DAVIS CUP HOLDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 304, 20 December 1912, Page 6

DAVIS CUP HOLDERS.

BKITISHERS EN* AUCKLAITD. TO-MORROW'S TENNIS DISPLAYS. BRILLL.NT PLAY PREDICTED. The brilliant quartet of tennis players ] which came from the British Isles "and j triumphed over the Australasian repre- I sentatives for the possession of the i highly-prized Davis Cup in Melbourne j two or three weeks ago. arrived in Auck- I lend by the Marama this morning. They | lire to play against New Zealand's best at the Eden and Epsom courts to-morrow and on Monday, after which they proceed, via Rotorua, to Hastings, for the Australasian championship tennis meeting there, and before returning to Sydney on January 10 they will play "at Wellington and Christchurch. The party comprises Messrs. C. P. Dixon (captain!, J. Cecil Parke, A. E. Beamish, and F. G. Lowe. The present .New Zealand champion (Mr. Ollivier) also arrived by the Marama from Sydney to take part in the New Zealand matches against the Englishmen. The visitors were met at the boat by several representatives of the Auckland Tennis Association and escorted to the Northern Club. PERSONAL IMPRESSIONS. The captain of the team is a brawny hlue-eyed Britisher, not much on the near side of 40, and a serenity of manner suggests geniality, conjoined with determination. His abilities as a leader and a general have already been proven in practical manner. At the nets he is particularly noted for his wonderful powers of volleying. Dixon is an athlete who has "come back," he having been in the background for some years after his first brilliant advent, when he won the Surrey and Suffola championships in 2900. He was revived as a representative of the British Isles in 1909 and 1910 against the American teams, and this season in England he capped a series of ___nt victories by easily defeating Docngis and Gobert in the preliminary tie ■gainst France, He was not at his best in Melbourne, but otherwise is the Bt-ongest player of the team. Cecil Parke is the dashing young Irishman who shone forth as the hero of the "recent Davis Cup contest in Melbourne. He is sometimes referred to as the "demon Irish driver," and his accomp____o_nts in this connection were pronounced to an unprecedented degree when he did what many other champions have failed to do —lowered the colours of Norman Brookes in the recent contest. Harke is a bright and entertaining personality. Beamish is reputed to be one of the exceedingly brilliant tennis players who are patchy, and he ia just as popular as brilliant. For big match play he is somewhat uncertain, but if he gets -oin" his opponents are alarmingly aware oi the fact. Lowe, lite the other members of the team, belongs to the legal profession. He is tall, of swinging gait, and is said to excel on covered courts. He relies on driving and passing shots rather than on a variety of strokes. HOW THE CUP WAS WON. "We practically won the cup when Parke beat Brookes," said the visitin" captain, in the course of an interview at the Northern Club. He added that he (Dixon) managed to beat Heath in the second match, and then on form the annexation of the cup was absolutely certain. The hero of the match - was Parke, who managed to get right on the crest of his form. After arrival in Australia he had taken full advantage of the three or four weeks' continuous practice a privilege which he had never had in his life. "Most oi the tournaments in England last a week," said Mr. Dixon, and it is not always convenient to get off for prolonged practice beforehand." He stated that the Australian pair, Brookes and Dunlop, were too much for them, and equality in this department was shown by the Australian players in Sydney and Brisbane. "In both places," said Mr. Dixon, "we had the greatest difficulty in winning our doubles. In Sydney we won six matches to two, and" in Brisbane we did not lose a match." Ho said that they were wonderfully impressed with Australia, both in regard to the high general standard of its "tennis. and also to the vast potentialities of the country. "When a few million more people are settled on its lands," he continued, "a great era of development will ensue in Austcalia. Take Brisbane, for instance. To my mind that city will increase tenfold during the next 50 years." WARM CLIMATE AND RECEPTION. Speaking of the climate, Mr. Dixcm said he found ffie heat in Australia very trying indeed, particularly i n Melbourne and for that reason he did not strike his' best form. In Melbourne, too, they used the Ayres ball, to which he was not used. In England they used the heavier Slazenger balls, which did not spin so much in flight. The visiting captain paid a warm tribute to the cordiality of their reception in Australia. The'people there had done everything possible to make their visit enjoyable, and the large crowds which witnessed the matches were most impartial. ' HAD HEARD OF NEW ZEALAND. '"Yes," remarked the visitor, "we have been looking forward with much pleasure to our visit to New Zealand, for we have heard much of its beautiful scenery." He added that the trip to Rotorua enroute to Hastings was likely to be much appreciated, and they were anticipating further treats in the South. Speaking of the prospects for future Davis Cup contests, Mr. Dixon said it had | been suggested that the Australians would visit England next year, and he thought that if Wilding (now following commercial pursuits) could be induced to play, as well as Brookes, they would stand an excellent chance of winning back the trophy. In any case, Australia had some younger players, who gave promise of brilliant doings. THE LIST OF MATCHES. To-morrow afternoon, commencing at 1.30, the singles will be: Dixon v. Ollivier. Lowe v. Peacock. Parke v. Swanston. Beamish v. Fisher. A double will be played between Beamish and Dixon < En-landi and Fisher and Ollivier (New Zealand I. (in Monday, the singles will he: Lowe v. Ollivier, Dixon v. Peacock, Parke v. Fisher, Beamish v. Swanston. The double will be Parke and Lowe (England) V. ..wanston and Peacock (New Zealand).