TROPHY TENNIS. I

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 16, 20 January 1939, Page 9

TROPHY TENNIS. I

THE WILDING SHIELD. CANTERBURY'S BIG LEAD. PROBLEM FOR HOME TEAM. With the Canterbury lawn temv = team the winners of five out of the «jx matches played yesterday, and with * only one victory—a singles—to their credit. Auckland was faced with tlir £ necessity of staging a surprising . recovery if they wished to retai l the trophy when the second day's play ir, the Sibling Shield toitrnament commenced this afternoon. Sucee~<'«!l defenders of the shield against a kato challenge last month. Auckland lies onlv hehl the tr >phv sin. e 'ast year, when they captured it from Canterbury. tlie previous holders. Since the nception of the contest in 1021-22. Canterbury has held the trojihv for nine years, while Auckland's surceases were recorded in 1024-2-"> 1031-3-> and 1037-38. There was a large attendance this afternoon, when the weather was fine, but without the irritating cross-court wind that made play so difficult yesterday. Auckland Wills Again. ith the first two singles in hand when X. G. Sturt (Auckland) beat A. R. f a lit (Canterbury) in the second game of the day, Auckland is in winning vein. It was a good even match in which Sturt was accurate with his placements. Cant played good tenn ; s with occasional lapses when he hiade errors that went against him. Bedford Again. In straight sets the A tick lander. X. Bedford; recorded his second win for the province this afternoon, which gave some hope that Auckland might retain the Wilding Shield. Be defeated R. CI. Pflttinsoh; the Canterbury player. •'—3. 6—l in the singles, though "the score was 110 indication of merit of the [day. Both players avoided net work, and gave good displays of smashing. There were few mistakes, both playitig well on their smash and lob work. The match was good, solid tennis, but Bedford's placements were the l>etter aiH what balk went wide missed by a J particularly small margin. Results \Verp: — Singles. X. Bedford (Auckland) beat R. <j. Pattinson (Canterbury), fi—3, 6—l. X. (J. Sttirt (Auckland) beat A. R. Cant (Canterbury), 7 —5, 7 —5.