cut; her style is I not a pretty one. but particularly on j dead courts or against moderate players it is extremely effective, and Miss Camp- ! lxdl only succeeded in beating her by ] superior steadiness and pluck. j The final was a fairly easy victory for i Miss Nunneley. who outclassed Mis? Campbell at all points of the game. In the Ladies' Doubles Championship I a great surprise w.as in s;.ore. Everybody expected that Misses Hannan and ! Nunneley would have lit-tle difficulty !in taking the championship, but. to The surprise of everyone, the Canterbury representatives, the Misses Nicholson land Jameson, beat, them in straight sets jin the final. The winners, who arc to !be congratulated on (heir ex.-client perI formanee ot winning the New Zealand ; championship at their rir-1 meeting, j played a clever and heady game, forcing the play as much as possible on 10 MiV Ilarraan. who was palpably the j weakest ot the quartette. Tne winIn er.- play a very -miliar ,2.1 m". and their 'cut -irokes ;ire very hard for a lady to pick up. especially on the havkiiaiid. I Miss Nunneley did all she could to j avert defeat, but il is very difficult in a double 10 pull 'a weak partner through, and. as at Napier last year. she and Miss Barman went down to a more even combination. ; The Men'- Championship Doubles proved rather a walk-over for Parker I and Lycett. who were hardly extended •it all except by White and Salmond. jtlie Dunedin champions, during the first set. The Otago crack pair played a very idashing game at the start, while Lycett I apparently was feeling the effects of ; his cxenions in the Singles, and played I without much dash. Alter the first set. however, lie pulled himself together, land the final issue was never in doubt. Messr- Harraway and Ward would (probably have contested the final in this event but for the formers indisposition, and they fell easy victims to s. N. and B. S. Brown, who played a \erv stylish double. The winners were. ! however, not good enough to hold i I'.irker and Lycett in the final, though jthey made a i»ig l>id for the first set. I Some excellent play was seen in the I handicap events, and it looks as if be- ! fore Ion? we shall have some new blood figuring in the championships. The I victory of Perm and Cowper in the Handicap Doubles wa- a popular one. and ! their play was quite 1 1, advance of what lone would expect from players of their ! -trrngth iv singles. f'enti was very ; quick at the net. and punished every'tiling loose with great severity, and Ihe was well backed up by Cowper. a 1 left-hand player, with a great reach. 1 A. I-Veidlander, who won the SecondI grade Handicap, is uUo a very pto- ! raising player, and shewed good nerve iin the semi-tinal and iitial matches, ' which were very close affairs. I The Ladies' Handicap Doubles were ! won by Mi*ws Crawford and Goodman. ■who had a great struggle ill the linal [with the Misses Campbell and McKcrr:!.-. Miss ( raw lord is a much-improved ; player, anil with regular practice is likely to go still further. At one time it was thiMighl that Misses Van Staj veran and Ross, of Wellington, wuuld !«vin in ibis event, as they won their I preliminary matches rather easily, but i Misses Campbell and MiTvcrras proved I too steady for the Wellington players. No one grudged Miss Powdrell her j win with Lycett in the Handicap I Doubles, in which she lind to play six 1 mat .-•lies— many of them very close .-ties. Mi j s Powdrells play at this trmrna--1 incut, and particularly 111 the Mixed Doubles, was worthy «l 1 he highest praise, while l.ycctt was always a tower ot strength at the net. The absence of Laishley. Swanslon. Cox. Peacock. Core and Fisher was much 'deplored: it i- v. be hoped that, all titese players will make a special effort |to be at Wellington next year, when it lis proposed to invite a special team ' from New South Wales to play an ia- | t.e.r-eo)onial match against the six best j men in New Zealand. ! In concluding these remarks I should like 10 place on record the invariable eourtesv extended to competitors by Mr ry pi Irvine, the secretary of the tourna*i»ent.. aii/d bis hard-working committee, winch was graiatty ——tmxbeA by all f-hose present at tbe meeting.