TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 305, 26 December 1928, Page 13

TENNIS.

DOMINION CHAMPIONSHIPS.

PROSPECTS REVIEWED.

AUCKLAND'S CONTINGENT.

(By HALF-VOLLEY.)

In this article, our tennis correspondent deals at length with the New Zealand championships, the opening of which was postponed this morning on account of rain. His forecast is as follows:—

lu the men's singles event Bartleet should enter the last eight without am serious opposition; Angus will almost certainly be his opponent in the quarterfinal, though he will have to defeat E. \\right first. Laurenson should beat Ferkins to enter the same round. His opponent will most probably be Lampe. but the Wauganui player will first have to beat A. M. Nicholson, who is always capable for a surprise win, then to encounter the winner of the A. StedmanGray match. He has a hard part of the draw. Malfroy should go through without much opposition, probably -_o meet Sturt, whom he is ]>artnering in i the doubles. Sturt has however first: to beat Grant, then Morrison, and last (probably) Low.ry; so that getting to the quarter-final is not a certainty. France and (ilanville should fight out the other quarter-final. Lampe will quite possibly beat Laurenson, who will probably reserve his main effort foi> the doubles and of the eight players mentioned, I think the semi-finals should be fought out by Bartleet and Lampe on one side and Malfroy and France on the other. .Bartleet will probably meet Malfroy in the final, and should win on present indications. Indeed this year seems to be Bartleet's year, and the Auckland man, having the additional advantage of being at home, should havean excellent chance of winning the Nc.v Zealand singles championship.

In the men's doubles many people will favour the chances of the holders. Bartleet and Laurenson. There are, • however, several other pairs who are well worth watching. Sturt and Malfroy are likely to meet France and Angus in the semi-final of the top half of the draw; neither pair meets very solid opposition, though Gray and Wright may possibly spring a surprise in the third round. In the semi-final Sturt and Malfroy should win. In the bottom half of the draw Bartleet and Laurenson will almost certainly reach the quarterfinal, but who will contest this match with them is somewhat uncertain; it will be the survivor of three solid pairs —A. C. Johns and Morrison, Lampe and Williams and Nicholson and Grant. The survivor of these three should give Bartleet and Laurenson something to think about in the match for the right to enter the semi-final. The fourth semi-finalists will possibly be Glanville and Lowry, but A. C. Stedman and Charters may be reckoned as having in even chance "of defeating the more sea-

soned pair. In the semi-finals I think Sturt and Malfroy will beat Franc* and Angas, and the final, if Bartleet and Laurenson meet Sturt and Malfroy, should be well worth watching. The women's singles is a very open event. Miss Macfarlane is playing well, and as she is playing "at home" should have an excellent chance of a win this year, as she has not got to become acclimatised to Auckland conditions.

It is very difficult, however, to go further than picking the semi-finalists, who should almost certainly be found in Misses Macfarlane, Adams, Spiers and Tracy. In the first round Miss P. Miller should have a strenuous fight with Miss Gibson, who, if my memory serves me right, won the South Island championships at Easter. The survivor will meet Miss Macfarlane in the quarterfinal: this match should produce some fine tennis. Mrs. Adams should go through to the semi-final without difficulty, beating Miss Whitelaw in the first round and Miss Myers in the quarterfinal. Miss Spiers will have to defeat Mrs. Shroff, and also the survivor of

Miss Newton, Mrs. Scott Watson and Miss Nicholls. Miss Nicholls should go through if she is playing her best game, but as rumour has it that sha is not placing well just now, I will pick Mrs. Scott Watson to enter the quarter-final With Miss Spiers. Miss Tracv will probably be too active for Miss Ramsay in the first round, though this should be a good match, and the Wellington ladv should reach the semi-final afterward's with no further difficulty. I will refrain from prediction after the semi-final stage.

The women's doubles furnish an entrv Of only thirteen pairs. In mv opinion -Mrs. Adams and Miss Tracv should win this event, the chief opposition eominu ironi the Misses Macfarlane in the semima and Misses Spiers and Wake in the final.

The mixed doubles is a verv open event alis. Adams and L. France' should beat -Mrs. Scot Watson and A. C. Stedman and thus enter the quarterfinal. Here their opponents will probably lie Mis* Myers and Lampe. Miss .Spiers and Angus should beat Miss D. Miller and \. Johns, to reach the second quarterfinal where their most likelv opponents are Miss Ramsay and Morrison, whom I consider good enough to defeat Miss r> ;;-„ arlane and I give Miss P. Miller and A. C. Johns a win over Miss Nicholls and Sturt, as Miss Nicholls does not seem to be at her best form and Sturt will possibly be over-tired bv his matches in the other events. Miss f racv and Malfroy will be their opponents. The semi-finals should be: Mrs. Adams and L. France v. Miss Spiers and An ? as and Miss Tracy and Malfrov v. Miss Wake and Glanville. Mrs. Adams and T-rance should fight out the final with Malfroy and his partner, and I will take the latter pair to win. Auckland's Chances. A word in conclusion as to the Auckland possibilities. In the men's singles EL. Bartleet is the onlv local possibility, except perhaps N. Sturt on one of his very best days. A. L. Stedman can hardly beat both Lampe and Laurenson. Jn the men's doubles it is not onlv possible, but hifrhly probable, that Auckland will earn a point, as by far the two ■ most probable pairs are Bartleet and Laurenson and Sturt and Malfrov. Miss Macfarlane is a distinct possibility for

the ladies' singles, but I cannot see any other Auckland lady coming through in this event. The Macfarlane sisters are also possible -winners of the doubles, though "I favour Wellington's chances here. In the mixed doubles I cannot

see any Auckland pair going further Stan the quarter-finals, •where we should be represented by Miss P. MiUgar and A. • Johns and bv Miss Ramsay apjp SBrri-*,-son. Good luck to represent - tatives.