NEW ZEALAND TENNIS.

Auckland Star, 2 September 1933, Page 17

NEW ZEALAND TENNIS.

THE FIRST TEN. TWO NEW NAMES. ROWLANDS AND FERKINS. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. Two new names break into the first ten in men's tennis this year, H. C. Rowlands, the Auckland hitter, and R. McL. Ferkine, Wellington's fourth-string Wilding Shield player who ran C. Angas hard at the national meeting last January. Rowlands reaches tenth position on the list through his remarkable form in the Wilding Shield contest between Auckland and Wellington. He defeated both N. R. C. Wilson and Ferkins, and beat them all the way. Though he did not play in the New Zealand championships the ranking committee considered his form so definitely high that he could not be ignored. It was much more convincing than that of his team-mate and peer in ability, M. M. Morrison. Ferkins reaches the top flight in New Zealand tennis after a varied career, which ' began brilliantly and was set back by a long absence in country school teaching. Last season he improved so far as to threaten Wilson's position as third man in the Wellington team, and he has victories over W. R. Robinson, D. G. France, Wilson and A. L. France, who disappears from the national ranking list for the first time since it was started. In the men's list there are marked changes, and the principal alteration is due to the return of E. D. Andrews and C. E. Malfroy to New Zealand.. Naturally, the winner and runner-up in the New Zealand championship, they take first positions on the list. Beyond the rating of the first two players, however, few will agree with the order in which the committee has placed the men. The arrangement makes the first ten. the most controversial ever produced by the New Zealand Association. The following are the names, the figures in parentheses giving the position of the player in the 1932 list: — 1. (0) E. D. Andrews (Dulwich). 2. (0) C. E. Malfroy (Wellington). 3. (4) D. G. France (Wellington). 4. (1) C. E. Augae (Canterbury). 0. (10) A. C. Stedman (Auckland). 6. (2) H. A. Barnett (Canterbury). 7. (6) N. G. Sturt (Auckland). 8. (3) N. R. C. Wilson (Wellington). 9. (0) R. McL. Ferkins (Wellington). 10. (0) H. C. Rowlands (Auckland). E. L. Bartleet (Auckland) was not ranked because of insufficient performance. It is obvious that the ranking committee has taken into account a wide range of matches, some of them three-set affaire, though its principles are eupposed to exclude these. For instance, D. G. France may have taken place ahead of C. Angas on the strength of a win in the Wilding Shield- match (though Angas was upset by foot-faulting). .But Stedman can hardly have risen above Barnett, who beat the Aucklander in five sets in the New Zealand championships), and Ferkins cannot have moved ahead of Rowlands unless threeset victories have been considered. Sturt's appearance above Wilson for the first time, is no mystery, however, as the Wellington player is now definitely on the downward grade in singles, and Sturt's game has improved season by season. There are also new names in the women's list, the chief newcomere being the Canterbury girl players, Misses Edna Rudkin and Thelma Poole, who revealed exceptional promise at Wellington after playiug their way into big tennis just before the national meeting. Miss Poole is placed tenth, equal with Miss D. Miller. Miss Rudkin is in eighth place. She earned this rating by defeating Miss M. Whyte, and coming near t> a win over Mrs. D. Or. France. In this list, also, there are mysteries, and one of them is how Miss M. Wake (Canterbury), can be ranked ahead of Miss D. Howe (Wellington). They met twice, once in the Nunneley Casket match and once in the New Zealand championship, and Miss Howe won both matches in straight sets. The full list follows, last year's ranking being given in Tiarentheses:— 1. (1 Miss D. Nicholls (Wellington). 2. (2 Mrs. H. M. Dykes (Wellington). 3. (3 Miss M. Macfarlane (Auckland). 4. (5 Miss B. M. Knight (Auckland). 5. (6) Miss M. Wake (Canterbury). 6. (8) Miss D. Howe (Wellington). 7. (8) Mrs. D. G. France (Wellington). 8. (0) Miss E. Rudkin (Canterbury). 9. (0) Miss M. Whyte (Wellington). 10. (0) Mies D. Miller (Otago). (0) Miss T. Poole (Canterbury). There is little change at the top of the list, the main alteration being due to the dropping of Mrs. W. J. Melody, who last year filled fourth position and totally failed to hold her place in match tennis last season. In the New Zealand championship she was beaten by a young player. Miss M. Whyte returns to the list after an absence due to the fact that she did not concentrate upon the game as intensely as usual. Miss Rudkin and Miss Poole were the two finds of the season, and few who saw them will forget the way in which Miss Poole hit around Miss Whyte for a straight eets victory, extended Mrs. Dykes in the championships, and defeated Mrs. France and Mies Whyte in the Nunneley Casket doubles.