LAWN TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 307, 27 December 1924, Page 21

LAWN TENNIS.

---;!> "HALF-VOLLKY."! > P ;on.:;-J entries from Icuii:..- r-avor in So :.„., ■ ,-..;-. rr .-ivy 1 IT : >■ N.« Zea.a:.; .■;i.::ir.; 'j.rl.i -- "huh " 11 >' "njei way ~v tut- "..;:..■ iiii-M' i,--;o- J- , "" j-resir.. ,;,•:. ~-..; i; :> ii.:; : .: '. ■'< li»:t,<- nt: tin , !"■;" ron , .i-..r.al>T« wi'.'.i any .> -.-i ~f cer:a.r.ty. In ;•■■ •• nt tV ( .; : - ; p «;r.nrr -houid i-.>:no fu>ni La.i>: -..- >ini- Ui.nior. and At. ir, a>. br.« ri - [.rac;i ..!:>' ai.kr.uwa a.- far a> NVw 2>a '.i:..l •.<•!.:".:> > .vn m.-.' i. *o «v an ~: h ;.• :.. of hi- .:-.an»-e#. k :Lt ~■ iiron -I th.w a;i ■ »i.o« li s pis; • ■- no",! :-p I.i li ■>: Ni * i' alar.J >u:..:hr:; a: il »•> :;..iv ': rir.; ■ i! .» -v rrise. .1. ■ I ,:.i ii.v' i v.iM.U-r !n> van po j-;cl-t ; ; : r.v2 . I!. !!. r:l .■•. \ ' ■•<;*: d'r < b.-ci ho- o :■.- \].c <n: o>. .- ;n -■"'•'! f'Cin sn.j if . r- ~i:. -..a.mm.:. .: :iir a;!i.i ; •.;.. tn'irr.a'i.i:;: : f >h "i:l■ I ;:■ ' •'•' ;ar a»;v »:■;■ •: : .- :iral • me-. VoX'mt :;.:.„::' l.i-t -«-.i 5 n'- ::: d in A ' i :ui i i. !- L a--1: ho .I .■- -::-.ki" f«»r.:i !.<■ «"i' - l !* a ie-y ■A.i- i t' » :-■•' player •" t- 1 *! -T. '.n in :I.'- A-'.k'.rirn] chamji.-i,. -iiii.-. nthor player- wlui f'muld ec =~::.- distant aio: Y. \V. i-.ritShhj. e:.o i> iii.; h f'>r:n a: present. 11. 1.. l!r> >o!-.. H. Kr.in.o. L. F:au« anJ A. G. Wallace. urong'pairV. *BartW: and Robson may repeat la>t Mar's performance, bu-. i:,t. will have to be at their very >*?; t.o defeat Lauron.-on and Griffiths. In the writer is inclined to pick this iafl*r pair as the ultimate winner;, tiicmgb possibly it would be fafer to brßckr". the above-mentioned pairs w;'.h Andrews and Lowrv. Some otlier i-troEr pairs are Peacovk and Sim-, Ollivier and Loary, and Prance and France. Great interest is being taken in tbe ladies' singles, and tlw rinal ehouH b? a battle royal, probably between Mi>s Marfarlanc," on whom Aucklanders «ill be plaoinj: their hor>e>. and the present holder o;Vue chaJnpior.s-hip. Miss j-pier&. Miss Lloyd's presence will add considerable interest, though we do not think that she can defeat either oi the players mentioned above. Miss McLaren, Wno defeated Miss Macfarlane last season, should finish well up. as should Miss Knight. The latter has probably more brilliant shots than any other laaj player in New Zealand at the time, but she lacks triat control which is so necessary if one is to po rant to the top. The writer is inclined to favour Miis .-piers' chances. She seems to have command of a great variety of shots, and a beautifully easy style allied to a line match temperament. In the doubles Mrs. Melody and Miss McLaren strike one as Wing quite likely to repeat their performance of 1a.51 >eac-on. though Miss Knight's brilliancy joined with Mi>= Lloyd's stcadine.-s and generalship may we.l prove to be in-ur-uiuuntable. The final should be letween these two pairs. Other pairs who may be heard oi are Mrs. Marshall and Mis* Mai-Gormick and the Misses Maciarlane. In the combined doubles Miss Macfaria:i«- and Rotteon will have to be at the very top of their form if they are to !e successful again. Some oi the pairs who may tnreaten their supremacy are Mrs. Marshall and Bartleet. Miss McLaren and Andrews. Mrs. Melody and Wallace, and Miss Kjii2bt and Johns. The writer had an opportunity during the week-cud of visiting the Titirang; Club's courts. To those players wbo wish to spend a pleasant week-end far from the turmoil of the city I take this opportunity of recommending this httle club. The courts at present are not in as good order as they might have been owing to a late topdressing, but it is intended to remedy this next season and get them right up to the mark. '"It is pretty safe to assume,' , says a writer in '•American Lawn Tennis." '"that a player who acquires one ger-d stroke can learn another. Self pride is usually the stumbling block. He c&nnot bear to be beaten by men he is used to I defeating, even in practice, and he linds ! that tiiis is sure to happen when he tries I other strokes and forbears to rely ; entirely on his favourite, if he is a ! man who plays in tournaments he is apl I to forsake his new style of play as soon I as he finds himself, hard pressed, and i'al! j back upon his one stroke game. He is I particularly likely u> backslide when up ' against a man of his own or one I whom he fears might best him. although ! he shouldn't. If he meets an expert who is considered to be his superior his pride does, net enter into it »o much and he is willing to try and play as 'je knows he should, for then he has nothing to lose and all to gain. Many fairly good players, who are supposed to use little or no headword, may lay the blame rather to their early schooling in the game than any real lark of generalship. Take for instam-e the case of the onestroke player who puts everything into a forehand drive and imi-t hit every ball hard in order to keep his stroke. When h.€ meets a man who drop? over short ones. li« rushes in ar.d drives them with exactly the same speed t':at he would put imc a ball at the and with the s-amf manner of stroke. The result i> that h; usually puts the ''all in the net or >lar.i: it against the back-.-iop. If he cuts do - .%r on his speed he gets out of his -Iriue and although he may realise that h;s ts: tics will hand him a loser, he knows n< other game, and so keeps doggedly on hoping against hope. What the averag; player needs is coaching of the 1-est kinc at the beginning of his tennis and durin: the years to fellow. Everyone shouk have it at the start and few even ge , beyond the stage where it oeascs to In of value. It i> a deplorable f-xct. however, that teaching or coaching of th< right kind is extraordinarily scarce As a general ru!e the beginner rai:> struggle alone as best he- can. gettins his pointers, if possible, by observin: the play of his betters. Thu? many ; beginner who ii properly taught migh develop into a fairly good player, give: up the idea of ever amounting to anything. If he takes naturally to th game and make- rapid strides in spit' of lack of education in style and tactic he is taken into 'faster' company ii accordance with the headway he makes. The decision, of the United State Lawn Tennis Association's executive re garding the derinition of an amateui following the Ion? dispute conoernin. J the status of the "writer-player," rnak

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! hare overwhelmed any one o: ;bem. i but The avfrare would have been ' him. Many Englishmen nil! I say thai R, F. - Ba Do' in h:5 t*nnij prime could have h'Jng i: on all of ' them. ] d.-n': know. You c 3-.': c-om-I pare la«n tenni? from decade to ' de-cade. When * Bi£ F*o " sro* tired of I winning the English title be ltirne-d it ioifr to Little IV." and 1 doubt if he : could ha.c df.- rereined ii. even if he ; >ia.d so df-sired. Wlien - Little Do' pot : tired of it he pave it up. and Xorman j Brooke-? t-sroe into liif out, =tji] later i on. New it if Bill Tilden: u»-morrcw it j will lie s-omeone else." Henry Cochet. the French Cup ; player, some pood aivic-e in a recent issue of Tennis." '"Try ' to acquire pood footwork and play every ■ stroke with the shoulders to i -.he net. Tbe position of the srouiders ■si trie t>e<;iiin'iji? >"■; a :~ ui.-.r* }mr.or7ar,: l!;an the positii-n of t c :><■!. Most of the lawn !<"-r.;- «r!rrs iisvv sriven fir>- importance to fo-f. •:'■: and tcild bow the feet must '!•? placed liefore hittinc a hall- They are not quit* ridn 1-ecause every stroke played on -he run in modern lawn tenni-. and In-f-au-e e>en if t'lf feet aro corrrciiv y.]a«-. : .. 'ho l.ody may face the ne; and. therefore, ilie rii'ing he crampt-d. In my ' opinion the portion of the upper par' nf i the boov only if important., an.] if one £rive> all one a:ter.:ion to liavins t'.e body j.iJt-.vay> to the net. one will always I'C ahfe to play with fl free s-.\:ii2 and 'rut all the body weight in t':e . stroke.