LAWN TENNIS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8677, 29 December 1893, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP MEETING. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, December 28, The following matches at the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association Meeting wore played off to-day :— Championship Singles—Third round—P. Marshall beat R. Gore, 6—3, 4—6, B—6, 6—3. M. Fenwick beat Hooper, 6—3, 6—2, 6—3. Men's Championship Doubles — Final— Marshall Brothers beat Fen wicke and Logan, 6—2, 6—4,1-6, 6—3Ladies' Championship Doubles—Final— Mrs Chapman and Miss Nicholson beat Miss Gorrie aud Miss Trimneii, B—lo, 6—4, 10—a Men's Handicap Doubles—Baddeley and Gillies (acr; heat Fenwick and Logan (owe 30), 6—o, 6—l. Sykes and Colbecke .rec. 15) beat Macfarlane and Carr (scr), 6—l, 6—3. Baddeley and Gillies (scr) beat Paton and Mcintosh (rec, 15), 6—4, 6—B, 6—2. Ladies' Handicap Doubles—Final—Mrs Chapman and Miss Nicholson (scr) beat Miss Trimneii and Miss Laishley (rec. 2-4----15), 7—5, 6—3. Combined Handicap Doubles—Miss Spiers and J. M. Marshall (owe 15) beat Miss Cotterill and J. Harold (rec. 2-4-15), 5—6, 6—3, 6—2. Men's Handicap Singles—Baddelev (scr) Leat Colbeck (rec. £-15), 6—l, J. M. Marshall (owe 40) beat H. H. Knight (rec. 3-15), 4—6, 6—2, 6—2. Paton (rec. |-15) beat Paterson (scr), 1—6,6 —4, 6—2. The weather was fine, but a strong northerly wind was blowing. Great iuterest centred in the match between the Marshall Bros, and Fenwick and J_ogan.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) J AUCKLAND, December 28. j The Tennis Tournament is creating a considerable amount of iuterest and is being' well attended, though a small financial loss is anticipated. The wiu of the brothers Marshall in the championship doubles was very popular aud P. Marshall will prove a strong opponent for Fenwick in the Championship to-morrow. To-day the chief attraction was the Championship Single betweeu M. Fenwick of Napier, champion of New Zealand, aud J. R. Hooper, the champ.on of Auckland. After Hooper's brilliant victory over J. M. Marshall, the Christchurch representative, great things were expected of him, end it was thought that if he did snatch the victory from his opponent he would make the match one to be remembered ior its brilliancy. However, those who went out with such hopes were doomed to be miserably disappointed, for Hooper was beaten from first to last and bis play was unaccountably disappointing. It was true that at times he appeared to pull himself together and won several games in his very be 3. style, yet on the whole he seemed nervous and all too many of his strokes were either lamentably weak or surprisingly wild. After Fenwick had got a decided lead, Hooper appeared to lose heart. He persisted to the end in his swift drives, though hardly one of them came off, much to the disappointment of his many friends. It was at times bard to believe that one was watching the play of the same Hooper that' so cleverly defeated J. M. Marshall on Tuesday. Fenwick, on the other hand, played an almost perfect game. Doubtless He was urged on by the knowledge that victory meant a third inscription on the Cup, and also the absolute possession. His game was not one ot fancy strokes or tricks, or dodges, though none knew better than he how to deal with such resources, but what won for him the match was his all-round excellence, his splendid .mastery, of every department of the game. His sharp cuts juat skimming the net, and which scarcely rose from the ground, gave evidence of a splendid eye, indeed it would be no discredit to anyone to be beaten by such a player. The championship honours now remain.bet ween P. Marshall and Fenwick, for the former defeated R. Gore, of Wellington, after a fine contest. The fiual will be played to-morrow, but the weather is not promising. The contest yesterday between Koch and P. Marshall was a very keen one, and was fought out without any quarter until the bitter end, Marshall made a fine start aud looked as though the game was in his hands, but then Koch came up well and swept all .before him, winning tbe next two sets. 6—2, 6—l. Things now looked more than hopeful for Koch, yet the game was by no means up, for Marshall pulled himself together and made a brilliant effort. Marshall proved himself the stronger, and won the next two sets. 6—2, 6—2. This won for him the match, the scores standing 6-tr-3, _r-r-6. I—6, 6-r4, 6—2. It ahows how cl/ose the struggle was that each man won twenty-one games, . .The Championship Singles to-day, between P,,, Marshall (Chri-tcHu-oh) and R. Gore (Wellmgton) proved deeply interesting, being fought from start to .finish with the treateat determination. Marshall wou the rst set 6—"-, and then Gore played up strongly and repeatedly out-general" ed his opponent,, winning the second set 6—4. The next set called forth a great struggle, each player making use of all he knew about tennis and trying every resource, Marshall eventually winning a protracted set B—6. Another set, to Marshall meant winning for him, aud so both braced' themselves up for tho fray. However, the play was hardly as close as was anticipated, and Marshall won 6—3. Thus 42 games wero played, of which 24 went, to the winner and 10 to Gore.

Tho final match of the Championship Doubles was played off to-day between Fenwick and Logan, th. Napier representatives, and the Marshall brothers, of Christchurch. This event was certainly one of the Guest exhibitions of tennis, seen on the ground during the tournament. Every stroke was watched with the greatest interest, and many a round of applause was elicited by the brilliant rallies, fine placing and clever head play on both sides. The public sympathy seemed to lean towards the Christchurch men, and their victory was a very popular one. Tbe Marshal-, worked very well together. In Fenwick and Logan they had no mean opponents; but though they were pressed very severely, they won the first set—6—3. P. Marshall was especially brilliant with his net play. Set No. 2 was another excellent display of scientific tennis, the younger Marshall getting in his drives and backhand strokes with telling effect. Th. games wero at one time 4 all,' but then the brothers asserted themselves and won the set, 6—4. Logan in this set did some first rate net play. Fenwick and ho had now to win a set or lose the match. Fenwick's back-line play was brilliant in the. extreme, and they won game after game, and eventually had the set 6—l. In the next set the Marshall* started off by winning the first three games, and then their opponents scored. The Marsballs, however, kept well ahead, and eventually won the set, 6—4. With the younger brother at the net, and J. M. Marshall at the back of the court they were at times almost invincible, and the strokemissed by them were indeed puzzlers.