LAWN TENNIS MISS DAVIDSON, POLLOCK WIN FINALS OF SINGLES

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27632, 13 April 1955, Page 16

LAWN TENNIS MISS DAVIDSON, POLLOCK WIN FINALS OF SINGLES

S. Pollock and Miss J. Davidson bef.a? 1 ® J*? e men s and women’s singles titleholders when the finals in all sections of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s Easter tournament were played at Wilding Park yesterday. In the singles finals, Pollock, unseeded, beat the third seeded player, B. R. Crawford, 8-6, 6-3, and Miss Davidson, seeded second in the women’s section, beat Miss M. Oliver, seeded first, 6-2,

The New Zealand under 17 champion and winner of the national junior B.P. tournament at Hamilton, Miss Davidson, was the outstanding player of the tournament. As well as her win in the women’s open singles, she also won the under 19 girls’ singles, beating Miss ?;of Otago, 6-3, 6-4, and with Miss J. Kent, of Wellington, the under 19 girls’ doubles. Top of the Canterbury Howe Shield team for the last two years, she is ranked' fifth on the provincial senior women’s ladder. In this tournament she gave some of her • est performances for the season, beating Mrs A. C. Fraser, of Rangiora, Miss Kent and the University player. Miss V. Stanton m the early rounds of the women’s singles. !n aH her finals yesterday, Miss Davidson brought frequent applause for services stronger than many of the men m the tournament, deep and welljudged drives, and a forceful net attack—so seldom seen from women players in Canterbury—which included angled volleys and devastating smashes, some of which were hit from well back in the court.

Pollock’s success was also thoroughly deserved A West Coast player from the Cobden club, he is aged 21 and won the West Coast junior singles title for three years in succession, before winning the West Coast open championship twice. Yesterday he took the mixed doubles title with Miss J. Lambert, another West Coast entrant. After he and G. Rosselli had, early i», th fl tournam ent, lost the doubles title that they won last year, Pollock gave very competent performances in all the rest of his games. He! proved his ability by beating a player of the cahbre of Crawford, the top man for North Linwood, who also won the Marlborough championship this season. Pollock was not happy in the early part of the match but, tightening up his play, he seldom made mistakes to overcome a wide gap and then dominate the second set.

H. S. Andrews, a former Southland champion and now of the United club, and P. Steinmetz, a much improved South Brighton club member, who have previously been a consistent doubles combination, gained the men’s doubles title by beating Crawford and j 1 ’ Cormack. In * the women’s doubles Miss Oliver, South Canterbury s top woman, was able to grasp the merited success which eluded her in the singles when, with Miss G Hopkinson, another Canterbury junior, she beat two experienced players in Mesdames V. N. Brightwell and H. Andrews. Mrs Brightwell has for the latter part of the season been Canterbury’s top woman. Good displays in the junior finals were given by B. Crofts, who won the under 19 boys’ singles from B. Shirlaw, 6-2, 6-5; A. D. Huston, of Christchurch Boys’ High School, with a win in the under 17 boys’ singles; and Miss Lambert, who took the under 17 girls’ singles from Miss Kent with the loss of only three games. That juniors dominated the tournamTt?t was P rove d by the entry figures —there were 86 for senior sections, of which 22 were juniors and 102 for the junior sections, of which 29 boys and 24 girls were under 17. Nine of the 16 entries in the senior women’s singles were from juniors. Miss Davidson's Play Miss Davidson produced all the strokes that have made her one of New Zealand’s foremost young players when sate beat Miss Oliver and Miss 1? leld in her two singles finals. With an outstanding service, the second not much slower than the first, she kept her driving to an immaculate length, moved to the net at every opportunity, and played some brilliant volleys and smashes. She had some periods of mistakes, mainly caused through lapse* m concentration, but these were not frequent enough to give her opponents a chance to dominate play. Against Miss Oliver she had more pace on her shots, keeping them lower to the net yet deep to the baseline. s°Y>. e y e i- J rand fi g h ting qualities of the South Canterbury player gave the match part of its merit. Miss Ohver was unfortunate that her hardirst u ser ’<l ce r. did not go in more often when it tipped the net or was just over the line, as Miss Davidson S ed >S rea^ h 1L She had a nice iollow-through on her drives, but overhit many times with returns of service. Also, Miss Davidson kept her consistently on the run to finish a point with a winner, neatly placed to _ the corner. The Canterbury

junior’s overhead play was most spectacular; she smashed at times from outside the service line. The first set was even at 2-2, but Miss Davidson gained the ascendancy to win the set without further loss, although the last game was one of many deuces. Miss Oliver, with some fine placements, took her only lead at 3-2 in the second set, was even at 4-4, but lost the next two games. Miss Davidson.won the match with a typical unplayable drive to the corner. In her under 19 final. Miss Davidson was up against a Miss Field, who did not play nearly as well as she had previously in the tournament. Miss Field’s backhand failed her badly and its weakness was not helped by some swift serves which Miss Davidson sent straight down the centre line. The Otago junior retrieved well but was beaten by some outstanding shots. Change in Fortunes

The men’s final was remarkable for a complete change in fortunes. Hitting particularly hard, Crawford went to a 5-2 lead in the first set and at that stage looked assured of an easy win. Then Pollock, with determination and admirable concentration, gradually took control to even at 5-5 and win 8-6. In the second set he was Crawford’s superior most of the time, but the North Linwood player fought back to survive two match points at 5-2 and another three before he was beaten. Pollock used the same variations in service that he had throughout the tournament, mostly one that was heavily sliced and swerved sharply in the air. But that was interspersed with a very hard cannon-ball which, judging by its success, he might have used more often. He owed his win mainly to greater steadiness and intelligent placing, together with some sound volleying. Crawford’s early good form deserted him when he was well on top. A frequent point loser was his usually good smash which he hit into the net almost every time, but he impressed throughout with a very strong topspin, forehand pull. The under 19 final between Crofts and Shirlaw was not a spectacular match, but Crofts showed how his painstaking methods could beat a player with a more attractive style and how he could overcome a deficit. After winning the first set, 6-2, he was behind at 3-4, 3-5, and 4-5, before he won, 6-5. Results:—

OPEN EVENTS , Men’s Singles S-Fe-S -S ' Pollock beat B - R - Crawlord,

Women’s Singles Oliver'V? 11 T 4 J ' Davidson beat Mlss M.

Men’s Doubles Semi-finals.—B. R. Crawford and B. S Carmack beat E. W. Cairns and W. G Lewthwalte. 6-2. 6-4; H. S. Andrews and 7 '5 S 6 el 3 metZ beat J ' Beatty and H - Innes,

Final.—Andrews and Steinmetz beat Crawford and Cormack, 6-3, 10-8. Women’s Doubles Semi-finals.—Mesdames V. Brightwell and H. S. Andrews beat Misses V. Hatch anf J Y; Stanton, 6-4, 6-4; Misses M. Oliver and G. Hopkinson beat Mesdames H. Escott and A. C. Fraser, 6-0, 7-9, 6-4 Final —Misses Oliver and Hopkinson y e /? t Mesdames Brightwell and Andrews, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals.—G. Burton and Mrs A C. Fraser beat B. R. Crawford and Miss D. Hughes, 9-5; G. Judge and Miss J. Davidson beat B. Crofts and Miss B. Mollison, 9-2; S. Pollock and Miss J. Lambert beat B. Shirlaw and Miss J. Kent, 9-8; E. S. Cormack and Mi&s D. Evans beat P. Steinmetz and Miss M. Oliver, 9-5. Semi-finals.—Bprton and Mrs Fraser beat Judge and Miss Davidson, 9-8; Pollock and Miss Lambert beat Cormack and Miss Evans, 9-7. Final.—Pollock and Miss Lambert beat Burton and Mrs Fraser. 6-1, 7-9, 6-4. JUNIOR EVENTS Boys’ Singles, Under 19 6 Final.—B. Crofts beat B. Shirlaw, 6-2, Girls’ Singles, Under 19 Final.—Miss J. Davidson beat Miss S Field. 6-3, 6-4. Boys’ Doubles, Under 19 Final.—A. D. Huston and B. Crofts beat T_i B. Harneiss and B. Barron, 4-6, 6-4, Girts’ Doubles. Under 19 Semi-finals.—Misses S. Field and G Hopkinson beat Misses Diane and Denise Souter, 9-2;. Misses J. Davidson and J. Kent beat Misses P. Andrews and N. Behrnes, 9-2. Final.—Misses Davidson and Kent beat Misses Field and Hopkinson, 9-3. Boys’ Singles Under 11 6 — A - D - Huston beat G. Judge, Girts’ Singles Under 17 Semi-final.—Miss C. Smith beat Miss J. Kent, 9-7. Final.—Miss J. Lambert beat Miss Smith, 6-0, 6-3. HANDICAP EVENTS Men’s Doubles Semi-finals.—G. Price and E. Packer (owe 15 2-5) beat B. R. Crawford and B. Partridge (owe 30 4-6), 9-4; J. Beattie and R. Innes (owe 40) beat E. S. Cormack and M. Munnerley (owe 30 3-6), 9-4. Final.—Beattie and Innes beat Price and Packer, 9-6.