LAWN TENNIS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18625, 25 February 1926, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS.

THE GROOVED BALL. MAY SLOW-UP THE GAME. (FBOM OCR OWS COERESPOKBEST.) • LONDON. January 7. Mr A. "u"a,Hi3 Myers, who is watching ihe lawn tennib tournaments very closely in tho South of Fiance, says that the serenity of the opening contests was broken "by the advent of a, new bull and by a. discussion upon it. The grooved ball, (he ball with o.ii indented cloth face, has been invented for nearly two years, but hitherto, though its merits have been sung, it has iot been used in open competition until the Present fixtures. . Mr Wullis writes: "Of its durability, its length of service, I do not think there is any question. That is a factor that appeals to club members and to players who areneither wealthy nor privileged • nough to employ new balls every time they step into the court. If quality of manufacture were tho only test, the grooved ball might anticipate a. successful- career, for it is produced by the. same company that supplies tho ball used in the championships at Wimbledon. But I have not yet heard of any rl&yer in tho front rank to-day who is hankering to hit it in a championship match, nor who would not be prejudiced against the experiment. That its flight is true is admitted. First-class 'awn tennis, however, is a matter of controlled speed, of the ball's . adaptability to aggression, especially on the service and on the drive, and of the decision which can be obtained from it on tho volley. Tho grooved ball, in. my opinion, does not fulfil these requirements; it tends to slow up the game; it places a premium on the out, which at its worst is a weakness and at its best a- defensive expedient. If the grooved ball were employed generally, the effect would be to maJc« still softer the not very robust game which prevails in England to-da.y. A Retrograde Movement. "In coming to this opinion I am not influenced by individual experiences. The man whoso game has slowad up by advancing age or by. the declining calibre of- his opponents, might deceive himself and deceive others in consequence that the grooved ball was the product of a progressive age, and had about its face something commendably novel and attractive. ' But in the last analysis the test of a ball is its application to conditions of stroke snd tactics as they have been advanced and intensified by successive generations The grooved ball will tend to talco the gam* back, -ot propel it forward. It .will .increase caution, not stimulate enterprise. A 8 an olcl myself, anxious to keep back the baud« of the clock in order that the pace_ of younger men might not outstrip me, I might bless it, even though I should know instinctively that it did not come to hand so smoothly and did not answer the volleyer's arm so crisply. But as one who has seen the pace and athletic attributes of the game steadily increasing, who has seen tho development of the service and of its counter, who realises that tho world-wire spread of lawn tennis, is largely duo to the appeal which it makes to physical ardour and speed of foot and hand, I should view with alarm any change in equipment which, would impose any retrogression.

A Common Code. "When, lawn tennis waa first, invented there were competing methods of scoring—aa in tennis and aa in xaoketa. A player would ask politely, 'How shall w© *<core? before the game began. The scoring umformily which .the early pioneers effected in the late 'seventies gave an immediate impetus to the young pastime. Were tho question "now to be .launched before » match, •Grooved or plain-4aced balls V the spirit of common cod<s and custom upon' which lawn tennis' has thrived throughout the •world, would be impaired, and she effect on international organisation would be disastrous. , r "Happily, there is no great fear ■ of any such development. Tho Regional Commit* tee on the Riviera haft decided that every tournament shall be free to choose its own ball. Already some of the larger and later tournaments have announced their unw* tion of employing the plain-faced standard bail. 1 suspect that tha note of alarm struck by some of the leading -.jMncli players has had some influence. The French, having greater experience of international match play in recent years, are in & better position to' judge. the part, played by the ball's surface—on the racltet and on the ground and through the air. They knew that the Americans would not tolerate the grooved hall; they are mystified why British manufacturers, at a time when the.British game needs speeding up, should desire to push its claims. It looks' '-"empt to try it on the Riviera, dog. But the dog i 3 beginning to gro-wl." . NORTH CANTERBURY. In connexion with the Northern competition, Hawarden played Sefton at Sefton on Saturday, the home team winning by ten sets' to sis. ' The following are the scores, Hawarden players being mentioned first:— LADIES' SINGLES. Miss Slocombe 1, Miss A. Dalzell 6. Miss McDowell 5, Mies V . Miller 6. Mrs Crothall' I,'. Mrs T. Champion 6.' Miss Wright 6, Mies M. Dabell 2. LADIES' DOUBLES. Misses Slocombe and McDowell 1, Misses A. Dalzell and Miller 6. Mrs Crothalloind Miss Wright 6, Mrs T. Champion and Miss Dalzell 6. * MEN'S SINGLES. Wright, jun 3, T. Dalzell 6. Wright, sen. 6, H. Dalzell 1. Crothall fi, A. Dalzell 4 Lowe 6, T. Whittleston -4. MEN'S DOUBLES. Wright and Crothall 6, T. and H. Dalzell 3. Wright, sen., and Lowe 6, A Dalzell and T. Whittleston 3. ! MIXED DOUBLES. Miss Slocombe and Wright 1, Miss H. Dalzell and T Dalzell 6. Mrs Crothall and Crothall 3, Mrs I. Champion and A. Dalzell 6. ■ _ Miss Wright and Lowe 2, Miss M. Dalzoll and Whittleston 6. ADDITIONAL FIXTURES FOR N.Z-. (BT CABLE—PEESS ASSOCIATION— COPYRIGHT.) (AUSTRALIAN • AND ff.Z OABLB ASSOCIATION \ SYDNEY, February 21. Owing to Victoria being unable to play the annual inter-State tenniß match against Now South Wales on April 9th and 10th, it has been decided to utilise thoee dates for the match against New Zealand, and to arrange an additional fixture between New Zealand and a team of New South Wales colts for April 3rd and sth. INTERNATIONAL PLAY. (EBOTER t- rEIJtOEAMS.I (Received February 24th, 7.5 p.m.) NEW YORK. February 23. Tilden has been drawn, to oppose Laeoste and Richards to face Borotra, in the open in£ matches of the, international team tennis series, United States v. ITranee, on Thurs day.