ANGLO-COLONIAL TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 180, 29 July 1912, Page 9

ANGLO-COLONIAL TENNIS.

§ AUSTBALASIAW PLAYERS AT HOME. WLDEN'G WINDING. (From Our Special Correspoclent.) LOXDON". June 21. Anthony Wilding manajyd to retain lis title as champion of Kent at Beckenjjain last SaitUTday, bat his path to victory was nearly blocked completely by die veteran A- W. Gore, who in the iaarib round gave the friends of the •"few Zealander quite a fright by 'talcing g, lave set off the Att-England champion, ' and then ran him into a 2t5 fame set. ere returning defeated by i sets to 1 and 20 gajnee to 19. Xhe New Zealand? r started off at a great pace, and simply romped away ■ej&h the first set, Everyone was prepared, indeed, for an easy victory for ending. However, a dramatic change came over the scene. Oore found his best form. Time after time be passed IWSldinjT ax the qp-l with his famous drive and the latter was forced to keep to the Uaselinc Even then (1-ore proved irresistible, and lie took a love sot in which only obtained nine poinite. Wilding got to 4— in the final set, but once again Goro made a {Treat effort a.nd quickly drew levpl. The ninth game ■sent "to Wilding, bint Gore took t.he next two games, and a diTg-dong strusnrle ensaeA up to 12 games all. Gore, who is •well over 40, then tired perceptibly, and his opponent nan out 'wioiuer of a great match. There were --two other old lions in WiOding'e path in the parsons of M. J. G. Kit<2iie -and Bopsr Barrett, but neither of them couM bar the Ifew Zealanders progress. Ritchie was disposed of in the fiffh series by 6—3, 6—o, 'but the game ■was not nearly so one-sided as the • eoore seems to indicate, for Ki-tchae in the first set got to 40—15 on several occasions, only to lose the game eventually. In tie final Wilding, whose tussels uith Gore and Ritchie appeared to have ihad a beneficial effect on his frame, bore . off the honours after the full five sets had 'been keenly contested. Barrett is a very '" brainy" player, and some of his manoeuvring was brilliant, but it was a case of "youth -will be served," and in the last set Barrett was too tired to successfully oope with Wilding, who "stayed like a top," and ran out a ■winner by 3 sets to 2, and 23 games to 18, the scores being: 6—2, —6, G— I—6, —2 in the !Npw Zeafcmder's favour. The champion made a good Ffcaxt. He ■hx>k the first four games before Barrett scored, and the eet -was his at 6—2. He ■was also —1 in the second, but Barrett iron five frames in succession, a grand pull up, for which he was loudly applauded. In the nest set Barrett could not win any of his service games, and "Wilding, with a successfully conducted base-line attack, went out at 6—2. Barrett returned the compliment by 'taking the fourth set o cm". In his case he made numerous fine, passing strokes, and his judgment all round was superb. Wilding ■struggled hard at times, notably in the fifth game, in which there ■were no fewer than eight denies, bin be was quite outplayed. The final sot saw Wilding far fresher and more ;u-»-urate. His drive inCTeasspd in severity, ami bis forehand | col3ey was very effective, wheras Barret began to find the m? t frequently, and , playing , in a - tired fashion, was easily Tanquished by —2, thus leaving , Wilding in possession of the Kent cup. - ' There were other Antipodean flayers at p.f-ekenham, to wit. S. X. Doust, L. Bonnington of New Zealand, and F. E. Parritt, of Adtelaide. The first-named, in partnership with Prebble, reached the doubles final, only to be 'beaten 3 sets to ] by Roper Barrett and Corp. and Parrrtt ■ with Miss O. Hunt (15 — I) reached the mixed doubles handicap final, bill! they them fell victims to G. A. Thomas end Miss Hogarth (owed 2 —6) who beat them 6-— i, 4—6. —2. Bonningiton. wno was beaten by Wilding in the second round of tihe cup elation, also played in the singles handicap, Iris handicap being 2—6, and survived three rounds. "O. Kay" defeated (him in the. •fourth by ifchree sets to two. He and Bairribt also figured in the men's doubles ■handicap, but ithey and their partners dad not go far in these competitions.. THE LONDON CHAMPIONSHIPS. Wilding, Bonninglon and Barritt have figured in the Queen's Club Tournament this week. The principal events in this tourney are the London Championships. Wilding was the winner of the Gold Cup attached .to the men's singles last year, but though the holder, he was called upon to "play through" just the same as other aspirants. The first of the Antipodean trio to disappear from the championship was Parritt. who in the first round met A. L. Bentley, a player of much merit when he finds his form. The South Australian gave the Londoner a rare game for three sets, losing the first two at B—68 —6 each, and winning the third at 6—4- Then Barritt "tired to nothing," and wa3 easily beaten, 6—l, in the decider. Wilding had an easy course against .the veteran A. M. Shore, and, without (taking matters seriously, ran out a winner by three sets to love, and 18 games to 7. His compatriot, Bonnington, made a hack of A. Duke in the same series, winning in straight set xhus, 6—2, 6— 6—l, but in the second round he lan up against a much tougher proposition in F. S. Warburg. The New ZeaZander won the first set at 10—8, Warburg retaliating by taking the next at 6— Then, after another lengthy struggle, Bonn.in'gton captured the third at B—6, whereupon Warburg, who was i£ar from fit, retired. In the third round Bonnington had a somewhat similar experience against A. Hendricks. In this case, however, the New Zealander won the first set rather easily, though not bo easily as the score of 6—l in his ■favour would appear to indicate. In the next set "Br>.nnington and his rival ikad a rare tussle, and at the end of •the sixteenth game it wa-s a case of "S all." Hendriclu? won the next two, ■but the set had taken so much out of him that he derided to retire, leaving Bonnington to "fight another day." On thp same afternoon, Wednesday, 'to wit. Wilding proceeded into the •third round by virtue of a very easy straight set victory over G. Stoddart, whom the champion beat, 6—2, 6— 6-0. The same day's play saw Parritt and his partner, H. C. Rees, Knocked out in the first round of the men's doubles (for which event Bonning'ton and partner scratched), the Australian and Miss Brooksmith also failing to survive the initial round of the mixed doubles. Yesterday saw Wilding win his way throujTli a couple of rounds, and in a fashion hat suggested hi 3 ultimate victory. In the 'third series he met the Canadian, K. B. Powell, who gave him , a very -rood game in the first set, which ' Wildins" eventually won at 7—5. I hen toe New Zealandcr found "Wimbledon form." Serving, driving and volleying

in fine style, he quite demoralised Powell, who in the next two sets could only claim 3 games, and retired defeated by 3 to love, and 19 games to 8. Wilding's next victim was J. Zimmerman, an Englishman with a German name, who has been showing form of the class this season, .and was a. week or so ago acclaimed as the coming champion. He certcinly possesses a fine repertoire of first-class shots, but at Queen's Club he lacked steadiness, ajid his impetuosity was partly responsible for the severity of the defeat he suffered at Wilding's hands. In the three sets Zimmerman could only claim four of the 22 games played, the scores in Wilding-'s favour being fi—l, 6—3, 6—o, a result that consideraJilj- surprised the ci-ftics, even a.fter Wilding's fine showing againat Powell. The tournament concludes to-morrow.