LAWN TENNIS TWIN SISTERS TO MEET IN WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28471, 28 December 1957, Page 7

LAWN TENNIS TWIN SISTERS TO MEET IN WOMEN’S SINGLES FINAL

Twin sisters from Timaru, Misses Diane and Denise Souter, aged 17, will contest the final of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior women’s singles title at Wilding Park today. They have several times appeared in tournaments in Christchurch in the past—once they met in a junior final—but this will be the most important title that ons has won. Miss Diane Souter is seeded first for this title, and Miss Denise Souter is seeded fourth. In the semi-finals yesterday, Miss Diane Souter eliminated the. third-seeded Mrs E. D. Campbell, a Cashmere senior player, and Miss Denise Souter put out the Rangiora junior, Miss C. Smith, seeded second. Miss Denise Souter thus turned the tables on Miss Smith, who beat her when they met in the Canterbury-South Canterbury Howe Shield fixture at Dunedin recently. Playing together, the twins have also reached the final of the doubles, for which they are seeded third. They beat the first-seeded pair, Mrs Campbell and Miss A. Snow, yesterday, and in the final today they will meet Misses J. Andrews and B. Blackburn. Men's Upset

The men’s singles took an interesting turn when the firstseeded A. L. Blackwell, who was expected to win the title, was beaten by A. Hewitt, of Malvern, in the quarter-finals. But Hewitt, who was seeded fifth, was later beaten by an unseeded player, B. Crofts, who will meet A. D. L. Hunter, seeded second, in the final today. Yesterday’s matches, played in calmer conditions than those of the previous day, were very hard fought, most going to three sets. All the semi-finalists of the men’s singles had been fully extended in the quarter-finals.

Hewitt beat Blackwell, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The country player returned almost every ball, producing some attractive passing shots. Blackwell was unfortunate when a string in his racket broke in the fifth game of the third set, and although he tried more than one other racket he could not get the advantage again. Hewitt and Crofts

. The match between Hewitt and Crofts (University) began brightly, but developed into a dour struggle of consistently accurate baseline driving, with Crofts’s tenacity and determination when he was under severe pressure giving him his win, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the first set Hewitt was aggressive, following hard services to the net and seldom failing with returns. He covered the court well and took advantage of TZrofts’s errors, many of them on easy shots that he was attempting to kill. Half-way through the second set Crofts became really determined.

The third set comprised long baseline rallies, with Hewitt taking a 4-0 lead and then wilting under Crofts’s renewed determination. Crofts took his six games in a row with a minimum of errors, some fine retrieving, and smooth drives.

In the other men’s semi-final, Hunter beat B. R. Crawford, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. In the first set it seemed that Crawford would win easily, but Hunter later concentrated better, showed good positional play, and impressed with his volleying and smashing. When Hunter got on top he played consistently in spite of some fine forehand drives by Crawford that clipped the sidelines.

A marathon struggle of about two hours and a half between Miss Denise Souter and Miss Smith was won by Miss Souter, 2- 8-6, 9-7. The last set alone, in which there were many deuce games, lasted more than an hour. Miss Smith held two match points in the second set before she lost it, and Miss Souter held two at 6-5 in the third and another at 8-7 before she won the last point. Excursions to the net were very few, but there was some good driving, with very little between the players. Miss Diane Souter was the most impressive of the women’s semifinalists when she beat Mrs Campbell, 6-2, 6-4. She kept a good length on all her drives, took advantage of Mrs Campbell’s slower services and passed her frequently with sharply-angled shots. Mrs Campbell gained points with her forceful forehand. Results:— CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS Men’s Singles Quarter-finals. —A. J. Hewitt beat A. L. Blackwell. 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; B. Crofts beat M. C. Healey, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; B. R. Crawford beat B. Judge, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3; A. D. L. Hunter beat J. R. Reader, 8-6, 6-3. Semi-finals.—Hunter beat Crawford, 3- 6-1, 6-3; Crofts beat Hewitt, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Women’s Singles Semi-finals. —Miss Diane Souter beat Mrs E. D. Campbell, 6-2, 6-4; Miss Denise Souter beat Miss C. Smith. 2-6, 8-6, 9-7. Men’s Doubles Quarter-finals. —J. Beatty and B. Crawford beat W. Thom and B. Aldridge, 7-5, 6-3; A. D. L. Hunter and A. L. Blackwell beat I. McLeod and R. Payne, 6-1, 8-6; W. J. Hewitt and R. Irvine beat W. Dickson and G. Shaw. 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; W. J. Smith and M. C. Healey beat B. Crofts and T. Harneiss, 6-3, 6-0.

Women’s Doubles Semi-finals.—Misses Denise Souter and Diane Souter beat Mrs E. D. Campbell and Miss A. Snow. 6-1, 6-0; Misses J. Andrews and B. Blackburn beat Mesdames B. Watmuff and G. Wilson. 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Mixed Doubles First Round.—A. L. Blackwell and Miss Denise Souter beat B. Judge and Miss B. Blackburn, 6-1, 7-5; S. Hale and Miss P. Andrews beat B. Aldridge and Miss K. McGillivray, 6-4, 6-3; A. D. L. Hunter and Miss Diane Souter beat R. Irvine and Miss Y. Hart, 6-2, 6-3; B. Shirlaw and Miss S. Mackay beat D. Parris and Miss A. Barcham, 6-1, 6-1. Second Round.—M. C. Healey and Miss C. Smith beat A. Turner and Miss H. Parris, 6-2, 6-3; T. Harneiss and Mrs G. Wilson beat J. S. Campbell and Mrs E. D. Campbell. 6-4, 6-1; P. Steinmetz and Miss P. McKay beat I. McLeod and Miss E. Parris, 6-2, 6-4; B. Crofts and Miss B. Mollison beat Hale and Miss J. Mollison, 8- 3-6, 8-6: Blackwell and Miss Souter beat R. Minson and Miss A. Snow, 6-2. 6-0; Hunter and Miss Souter beat Shirlaw and Miss S. Mackay, 6-1, 6-4; E. Kirkland and Mrs B. Watmuff beat W. Hewitt and Miss E. Hart, 6-1, 6-4. Quarter-finals. —Healey and Miss Smith beat Harneiss and Mrs Wilson, 6-3, 7-5; Hunter and Miss Souter beat Steinmetz and Miss P. Mackay. 6-1, 6-3 HANDICAP EVENTS Men’s Singles First Round (continued). —E. Kirkland (owe 15 3-6) beat M. Munnerley (owe 15 4-6), 9-4; P. Muxlow (rec. 3-6) beat M. Berkeley (owe 3-6), 9-3; D. B. Mills (rec. 3-6) beat D. Parris (rec. 2-6), 9-5. Quarter-finals. —B. Lane (owe 15 3-6) beat R. L. Keats (rec. 15), 9-6; Kirkland bebt W. M. Mackay (owe 3-6), 9-3; B. Aldridge (owe 30) beat S. A. Swanson (owe 3-6), 9-5; Muxlow beat Mills, 9-6. Semi-finals.—Lane beat Kirkland, 9- Muxlow beat Aldridge, 9-7. Women’s Singles Second Round.—Miss H. Lord (scr) beat Miss D. Smith (rec. 15), 9-6; Miss P. Mackay (owe 4-6) beat Miss E. Hart (scr), 9-6; Mrs B. Watmuff (owe 15) beat Miss K. McGillivray (owe 15), 9-8. Men’s Doubles First Round.—B. Leopold and P. Muxlow (scr) beat J. G. Beddis and A. J. Knight (owe 15), 9-3; B. Lane and G. Freear (owe 30) beat M. Munnerley and J. Beatty (owe 30 3-6), 9-3; D. Forbes and M. Berkeley (owe 15 3-6) beat I. McLeod and D Parris (owe 3-6), 9-4. Second Round.—W. Mackay and R. L. Keats (scr) beat E. S. Dixon and D. B. Mills (rec. 3-6), 9-8; R. Irvine and S. H. Swanson (owe 30) beat H. Blackburn and A. Turner (owe 15 3-6). 9-6; Leopold and Muxlow beat Lane and Freear, 9-5. Women’s Doubles First Round.—Misses H. and C. Parris (owe 15 3-6) beat Misses M. and D. Smith (rec. 3-6), 9-4; Misses S. and P. Mackay (owe 15 3-6) beat Misses A. Barcham and E. Parris (owe 15), 9-5.