Lawn Tennis.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 1 (Supplement)

Lawn Tennis.

DOMINION TITLES.

Championships Next Week.— The Draw Reviewed.

(By HALF-VOLLEY.)

Players from all over the Dominion will by now be converging upon Wellington, where the Dominion championship meeting is to start on Monday next. The championship lnatches will be played on the Wellington Association's courts at Miramar, and players from other parts of the country will be unanimous, in their' prayers that the proverbial windy conditions will not prevail on this occasion. The championships will be remarkable for the participation of two very eminent Australian players, V. B. McGrath and E. F. Moon, who, although they have been seen in exhibition matches in the Dominion, have never played in tournaments here before. E. D. Andrews, a former Dominion champion,-will also be playing and the Wellington public should be sure of a treat when the final stages of the tournament arc reached. No ladies from abroad are playing in the tournament.

While the'inclusion in Dominion championships of such players as Perry, Kay and Ewin (last year) and McGrath and Moon, is a great draw from the point of view of the public, and stiffens up the play in the tournament, doubtless to the ultimate benefit of our best players, there is. something to be said for the point of view that it is hardly fair to the best New Zealand players. It can be argued that a New Zealand championship hardly lives up to its name when it is won year after year by players from abroad —players, too, who are not merely encouraged by the New Zealand Association to come and play in the tournament? but are actively imported by them so>as to swell the gate returns. This policy led. to several Southern players, including C. Angas, refusing to come north to play in the. New Zealand tournament at Auckland last year. The whole question is one of policy, and a great deal can be said on both sides. Possibly the suggestion made recently by an old Auckland player, of a "close championship" played late in the season and confined to local players, may be the solution of the difficulty. Singles Draw Examined. Turning, however, from questions of policy to the actual luck of the draw for Monday's play, it can be said at once that there is "an excellent entry in the men's events. The seeded players are McGrath and Moon (Australia), Andrews (England). Angas (Christchurch), D. G. France, Bedford and Roussell (Wellington) and Sturt (Auckland). In the first quarter-final McGrath is seeded to meet Bedford. Neither player should have any difficulty with his preliminary matches, and Wellington players should crowd the gallery when their junior prodigy meets the formidable Australian.

In the second quarter Angas is seeded to me'et France. Gunn (Auckland) is in Angas' section of the - draw, and may extend, though he is not yet likely to defeat, the Canterbury crack. D. G. France strikes a fairly hot part of the draw; he meets Jenkinson, of Hamilton, in the first round, and though likely to come through without danger, he may have to produce his best tennis in the first round if the hard-working and persistent young Hamilton player is on his game. D. C. Coombe, J. N. Lb wry and A. L. France are also in this section, and all are solid enough to make D. G. France watch his step.

In the bottom half of the draw E. F. Moon and E. A. Roussell are scheduled to meet in the quarter-final. In Moon's section an interesting match may be seen when Perkins (Wellington) meets Livingstone (Hamilton). The MoonRoussell contest will be worth seeing; we remember the really sterling tennis that Roussell turned on- in Auckland last year. Roussell may have a hard battle, however, against Cant, the very sound, young Canterbury player,! who he will probably meet in the third round. Two old doubles partners, E. D. Andrews (England) and H. G. Sturt (Auckland) will in all probability meet in the fourth quarter.

Summing up the probabilities in the later stages of the tournament, one may fairly Safely predict (if, indeed, any prediction is. safe) that McGrath should beat Bedford and Moon should beat Roussell. If Andrews is playing his best game he should beat Sturt; but it is not known whether Andrews is in form. The winner of the Francc-Angas match cannot safely be predicted. From the point of view of pure spectacle, however, the Wellington, officials will probably hope for semi-finals between McGrath and France in the top half and Moon and Andrews in the lower section. - Ladies' Singles Prospects. Misses M. Beverley, D. Nicholls, M. Macfarlane and T. Miller have been seeded in the ladies' singles event. Of these Misses Beverley and Miller have struck the easier sections of the draw. These two should reach their respective, semi-finals without difficulty. Miss Macfarlane has first to dispose of Mrs. Melody and then of the winners of Miss T. Poole and Miss Rudkin: this is a hot corner of the draw. In Miss Nicholls' section the title-holder has first to beat Miss I. Poole and then Miss Taylor; then the winner of Miss Howe and Miss M. Beverley. Most critics will predict a final between Miss Nicholls and Miss Beverley. Doubles Prospects.

In the men's doubles event McGrath and Moon are not playing together—this certainly makes the event more open. Moon-Aiigas and France-Sturt are seeded in the top half and McGrath-Seay and Roussell-Ferkins in the bottom half. In the top half I believe I back France and Sturt to come through; in the bottom half much depends on how Seay, a left-hander, will get on in combination with the unorthodox backhand of McGrath. Presumably McGrath will play in the right-hand court. Roussell and Perkins are perhaps a little lucky to be seeded— jfc Smith and A. L. France, for instance, may shake them up.

The ladies' doubles attracted a perfectly striking entry, only nine pairs l playing. Of these four are seeded, viz.,

Nicholls - Beverley, Macfarlane - Taylor; Miller-Rudkin and Poole-Poole. Most players will fancy the chances of Misses Beverley and Nicholls, the present titleholders.

The Doubles. Four pairs have been seeded in this event, in which McGrath is not entered. Andrews and Miss T. Poole are scheduled to meet Sturt and Miss Macf arlane in the top half and Moon and Miss Nicholls to meet Roussell and Miss I. Poole in the bottom section. Other pairs who may show up well are Coombc and Miss N. Beverley, France and -Mrs. France, and Pearce arid Miss Miller.. The first semi-final should be strenuously contested, but Moon and Miss Nicholls Should win. the second easily. .