LAWN TENNIS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22941, 10 February 1940, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS

N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIPS AT MIRAMAR’

reached

AUSTRALIANS’ SUPERIORITY OVER OPPONENTS Our Own Reporter] WELLINGTON, February S. The Australian’ players serenely continued. their progress toward the New Zealand lawn tennis titles to-day when ail events were advanced to the semifinals or finals.. Favoured by much better conditions thaii' on the preceding, days, the visitors showed something of their real form, and it' was not encouraging for those who.hoped that the Dominion players might..have some share in the final honours. ‘ \ . . Canterbury has one representative in the semi-finals of the men’s singles, C; •Angas, who to-day 'played splendidly, to beat the defending champion, N, V- Edwards. in four sets. His opponent will be J. H. Crawford (Australia}, former Wimbledon champion, who had to play his best to beat his 16-year-old compatriot. R. Barnes. . Other semi-finalists are J. Bromwich (Australia) and R. Howe (Wellington), the latter having beaten the young Canterbury player, R, ,G. Pattlnson. Crawford and Bromwich reached the doubles final , and will meet the winners of- the. match, between Angas and Brown and France and StUrt. Three of the lour finalists in the women’s doubles are Australians, Misses N. Wynne and T. Coyne having an impressive win oyer Misses M. and N. Beverley, champions in 1938, and Miss M. Hardcastle with Mrs F. Gallagher (formerly Miss Dulcle Nlcholls) as partner, beating the defending champions, Mrs I. Hatherley and Miss T. Poole (Canterbury) without difficulty.. ■ _ • The Australian: mixed 'doubles. Pf ir -> Bromwich and Miss Coyne. and- ; Crawford and Miss Wynne, will have as opponents In the Howe and'.Miss M. Beverlfey and Barries and Miss Cooke respectively. . Brilliant Challenge • ’The brilliant challenge of the youthful Barnes was the. highlight of • the day s play, and Crawford had: to call on all his resources of skill and experience to win. The: pleasant-faced -youngster with the free and gracefulstrokes has - become a favourite with - Wellington crowds, and the gallery was delighted to see him fake the first set from his famous opponent. . Barnes chased everything. and brought off-magnificent- returns from impossible positions. His passing shots on either hand' worried .-Crawford, who early found he ljad to .take.thri'lnitiative at the net to make, anyiriiprCsslonon his steady , and active opponent. . Given the least chance, Barries came to the, net himself to volley and smash with great accuracy. Crawford crowded on the pace -in the second set, but had to fight dourly to win the third. In the fourth set he. suffered from none of’his early lapses into error, and his combined- serving;driving, and. net attack were far too aevere.for the youngster. Bromwilrih lost only six games to N. G. Bturt, and the Auckland man was playing well enough to extend the ■ best in. New Zealand. • ■ But again the tall, fair-haired -Australian played. crushing tennis; Covering the court .at an amazing speed with his curiotis snuffling run Bromwich returned : safely the best 'shots Sturt could put-, over, and .when: there came a return lacking in length 1 or.' placement Bromwich's two-harided stroke would come Into action to send the.ball at lightning speed intd the comers. When Bromwich came to;the net. which was not very often, he volleyed and smashed with certainty imp the most unexpected, parts of the court Success for Angas. Angas played coriflderiOy throughout his match: with Edward^, Aiut h .® it off with* a arirprlslng buifst Just when It seemed that (the match might develop Into-a • 'protracted • affair-: The man made ‘ hardly^ l 'pk'i in the first Set;.- ln;..wl^b‘(^' : ;3?rit(,<>ply| beat. Boards unreturnable nasslng shots whenever Eawards did epme to the net. . T - - ' Edwards 'foyght back well, and splendid ■' volleying gave: him, the second.-.set. and took him to 4r3 in .the third. It was then that Angas struck his patch; pf; br}Ulance and took nine spccessiva ■ games rto end ,the/match. ■ln criving rallies and In volleyibg he again completely outplayed Edwards, The Canterbury man-has given few. better displays in recent years. V. Howehad themeasure.of pattlnson after faltering at: the set; point in first, aet. The Welllngton'player led 5-3 and 40-loye, -but 'Pattlnson; doseeUly - fought for every . ■point A 0 ’take’thri' get at 7-5. :HoWe became 1 more formidable .as the. ana - brilliant 'volleying :enabled him to , break down his young opponent’s defence. Howe. Is' an extraordinarily difficult man to play, -arid Pattlnson found great difficulty" In 'picking the direction’ of his opponent's'shots. - • ’ Doubles Play . Crawford- arid, Bromwich had no dlf(lbultp lit beating Edwards; and. Howe, who in this tournament have shown ' themselves as formidable a doubles pair as there Is In New Zealand. Edwards, tired by his hard singles’match .with Angas, did not show his best form, blit Howe again, produced volleying brilliance almost matching---thatrpf -the.! Australian?. , ■ Crawford and Bromwich are masters of the doubles art, of making their opponents hit:their shots .upwards. Slow crpss-ddUrtretUriiS-tb thefeatof the advancing player,' dr hard drives Wide to the lines, forced defensive' returns ffom the Neiv Zealanders,’ and these returns -were cut off with deadly volleys .at the net. Protracted ralfieslriwhicb :,each side in turn -rribdfe 'remarkable’ recoveries lent a spectacular element to the match’,-'which, was thoroughly enjoyed by a large gallery.' Women’s Matches Mias Hardcastle gained Triverige for'her defeat with -Mlss Tr .Bice, -at the hands of (he- game - pair ’ last-year, when she and Mrs Gallagher beat Mrs I. Hatherley and Miss T. Poole, holders of the 1 women’s doubles title. The Canterbury players were a. long, way below.-: their hest form and could nor cope with the hard driving game of their opponents.' Miss Hardcastle .was very accurate.and severe. In all her: snots, and Mrs Gallagher, excelled both In volleying .and .lbbblngr ' : - ' ; Even more complete - was -the rout of the Beverley sisters; champions two years ago, by the. Australian, doubled.champions, Misses Wynne and Coyne. .The Australians were! ruthlessly efficient in everything they did.’ They pressed ' their attack 'from . service,. drive,; and ; volley,: and anything In ,the -.nature ’ of : raYloose; return • was, .dealt With ’mercilessly. The - Beverley sisters ;do not excel in defensive play, and they had few . chances to' : attack, but they played well enough to make their . formidable opponents produce brilliant :strokes and tactics to ,wlri points, . . -'.The province's last representative in the. plate .evdnts.'.ls'. A. B; - Cant, who to-day ; beat :R. .McL.- Farkiiis to teach ;the ‘semifinal, ;vlnithe; (.women’s; plate.. Canterbury’s strongest'entrants’, Mrs Hatherley and Miss Atmsir'png,- were both beaten by Miss Cooke. ’■--' Results were:—. . •• >' ■- ‘ ■.• v V ; : MEN'S ’ -'Quarter-finals ; •-.- ilv' Bromwich: (Australia) beat iN, .G, Sturt (Auckland); 6-2} 6-1. 0-3.;-B, Howe (Wellington) beat R. G. Patr. tinson (Canterbury), 5-7« 6-4,.6-3, 6-J.' •; :C, Angas (Canterbury) heat -N. y, -Edr wards (Wellington), 6-1, ,4-6, 6-4, . 6-t O.■■■■■■ JT." H. ' Cfawford (Australia) beat,R. Barnes (Australia), 1-6, 6-3, 0-4;': 6-1.: ; ■ : - MEN’S- DOUBLES"-■ 1 Semi-finals:..- ■ J. Bromwich and. J, H,- Crawfprd lAugtraiia) beat N. v. Edwards and R, Howe (Wellington), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. ' : WOMEN'S DOUBLES Semi-finals . ■ ,’Miss M.- Hardcastle (Australia) and; Mrs Gallagher (Wellington) beat Mrs.Hather-. ley (Canterbury) and Miss T, Poole (Can-: torbury),' 0-3, >Misses'N.- Wynne ■ and T,-Coyne. (Austra--lia) beat MlsseS N. and M. BCverley (Wai--kato), 6-1, 6-2. MIXED DOUBLES Quarter-finals' R: Howe (Wellington) and. Beverley .'(Waikato) beat K,.Robb and. Miss. Douthett (Wellington); 6-4, 6-4. ‘ . R. Barnes (Australia) and -Miss. P. Cooke (Auckland) beat --N, -V-, Edwards (Wellington) and Mrs' Hatherley {Canterbury), 6-2. 7-5. ■ VETERANS’. DOUBLES .--Semi-finals . i R,. V, Hooper and M. L. Lampe beat 3. A. McGill and W. P. Walker, 6-3, 6-!, . i -R Brooming and T>. F. Glanvllle beat W'.‘ J.. Melody and H. J; Thompson, 6-3, 8-6.