CHAMPION TENNIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 308, 30 December 1929, Page 9

CHAMPION TENNIS.

MISS.MACFARLANE DEFEATED.

MISS KNIGHT'S GOOD WIN.

THE AUCKLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS.

TO-DAY'S PLAY.

brilliant weather and. fast, dry courts favoured' this, the fourth day of the Auckland Lawn Tennis* Association's annual championship tournament. Conditions were ideal and good progress was made with 'the programme, -vv-hich is much delayed owing to the wretched weather .which marred last-week's play. Defeat of Lady Champion. , . The defeat of Miss Marjorie Macfarlanej New Zealand singles champion, and Auckland champion, by Miss B. Knight, ill a semi-final, occasioned a mild .surprise. Miss Macfarlane was far below her true form., Her length was bad, she volleyed indifferently and made , a multitude of mistakes at unexpected moments. Oil. the other hand, Miss Knight played brilliantly. Seldom has she been seen to such advantage. Especially effective was her volleying, and she won-numerous points by unplayable backhand returns across the court to the corners. Some of her passing forehand strokes were beautiful. Miss M"efarlane would have made it a long-range driving duel —the game at which she excels—but being unable to find her length she had to resort to other tactics. .She found Miss Knight coming up to the net, where the Eden and Epsom, player was very sound. The Remuera lady more or less dominated the first set, but she was extended" all the way, and in the second set her pace slackened. She could not find the side-lines. Time and again she drove off the backhand into the net. Her first service was rarely correct, and,. in' any case, it wever troubled Miss Knight.

There was a grim struggle towards the close of the second ect. Miss Knight led at 5—2. . Making a great effort, the champion won the next game, and also the ninth, forcing Miss Knight into errors. Thrice she smashed down the centre line, leaving the Epsom lady standing. In the tenth game there was an exciting duel, Miss Macfarlane fighting till she lacked but one point to equalise. Then, off the base line, she drove into the net. Her opponent passed her down the side line with the next return, and the set went to Miss Knight when ~the champion returned over the base line.

From that on Miss Knight played with all the-confidence of a. winner. She volleyed magnificently, and her backhand cross-court driving was consistently good. When tho 4—l was called it was , obvious that Miss Macfarlanc was a loser, short of an unexpected return to her best form. This did not materialise, but her opponent - lost the sixth game by "outing" forehand returns, smashing on the wrong, side of the net and general inaccuracy. With 2—4 on tho board Miss Macfarlane still had a chance to retain her champion's crown,' but .she lacked sting, and her inability to find the length was disastrous. She was not tho tactician and hard-driving player Avho beat Miss May Spiers (now Mrs. Dykes) at the Dominion • championships last January. Gone was that extra pace "which has carried her to victory on five previous occasions.; Miss Knight won brilliantly, achieving her second victory over the champion. Her initial win was scored, in an inter-club match not long ago. On tho day. Miss Knight was the better player by a fair margin and deserved her win, 4—o,' G— 4, ' 6—2. However, there was an impression in the minds of spectators that Miss Macfarlane may even.now recover her pace and general form sufficiently to snatch a victory at Christchurch at the end of the month, and so retain her Dominion honours.

A brilliant buret by Brough, who is a visitor from Hamilton, was the feature of his doubles witli Hobbs against Nicholson and Hubble. From the beginning Brough played forcefully, concentrating on strong smashing, but towards the end he broke forth with amazing strength and accuracy. ■ Although the local pair won the final set without the loss of a game, Brough played brilliantly and was quite the most effective of the four. Hubble and Nicholson combined well and let very little pass. Good lobbing by Nicholson won them a number of points. Hubble struck a bad patch in overhead work and volleying in the third set, but recovered and scored with several well-placed shots in the two final sets. -With Brough carrying most of>the attack, Hobbs had few opportunities for finishing shots.- . «

An unusually long match was fought out by Entwistle and Miss Newton and Morrison and Miss Ramsay. While Eufwistle deserves credit for the work he did, he would have had only himself to blame had he and his partner been beaten. He was placing many smashes from close in, but he attempted to cover too much of the court, and during many of the rallies Miss Newton was standingidle. From side to side of the court he played along v the net, and although it was his attack' that won the match, a more creditable victory could have been scored with better tactics. Time and again Morrison and Miss Ramsay failed to place conectly. There were occasions when both of their opponents were on one side of the court, and they did not take advantage of the openings. Miss Ramsay played a defensive game throughout, and more attacking by her and her partner would probably have turned the scales in their favour.

Hardy and Miss Marion Macfarlane found A. C. Johns and Miss Pat Miller an, unexpectedly tough proposition. Johns was well oil his game, and varied his, attack with effective shots to all parts of the court. Hardy was patchy. Had he been in better form the match would have been much more interesting. Good smashing and volleying close in was displayed by Miss Miller, while Miss Macfarlane also -scored well-placed shots . from the net. Mies Macfarlane also .dr.qve strongly. Steadiness gave V. R. Johns and Hayr a victory over Bartleet and Watkins. The latter pair were patchy and made many, mistakes, while the winners were consistent if not particularly forceful. ' " Veterans Down To Colts. Speed.. triumphing over experience might, well,describe. Sturt and Stedman's defeat .of .Griffiths .and. Clark. Although the losers employed all the tactics they knew—and were, successful on many occasions—they cculd not contend with the accuracy and strength which the younger players displayed. After trailing I—l and 2—5 in the first set, Griffiths and Clark made a brilliant recovery and ran the colts to twenty games. Both the second and third sets went, to "the winners easily, and thev

dropped only one game : in thirteen. Facing a I—s score in the final set, the veterans made a big effort, and Clark scored decisively with three strong backhands down the side ■ lines' and a forehand and a backhand, equally forceful, down the centre. Strong forehand driving and accurate smashing, varied with occasional lobbing, formed Stedman's and Sturt> scored frequently, with clever short volleys from close in. However strong the drives were, Shirt managed to drop them within a yard or two of the net, leaving his opponents well out of reach.on the back line. . Griffiths lost a few points through running round his backhand on Shirt's service, which was coming-in fairly fast. Many times he scored with strong drives from this position, but he might have done better to vary his return with an occasional lob to the base line over .Stedman's head. Tho win carried Sturt and Stedman into tlie semi-final of the men's doubles. Mrs. Melody Enters Final. Mrs. Melody won in two straight sets from Miss Kamsay,- o—2, .6—l, in the oilier, -semi-final of the ladies' single Both players had met on two previous occasions, when the scores were, exactly similar. The opponents had eaci) improved considerably, since their las,, meeting and, although , the Wellington, lady 'won by a comfortable margin, the match was the hardest fought they had played. It was , one of the most interesting ladies' games of the touynanient. Each player used a chop and cut attack, and the match Was contested from the base lines. Neither player followed her service in much, each being content to concentrate , on a good effective length to alternate corners of the court; with accurate forehand and - backhand drives delivered with sufficient spinto leave the ground with a troublesome bounce. R'esults:—' Men's Doubles. THIRJJ HOUND. . Hubble and Nicholson beat Brougll and Hobbs, 6—l, 6—3, 4—6, C—o ;' Johns and Hayr beat Bartleet and Watkins, 10—8, 2—G, 6—3,' 6-fO. I Sturt and Stedmnn beat Griffiths and Clark, 10—S, o—o, 6—2. ... ■■ ■" . . Ladies' Singles. SEMI-FINALS. Miss Knight beat. Miss Marjorie Macfarlaiie. 4—6. 6—4, G—2. Mrs. Melody beat Miss Ramsay, 6—2, 6—l. • \ Combined Doubles. : . FIRST ROUND. E. B. Hardy and Miss Marion Macfarlane beat E. Turner and Miss R. Taylor, G—3, 10—S; Miss Entwiatle and Miss D. Newton , beat M. Morrison and Miss J. Ramsay, 4—6, 6—3, A. C. Stedman and Mrs: Melody beat Brown and Miss Sanderson, 6—2, 6 —2 ;K. Hayr and Miss Parr won from Ha worth and Miss M. Corboy by default. . SECOjfo ROUND. i A..C. Johns and Miss M. Miller beat-P. IS. Potter and Miss Frankham, 6 —o, 6—2; Hardy and Miss Macliarlane won from S. Colec rove and Miss V. Moginie. by .default 1 ; Jones and Mrs. Herricfc/beat McKcown and Miss Knott, β-gjgl, 7—5 ; Charters and Mrs. Arnoil beat Roberts and Miss Major, 6—3, 6—4. - , . i Turner and Miss Whitclaw won from "itedman and Mrs. Melody by de'feault ;.'[-. A \. Lamb and Miss \L Potter beat Hayr and Miss Parr, 7—5, 6—3. THIRD ROUND. . ' A. .C. Johns and Miss P. Miller beat Hardy and Miss Marion Macfarlane, 6—2. 6—2: J. T. Harrison , and Miss McCrea 'beat Charters and Mrs. Arneil, 6—3, 5—7. 6— i. • ■ - ....... ,: :/;,, ~: Boys' Singles. ; . ;;-:, first ROUKbt ,rt "''■ R. S. Bruce beat D. Port,' 6—4, .7—5; J. S. Wilson beat G. E. Coles, 6—l. 6—2; W. Brownlee beat A. .Walton, 6—2, 6—2. ■; • SECOND ROUND, v R. Milne beat Gilmer. 6—3, o—2; Busliill beat ' Cooinbo. o— 7, I—6,1 —6, 6—4;. Turner beat , Bruce, 6—o, 6—l. r' Court beat Roach. 0—7," 7—5; M. T Wilson boat J. S. Wilson, 6—4, 7—5; S. R. Walton won , by default from Stephens; J. G. Bowden won by default from Ryburn. • ■ Boys' Doubles-. SECOND RpUJN'D. M. • T. and- J. S. Wilson beat Coles and Chalmers, 6—3, 6—4. yvultou and Turner beat Handyside and '"vent, 6— l, 6—o ; Br< v/nlee and Milne won )}• default from Stephens and Ryburn. ■•..-■: Girls' Singlas.. ... ■ . • SECOND ROUND. •■ . Miss-B. Griffiths, beat Miss M. Bottrell; G—2,; 6—4. :■ : • - THIRD ROUND. Miss Taylor beat Miss Chetwynd, 6—4, 6—2: ..iiss La Roche won by default from Miss Johns. .■■ Girls' Doubles. FIRST ROUND. Misses Dickson and M. Bottrell won by default from Misses R. Johns and N. Anderson. Misses 'Griffiths and La Roche beat Misses Colsou and .P. Buddie, 6 —3, C—3. SECOND ROUND. Misses Taylor and Griffiths beat Misses Dickson and Bottrell, 6—l, 6—2.