LAWN TENNIS Semi-Finalists Play In Easter Tournament

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27631, 12 April 1955, Page 7

LAWN TENNIS Semi-Finalists Play In Easter Tournament

After the defeat of several seeded and other fancied players, the finals were reached in most sections when the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s Easter tournament was continued yesterday at Wilding Park. The men’s singles title win be contested today between B. R. Crawford and S. Pol-i lock, and the women’s singles between Miss M. Oliver and Miss J. Davidson. The upsets began early in the day when the leading Canterbury junior, A. D. Huston, seeded second in the men’s singles, went down before some fine attacking play by the unseeded P. Steinmetz, a much-improved player from the South Brighton club. Steinmetz won, 6-3, 7-5. Then Pollock, of the West Coast, beat the fourth seeded man, H. S. Andrews, 6-3, 8-10, 6-0. Both matches were quarter-finals. The semi-finals brought a further major upset when P. M. Wilson, seeded first, lost to B. R, Crawford, number three, 3-6, 5-6. They were two fine sets, in which Crawford proved the steadier. Steinmetz did not retain his earlier

form when he lost, 4-6, 6-3, 1-6, to Pollock.

Seedings for the women’s singles were supported when the four top women reached the semi-finals and the first two the finals. But none of them bad easy victories. Great credit must go to the University club player, Miss V. Stanton, seeded fourth, for her win against Mrs V. N. Brightwell in a quarter-final, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4. Mrs Brightwell won the title last year, and but for a late entry would almost certainly have been seeded first. Miss Stanton then lost in her semi-final to the New Zealand under 17 champion, Miss J. Davidson, 3-6, 5-7, in one of the best matches of the tournament.

Miss Davidson earlier had another difficult task to beat Miss J. Kent, a Wellington Howe Shield player, 9-7, 5-7, 6-3. Miss Kent impressed with her driving, but could not withstand the force of the Canterbury junior In the third set. The first «nd third seeds, Miss M. Oliver and Miss S. Field, juniors from South Canterbury and Otago respectively, both won their quarter-finals and met In a gruelling three-set semi-final, which Miss Oliver won, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. The match was not spectacular, but contained some very long rallies and careful baseline driving. In her quarter-final. Miss Oliver eliminated Miss J. Lambert, of the West Coast. 6-1, 6-4, after Miss Lambert had led 4-1 in the second set, but was forced to serve very slowly because of a weakness in her

Wilson Loses Semi-final After some fine play against G. Roselli, ?X.. the West Coast, in his quarter-final, Wilson seemed certain to reach the final. He had taken full advantage of some slow, high-bouncing serves and short drives by Rosselli. But in Crawford, he met a piayer who was too steady for him. Wilson had patches of real brilliance when he rushed the net after hard serves to volley and smash or play Crawford out of position through exploiting a backhand 'Y?TS? ess - However. Crawford, with slightly more pace on hi* forehand, was very quick to move to the ball, and countered Wilson's aggression by neat lobbing or shots down the sidelines. Nor did Steinmetz play as well in the afternoon as he played in the morning when he beat the more-fancied Huston co I nslsten tl y at the net and keeping the junior on the defence behind J 5»™ sel J ne - In th . at . match Steinmitz’s er f ®dmlrable, giving little » r »H U iSt o £l to gflin the initiative. Against Pollock, he was troubled by freva t rla Ji° ns in his opponent’s service, was of the cannon-ball S? ?, th y s merely dropped over S e +i? t- i, gave another display dJnS-%i d fitting that won him the He was able to nn» se t With the loss of only ?ntn J vhe 2 Steinmetz began hitting into the net and out the back. in both her matches h\*£ e «r» U 8 outstanding manner, but in to P la E to her best Btanddetermination of her opponJ?» r ho WaB smooth and stylish klii? ? * h i e s match with Miss Kent, the J ust shimming the net. Miss Kent X th ? third set when she alhaH ?oi?rt snd e fh Ury ? la ?C er to move Into tu?- c s* * and then to the net. Against ™"e h d S b^ t eTbffi. her opponent re - The match between Misses Field and Sllne < drt?hS! n 3 entirely long. OU. hot 1 £ ? uels - beeame monoton°us, but the snots were cleanly hit and matched eP hT h n p, ? yers we re very evenly hit and retrieved some t »hS.H OS ? n>le returns. Miss Oliver went ahead from 1-1, in the third when Miss Field seemed to tire “ *’ ♦u? 1 !? of most Interesting matches of the hoys’ singles under 19 . Play ing in a semi-final, J. Caby 8 «™“ * 1 Results:— OPEN EVENTS _ . ' Men’s Singles Robb, 0n 6?2, H 6 T <1 " T - Beat “ e bea ‘ RA ’ Quarter-finals.—P. M. Wilson beat G. Rosselli, 8-6, 5-7, 6-3; B. R. Crawford beat Beattie, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5; S. Pollock beat £;«?* e S s ’. x 6 " B ‘ l0 ' 6 -°; p - Steinmetz beat A. D. Huston, 6-3, 7-5. » Semi-finrts:— Crawford beat Wilson, 6-3. 6-4; Pollock beat Steinmetz, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Women’s Singles Quarter-finals.—Miss M. Oliver beat Miss J. Lambert, 6-1, 6-4; Miss S. Field beat Miss V. Hatch, 6-2, 6-2; Miss V. Stanton beat Mrs V. N. Brightwell, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; Miss J. Davidson beat Miss J.

Kent, 9-7, 5-7, 6-3. Semi-finals.—Miss Oliver beat Miss Field, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2; Miss Davidson beat Miss Stanton, 6-3. 7-5. Men's Doubles First Round.—E. W. Cairns and W. G. Lewthwaite beat V. N. Brightwell and T. Flint, 7-5, 6-3. Quarter-finals.—J. Beatty and R. Innes beat S. Pollock and G. Rosselli* 6-3, 0-6, 6-4; H. S. Andrews and P. Steinmetz beat G. D. Long and E. A. Robb, »-6, 6-1; Cairns and Lewthwaite beat M. Munnerley and B. Partridge, 6-4, 13-11. Women’s Doubles First Round.—Mesdames V. N. Brightwell and H. S. Andrews hfeat Mrs E. Lambert and Miss J. Lambeft, 6-3, 6-3. Quarter-finals.—Mesdames H. Escott and A. C. Fraser beat Misses P. Andrews and N. Behrnes, 6-1, 6-2; Mesdames Brightwell and Andrews beat Misses Diane and Denise Souter, 6-0, 7-5. Mixed Doubles First Round.—H. S. P. Andrew and Mrs Andrews beat A. Taylor and Miss N. Behrnes, 8-6, 4-6. 6-4. Second Round.—G. Burton and Mrs A. C. Fraser beat J. Walker and Miss S. Field, 6-4, 6-2; G. Judge and Miss J. Davidson beat E. Packer and Miss N. Parmenter, 6-3, 6-4; B. Crofts and Miss B. Mollison beat D. A. Jamieson and Miss K. Brander, 6-2, 6-1; E. S. Cormack and Miss D. Evans beat W. Elley and Miss V. Stanton, 7-5, 6-3; B. R. Crawford and Miss D. Hughes beat B. Gane and Miss P. Andrews, 6-2, 6-1; B. Shir law and Miss J. Kent beat J. Beattie and Miss B. Bryan, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4; S. Pollock and Miss J. Lambert beat H. S. Andrews and Mrs Andrews, 6-2, 6-3. JUNIOR EVENTS Boy*’ Singles, Under 19 Semi-finals.—B. Crofts beat J. Cadenhead. 9-8; B. Shirlaw beat R. Minson, 9-7. Girls’ Under 19 Semi-finals.—Miss J. Davidson beat Miss B. Mollison, 9-8; Miss S. Field beat Miss G. Hopklnson, 9-7. Boys’ Double*, Under 19 Quarter-finals.—A. D. Huston and B. Crofts beat D. J. Marshall and B. Thomas, 9-3; J. Cadenhead and G. D. Inwood beat B. Judge and R. Neumann, 9-1; J. B. Harneiss and B. Barron beat P. Alexander and M. Browne, 9-4; D. A. Jamieson and G. Moss beat B. Shirlaw and R. Minson, 9-7. Semi-finals.—Harneiss and Barron beat Jamieson and Moss, 9-4; Huston and Crofts beat Cadenhead and Inwood, 9-5. Girls* Doubles, under 19 Quarter-finals. —Misses P. Andrews and N. Behrnes beat Misses A. Sinclair and C. Smith, 9-5; Misses Diane and Denise Souter beat Misses H. Hamilton and P. Byrne, 9-5; Misses S. Field and G. Hopkinson beat Misses J. Thomson and N. Keemer, 9-2. Boys* Singles, under 17 Quarter-finals.—A. D. Huston beat D. Adair, 9-2; D. J. Marshall beat L. Martin, 9-2; L. Walpole beat W. Thom, 9-3; G. Judge beat M. Browne, 9-4. Semi-finals.—Huston beat Marshall, 9-5; Judge beat Walpole, 9-4. Girls’ Singles, under 17 Quarter-finals. —C. Smith beat P. Byrne, 9-1; N. Behrnes beat H. Hamilton, 9-1; J. Lambert beat Denise Souter, 9-2; J. Kent beat P. Andrews, 9-4. Semi-finals.—Lambert beat Behrnes, 9-5. HANDICAP EVENTS Men’s Singles Semi-finals.—M. Munnerley (owe 15 3-6) beat K. St. John (owe 15), j-7; B. Partridge (owe 15 3-6) beat J. Betteridge (owe 30), 9-6. Final.—Munnerley beat Partridge, 9-4. Womens Singles Semi-finals. —Miss B. Blackburn (rec. 15) beat Mrs E. Lambert (owe 30), 9-5; Mrs J. Andrews (rec. 4-6) beat Miss P. Fenwick (owe 4-6), 9-3. Final.—Miss Blackburn beat Miss Andrews, 9-7. Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals.—G. Price and E. Packer (owe 15 2-6) beat M. J. Urquhart and P. Wylld (rec. 3-6), 9-7; B. R. Crawford and B. Partridge (owe 30 4-6) beat G. Keys and A. Falloon (owe 30), 9-3; J. Beattie and R. Innes (owe 40) beat C. Bradshaw and R. Irvine (scr), 9-3.

Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals. —Mrs E. Lambert and Miss M. Lambert (owe 30) beat Misses Parris and P. Byrne (owe 3-6), 9-1; Misses D. Evans and D. Hughes (owe 15) beat Miss M. Wells and Miss Murphy (owe 15), 9-2.

Semi-finals.—Misses M. Gill and M. Mullins (owe 15) beat Misses J. Andrews and B. Blackburn (rec. 3-6), 9-8; Misses Evans and Hughes beat Mrs Lambert and Miss Lambert, 9-1.

Final.—Misses Evans and Hughes beat Misses Gill and Mullins, 9-7.

Mixed Doubles First Round. —J. Southam and Mrs Southam (rec. 3-6) beat K. Keyes and Miss Murphy (owe 3-6), 9-1. Semi-finals.—P. Wylie and Miss J. Thomson (rec 3-6) beat H. Blackbum and Miss B. Blackbum (owe 2-6), 9-3; Southam and Mrs Southam beat M. J. Urquhart and Miss Adams (scr), 9-3. Final.—Southam and Mrs Southam beat Wylie and Miss Thomson, 9-8.