LAWN TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 248, 19 October 1928, Page 16

LAWN TENNIS.

OPENING OF SEASON.

ENCOURAGING DOUBLE PLAY.

(By HALF-VOLLEY.)

Lawn tennis players throughout New Zealand will be awakening this week or next, after their long hibernation. Even to those who have played on hard courts throughout the winter the opening of the summer season will mean a change from lazy to hard tennis. The chief Auckland clubs will all be opening either next Saturday or the following weekend. Kemuera and University are staging their openings next Saturday, October 20, while Parnell, Onehunga, Mount Albert, Eden and Epsom are opening on the 27th. The first Saturday in November is the traditional date for club openings in Auckland, but the impending visit of the English players has speeded up matters this season, as the Test match against New Zealand will commence here on November 3. This effectually rules out this date as a possibility for an opening day, and so clubs have perforce to open a week earlier. i

Players all over the country are naturally rejoicing at the passing of the Summer Time Bill. The extra half hour's use of the courts per day given them by this measure, while it increases the facilities for tennis by club members, is the cause of a little extra anxiety on the part of the grounds committees, who know that this extra halfhour's wear per day is a severe test to their courts. The grass courts round Auckland, however, look really excellent this year, and the committees of the various clubs need feel little concern, judging by the present appearance of their courts. The sole of grass at Parnell and Remuera Clubs is particularly fine. Stanley Street looks excellent as usual; these courts will have I to be "nursed" a little this year in view j of the New Zealand championships! being played there at Christmas time, j

Revision of Ladders. Tlie local Ladder Committee should get busy soon now and revise the ladders against the coming season. Ther» are several players who should be on the men's ladder whose names do not appear there. A. Stedman and M. M. Morrison should eertainh' be ranked on the ladder and there are several others who must be considered as possibilities. The doubles ladders, too, require some revision. Doubles play to the mind of the writer, is not sufficiently catered for in Auckland, and something might be done by the association to stimulate interest in doubles. Something was done a year or two ago, when an "invitation doubles tournament" was held on successive Saturdays before Christmas. It was a sort of miniature doubles championship held just before the New Zealand championship meeting, to give the pairs entering for this meeting a chance of a little practice at match play. ] It was unfortunate that this event was j dropped last year, and it is to be hoped ' that the association's Inter-club Committee will leave room for it in this year's programme. Such a fixture should tend to become a most popular one with the best doubles pairs of the various clubs, and would probably be preferred by many to the inter-club matches. The Increased Levy. The raising of the association's levy has given rise to a certain amount ot comment among club member#. It should be explained that the association had no option in the matter. Faced with a loss of about £100 per annum ou the present basis, it was compelled to square its books by raising the only adjustable item in the "income" side of its accounts. Half-a-crown is hardly too much to charge each member of a large club for association membership, and the smaller clubs cannot be said to be overcharged at half this figure. The smaller clubs

are "on a win" at present, as for the few years, owing to the fact that their subscription is generally low, they have been drawing members who, in the old days, would have joined the large clubs. Their finances should consequentlv stand the increase without much strain. In any case, as I pointed out above, the association has no option in the matter.

Visit of English Team. Tlie English touring team comprising J. C. Gregory, E. Higgs, H. W. Austin and I. G. Collins, are due in Wellington next week. A couple of matches will be played in the South before they come to Auckland where the Test match against New Zealand will take place on November 3. Our team has not yet been chosen, but they are hardly likely to be in form so early in the season, and they mav not do themselves justice. The English'team consists of the younger school, though it can be considered a very representative team in every way, as can be judged from the following ranking, which by the way, is not an official one. However, not much fault can be found with the placing of the players: (1) E. HWs, (2) D. M. Grey, (3) J. C. Gregorv, (4) H. W. Austin, (5) C. R. O. Crole-Rees, (6) C. H. Kingsley. L G. Collins ranks about tenth or eleventh. Higgs and Gregory were the singles players of Britain's Davis Cup team, which defeated Finland and Germany and later lost to Italy in the semi-final by four matches to one, Higgs' defeat of Stefani being their only victory. The youngster of the team is H. W. Austin, and it is confidently hoped that his game will develop considerably during the tour, and that he will acquire the stamina essential to withstand the strain of a severe five set match. His physical weakness has been a decided drawback in the past, but he has proved that he can deliver the goods by his victories over the Americans, Lott, Hennessey and Coen, and further, by his five set encounter -with Lacoste at Wimbledon. Local enthusiasts, will be interested in the visit of these four players, but more so in this boy whose play will be keenly watched.