LAWN TENNIS New Teams Play Well In First Club Matches

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27495, 1 November 1954, Page 3

LAWN TENNIS New Teams Play Well In First Club Matches

St. Mary’s and University scored the most convincing wins in the men’s section when the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior inter-club competitions began at Wilding Park on Saturday. Opawa, Woolston and United I also won and United I, United II and St. Albans gained points in the senior women’s competition.

The new teams in the competitions —St. Mary’s and North Laiiwood in the men’s, and Beckenham and Shirley in the women’s—all performed particularly well for their first appearances. St Mary’s won without the loss of a set and, although Beckenham and Shirley did not win, both gained as many matches as their opponents, the results depending on sets and games respectively.

It was one of the best opening days that the association has had for some years. With both the men’s and

women’s sections played on the same day—as they are not usually—a feast of high class tennjs, remarkably good for the first day, was provided. However, the heat and the fast grass courts combined to show that some players will need to be much fitter to last gruelling, three-set matches. Among the men, individual results ran mainly according to last season s form—A. N. Bailey, W. M. Logan, S. Watson, A. L. Blackwell, B. R. Penfold and M. C. Healey all winning their matches as well as W. J. Smith, who did not play then. Calculations were somewhat upset the women’s section by Mrs D. W. Armstrong (Beckenham), who beat the usually second ranked Miss M. Pauli, of St. Albans, and Miss P,. Allen (University, who beat Miss D. Bennett (United II). Bailey Extended Perhaps the best match of the day and one of the most noteworthy was that between Canterbury’s top ranked man, A. N. Bailey (Opawa), and B. R. Crawford, leader of the new North Linwood side. Crawford's display in taking Bailey to three sets when playing his first game of senior tennis was an excellent one, and he looked for a period at the beginning of the third set as if he would win. The North Linwood player gained his points with a very hard-hit forehand which he swilrlg across the court or placed neatly down the sideline, often passing Bailey at the net. He was at his peak in the second set, which he won, 6-2, after losing the first, 2-6. He led 2-0 in the third set, but from then lapsed into errors and failed to take another game. On the whole, it was an admirable beginning. His driving was good; his retrieving sound, and his court coverage excellent. Unfortunately his backhand was hot as strong as his forehand, and he was unable to place it. . Bailey was extended for nearly every point, but he appeared fitter than his opponent. His strength lay in his volleying and well-produced, stylish smash, which was invariably a winner. His volleying was first class, and Crawford found it very difficult to gain the point once Bailey had begun a series cf well placed shots from near the net. He is also one of the few players in Canterbury who is able to smash accurately from well back

Most interesting was the meeting of the two intelligent tacticians. S. Watson and R._ G. Pattinson, the top players for United I and United n, respectively. The match had long rallies, with each playing the other from side to side of the court. Watson, probably the hardest to beat in the competition, won, 6-2, 6-2. Providing little of a spectacular nature, he returned every shot until he either played Pattinson out of position or forced him to make a mistake. He seldom went to the net, but drove swiftly, deep to the baseline. retrieved remarkably, and lobbed accurately. Pattinson, in some ways a similar player, was In good form, but found the task too great. W. M. Logan (Woolston) began the season with a typically fine net-rushing game to beat J. Reader, top for Avonslde, 6-3, 6-2, Following each serve In, he volleyed and smashed forcefully as he moved up and down the net. Slight improvement in his ground strokes would make his a solid and aggressive all-round game. The former Scottish universities’ singles champion, A. D. L, Hunter (University), who played at Wimbledon last year, has not yet struck the form of which he is capable. He went down* to the Canterbury champion, A. L. Blackwell (South Brighton), 2-6, 5-7. Blackwell played his usual sound and consistent match, but was extended by some forcing net play by Hunter in the second seL The experienced W. J Smith, playing for St. Mary’s on his return to club ten-

nis, was too good for the young former Otago player, J. Cornish (Cashmere), winning 6-3, 6-2. Miss Luxton’s Play The immaculate length of her drives was the main feature of the play of the topranked Canterbury woman,, Miss L. Luxton (United I), K who beat Miss V. Moir (Shirley), a prominent junior player in the last two seasons, 6-2, 6-3. Miss, Luxton’s hard, flat service often had her opponent in trouble, but it was her driving, deep to the corners, that got Miss Moir out of position for winners. The Shirley player’s forehand gained mqny points, but she was inclined to be erratic. Neither Miss M. Pauli (St. Albans) nor Miss D. Bennett (United II) were up to their best. In a long and testing threeset match. Miss Pauli lost to Mrs D. W. Armstrong (Beckenham), who played for United I last year, 4-6, 8-6, 3-6. A similar long match between Miss Bennett and Miss P. Allen (University) resulted in a win for Miss Allen, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Results were:—SENIOR MEN North Unwood v. Opawa Singles.—B. R. drawford lost to A. N. Bailey, 2-6, 6-2, 2-6; E. S. Cormack lost to.I. D. Armstrong, 4-6, 5-7; M. J. Beatty beat G. R. Reid, 6-0, 6-3; B. Partridge lost to J. Averill, 1-6, 6-8. Doubles.—Crawford and Cormack lost to Bailey and Armstrong, 4-6, 2-6; Beatty and Partridge beat Reid and Averill, 11-3, 6-3. Opawa won by 4 matches to 2. Avonside v. Woolston Singles.-—J. Reader lost to W. Logan, 3-6, 2-6; R. Larkin lost to M. Maher, 8-10, 3-6; R. Mills beat B. Logan, 6-2, 7-5; F. Horgan lost to D. Taylor, 2-6, 6-3, 2-6. Doubles.—Reader and Larkin lost to W. Logan and Maher, 4-6, 7-9; Mills and Horgan lost to B. Logan and Taylor, U-6, 0-6. Woolston won by 5 matches to 1. South Brighton v. University Singles.—A. L! Blackwell beat A.. D. L. Hunter, 6-2, 7-5; P. Steinmetz lost to B. R. Penfold, 2-6, 0-6; A. Goddard lost to W. A. Dickson, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6; H. Dymond lost to P. M. Wilson, 4-6, 6-4, 5-7. Doubles.—Blackwell and Steinmetz lost to Hunter and Penfold, 2-6, 10-12; Goddard and Dymond lost to Dickson and Wilson, 3-6, 5-7. University won by 5 matches to 1. United I v. United II Singles.—R. G. Pattinson lost to S. Watson, 2-6, 2-6; T. W. Walls beat R. J. Telford, 6-4, 6-2; K. B. Allin beat W. J. Lewthwaite, 5-7, 11.-9, 6-4; H. S. P. Andrews beat J. Blakely, 6-2, Doubles.—Pattinson and Walls beat Watson and Telford, 3-6. 6-4, 7-5; Allin and Andrew’s lost to Lewthwaite and Blakely, 6-3, 0-6. 2-6. United I won by 4 matches |o 2. Cashmere V. St. Mary’s Singles.—J. Cornish lost to W. J. Smith, 3- 2-6; R. Cain lost to M. C. Healey, 1-6, 0-6; N. Brightwell lost to K. Ridden, 5-7, 5- L. Le Comte.lost to P. Minehan, 9-11, 4- i Doubles.—Cornish and Cain lost to Smith and Healey, 3-6, 2-6; Le Comte and Brightwell lost to Ridden and Minchan, 4-6, 9-11. St. Mary's won by 6 matches to 0. SENIOR WOMEN United I v. Shirley Singles.-=Miss L. Luxton beat Miss V. Moir, 6-2, 6-3; Miss J. Davidson beat Miss R. Pengelly, 6-1, 6-0; Miss R. White lost to Miss V. Hatch, 3-6, 2-6; Miss L. Ferguson lost to Miss A. Dailey, 1-6, 2-6. Doubles.—Misses Luxton and Davidson beat Misses Moir and Hatch, 6-0, 6-0; Misses White and Ferguson lost to Misses Pengelly and Dailey, 6-8, 0-6. United I won by 50 games to -44. St. Albans v. Beckenham Singles.—Miss M. Pauli lost to Mrs D. W. Armstrong, 4-6, 8-6, 3-6; Miss B. Mollison lost to Miss A. Snow, 3-6, 3-6; Mrs G. Wilson beat Miss G. Freear, 6-2, 6- Miss C. Richmond lost to Miss M. P. Shanahan, 3-6, 3-6. Doubles.—Misses Pauli and Mollison beat Mrs Armstrong and Miss A. Snow, 6-3, 6-2; Mrs Wilson and Miss Richmond beat Misses Shanahan and Freear, 6-4, 6-2. St. Albans won by 7 sets to 6. United II v. University Singles.—Miss D. Bennett lost to Miss P. Allen, 6-4, 4-6, 4-6; Mrs J. Lewis beat Miss F. Ower, 6-1, Mrs E. Andrews beat Miss J. Buchan, 7-5, 7-5; Miss B. Webster beat Miss C. Perry, 14-12, 6-1. Doubles.—Miss Bennett and Mrs Lewis beat Misses Allen and Buchan, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Mrs Andrews and Miss Webster beat Misses: Owen and Perry, 6-3, 6-0. United II won by 5 matches to 1. SECOND GRADE MIXED Section 1 Avonslde Church beat Shirley by 12 matches to 4; Riccarton Domain beat Elmwood by 10 matches to 6; Opawa beat Linwood Avenue by 15 matches to 1; Wigram beat Waimairi by *9 matches to 7. Section ll' Linwood beat Cathedral by 12 matches to 4; St. Paul’s beat St. Albans by 14 matches to 2; Woolston beat Opawa H by 9 matches to 7; Avonside beat Cashmere by 10 matches to 6; St. Mary’s beat St. Martins Valley by 12 matches to 4.

BRITAIN BEATS FRANCE

TWO-DAY MATCH AT QUEEN’S CLUB (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) LONDON, October 30. Youth had a hard-fought triumph over age when 18-year-old Bobby Wilson (Britain) beat Jean Borotra (France), 37 years his senior, 8-6, 6-8, 6-3, in -the lawn tennis match between the international clubs of the two countries at the Queen’s Club, London, today. Britain won the two-day match by 11 matches to 2.