LAWN TENNIS

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 303, 20 December 1913, Page 16

LAWN TENNIS

"Austral,"' in tbe Sydney "Referee," has been apologising for Brookes in connection with his defeat by Doust, but another Sydney writer, "Footfault," in the "Daily telegraph," declines to adopt this attitude. Commenting on the match, he says has become quite a habit in New South Wales to consider the live matches in winch Brookes participated as certain wins for Victoria. And this I year no allowance had been made for the form produced by Doust. To say that iit was good is much too mild. He | played better than we have yet seen him I play in Australia. Certainly, Brookes ! was not tlie player that on several occa- ! sions helped to' win the Davis Cup for ! Australasia, nor did he produce, the same '• form as when he played Parke and Dixon in Sydney last January, though in ! his match against Rice, an hour before Ihe played Doust he was in capital form, as also was the ease in tbe first set

I against Doust. After that Doust played i the better tennis of the two. Frequently jhe intercepted the quick returns of ! Brookes in a marvellous fashion. His I fieetuess of foot was a great asset, and 1 like Parke in Melbourne in the Davis Cup match, he was able to get to the ! short -dropped volleys, and score off them. Doust was the quicker player in getting to the net, and when there sprang at the returns from Brookes' racquet, and volleyed the ball across the court at ! such 6harp angles that Brookes was ! left standing. Doust's volleying was j almost perfect, and Brookes seemed | unable to anticipate it at all. Brookes' display was considered beneath his usual ! form, but was good enough to make I one believe he would have won had not ' Doust played the wonderful game he did. ! Doust possesses a service that appears jto the ordinary onlooker as plain and I simple. He delivers it without any appaj rent effort, or pace, but it skims the net, I and falls with excellent length almost 'on the line. The greatest difficulty it presents is its failure to rise any distance off the ground. Doust played it ' -well on to Brookes' backhand, which is much weaker than his forehand. But the weakest spot in Brookes' game was his inability at the moment to overcome the peculiar strokes of Doust, which were entirely different to those he had been accustomed to for some year 3. In taking the service he stood close up to the service-line, and adopted the same method of dealing with the slow, lowball, as he did when he negotiated the fast and high-bounding services of players like McLaughlin, Dixon, and Beamish. Doust's service required quite different handling. Brookes persisted in playing to Doust's backhand, which during 'this match at all events, proved to be far stronger than his forehand. The success of Doust over Brookes wa3 the sensational incident of the series.

The Australian Lawn Tennis Association has. through its hon. secretary (Mr. T. 11. Hicks), been in communication with Norman Brookes since the conclusion of the recent inter-State carnival in Melbourne, in connection with the arrangements for next year's Davis Cup matches. The closing date on which America—the present holder and champion nation—may be challenged has been fixed, and notice must be given to the secretary of the United States National Association, so that it shall reach him not later than the first Monday in March. j The challenge match will be played in ; the country of the champion nation in August. The preliminary ties between the challenging nations—British Isles, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia—must be concluded before the end of July.

Norman Brookes, who will lead the Australasian attack on the American tennis strongholds, will be given a free hand in connection with all arrangements for the playing of both the pre--1 liminary and challenge ties, as well as the selection of the men who will carry the burden of the attack for this country. A communication has been received by Brookes from Anthony Wilding—who , is at present in London—intimating that he is ready and willing to assist his old j colleague in another Davis Cup campaign i and A. W. Dunkip will also be available lif his services are required, for the j doubles matches, and has completed arrangements to leave for England next | month. Brookes will follow a month later, and will join his Victorian partner lin the South of France in time to torn--1 pete together at the Riviera tournaments that open the summer tennis season abroad. Brookes is in Sydney to confer with the Australasian Association executive on the filling of the fourth ' place in the Australasian team.

Brookes has interviewed R. W. Heath (the present champion of Victoria and vanquisher of the American captain, W. A. Earned, in the 1911 challenge match, played in Xew Zealand), but Heath is unable to make the trip abroad next year, and his services will therefore not be available. S. X. Doust, of New South Wales, is returning to England in February, and will probably be asked to complete the Australasian team.