LAwN TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 65, 16 March 1907, Page 12

LAwN TENNIS.

(By WIMBLEDON.)

The entries for the junior ships closed on Saturday and T stand that they are fairly satisfac? or T 1 had a conversation with the PresiiW of the Lawn Tennis Association, Mr W E. Holmes, with regard to reinstating the junior championships of the Aurtr* land Provincial District instead of-hold rng the present restricted events T «_. pleased to be able to say that-he j* quite in accord with my views on Win subject, and that he hopes next season to have the events all open to any y 0 _-_ players in the Provincial District. Keith and Miss Gray won their' mat.V against Upton, and Miss Gwen Gorrtr in two sets. It will take a good paif 1 to stop the winners annexing the mrxed championship. -■" -y'

Patterson and Upton beat W v Brown and Mair in the AssociiUwdoubles championsliip, by three sets'to' ; one. Patterson was lobbing very well v-' while Upton, as usual, was very sound' _ W. A. Brown put in a lot of useful work : but his partner is not adaptable enough-! in his strokes, nor does he follow hii service as he should in a double. This generally speaking, puts a side at a advantage, although we have the notable case of Smith and Riseley to showthat this game can be played with-sue-, cess; but then there are not mam.' players like S. H. Smith. T > Vaile beat J. H. Turner in the Mount Eden Club Championship. He won tha first two sets, 6—3, 6—o, and eased up! Turner, who is as game as a pebble came at him in the third set, and- won it, 3—6, and Vaile had to go.all out to win the fourth set B—6. This is another illustration of the folly of easing _p but in any case Turner is no. meantagonist, and there are few- ; singltr players in Auckland who can reckon on" defeating him. Many of his passing shots are excellent, and, as in his double he uses a lot of judgment.

Keith was to have played ■W. A. Brown in the Association singles championship on Saturday, but the game Was postponed, and will probably be played at Mount Eden next Saturday. Vaile's win againss Turner puts hare-," in the final for the Mount Eden Championship, and he will now have to meet the winner of Grossmann and Upton.' Grossmann has quite recovered .from his. nasty attack of sciatica, and it is mora' than probable that in this event he will turn the tables on Upton. The latter' is, however, playing very well, and tha match should be a most interesting ona' to watch!

A curious incident happened in. S championship double on Saturday. On."' of the players returned a ball,'which; struck the umpire and fell out of court/ The player who had returned it aLsked "How's that?" The umpire frankly confessed that he didn't know. One of th. players told him the law on the subject'when the partner of the striker-out said: "Are you the umpire of thii game?" Of course he spoke in ignorance, but it should be clearly understood that in any question of tennis law a player is entitled if he so desires to question the umpire's decision. ' This ia wellknown to experienced players, but in : this case there was no dispute about the point, and the opposing players allowed the stroke to rank as a let. Re* cent decisions on this subject includa in the permanent appointments of tha court, seats placed alongside the couis, and' the people sitting thereon, so -that a man could not claim a let if the ballon the first bound of the service struck a spectator, so that the striker:oufc could not hit it. This does. seem". _ trifle ridiculous, but I have seen it iappen in the famous centre court at -Wimbledon. Afterwards, at my instigation, the canvas was moved two yards further away. Grossmann and Vaile beat Billing and Bamford somewhat easily in the m__doubles championship. Billing is not nearly severe enough in a double, and he seems to affect the value of Bam-' ford's strokes. Bamf ord' generally plaj'S a fine double, quite beyond his' single"; game, but on Saturday he was not so ■ brilliant as usual. The winners .are now in the final of the Association 7 Doubles Championships, and they win* havk to play the.winners of Keith and Brown and Upton and Patterson. Gross-*' mann was serving very well and volleying as usual most effectively. yC .. A large number of handicap-and other club games have been played during theweek at the various clubs, and tho' final stages are, in many cases, now be-, ing entered on. The next few weeks should provide some most interesting ■. lawn tennis.