LAWN TENNIS Moss Has Won Four Tournaments

Press, Volume C, Issue 29479, 4 April 1961, Page 7

LAWN TENNIS Moss Has Won Four Tournaments

G. Moss has now won the men’s singles championships of the four open tennis tournaments in Christchurch this season. He began with the Labour week-end tournament in October, then won the Show tournament in November, then the Canterbury championship in the Christmas holidays and yesterday the Easter tournament.

When the last ranking lists were issued. Moss was placed second in the province to C. G. Judge, but Moss has been by far the most successful player in Canterbury this season. Judge has played little at home and he and Moss clashed in only one tournament. Moss beat him comfortably in that tournament but Judge later beat Moss in a ranking match and thus gained the top place. In yesterday’s final Moss beat the 20-year-old Southlander, J. Mahoney, 6-4, 6-1. efter Mahoney’s opposition had weakened considerably in the second heat. However. Mahoney had a fine tournament for, after his elimination of the fourtli seeded R. Neumann, in the quarter-finals on Saturday, he also beat the secondseeded W. Thom, in a difficult semi-final yesterday, 4-6, 8-6, 8-6. It is little wonder that he could not stand up to the two sets against Moss But Moss too had had a match that was harder than usual for him when he was taken to 9-7, 9-7 by B. J. Aldridge in the other semifinal and this was played later than the Thom-Mahoney match. Moss is so fit that such labour makes little difference to him and he was still full of energy for the final and for other matches he played later. He won the doubles final with Thom. It was also a tine attempt by Aldridge. He and Moss met in two early matches this season; in one Moss did not concede him a game and in the other only one game. Aldridge is playing much better than he was then and he made the margin between them slight yesterday. Mrs McKinnel The women’s singles championship was won by Mrs D. McKinnel when she beat her Avonside club-mate, Mrs P. Leopold, who now lives in Ashburton, 6-2, 7-9, 6-2, in a final which lasted about two hours. These two have met many times before and Mrs Leopold has usually been slightly superior. She was seeded first to Mrs McKinnel’s second. In the semifinals Mrs McKinnel beat the third-seeded Miss K. Williams, 6-4, 6-2, and Mrs Leopold beat Miss S. Rich, seeded fourth, 6-4. 4-6, 6-2. The annual Easter tournament is usually a three-day one but because of a smaller entry and fine weather throughout, it was able to be completed yesterday. Began Well Mahoney began well against Moss to take a 2-0 lead. At this stage he was serving strongly and scoring with some grand passing shots like the ones he used against Thom in the semi-final. Some of his ground strokes were played deceptively late, especially on his backhand They were smoothly-pro-duced and he also impressed as a volleyer. As the match progressed, Mahoney made more and

more errors, particularly on crucial points. He served a few double faults, he overhit a lot and played some strokes down into the net when he did not get his feet into position. He obviously knew well of this failing because he looked down at his feet after the stroke had failed. Perhaps not as devastating as he was earlier in the season, Moss was very competent and he looked as if he had the match well in hand after the first two games. His strokes were just as neat as usual and his positional play was superb. Many times he forced Mahoney to leave wide openings. His own court coverage, from his great fitness, left little to be desired. In the second set he was completely the master, giving Mahoney only the second game. The Thom-Mahoney semifinal was an enthralling one which either could have won. Thom held three match points when he led, 6-5 in the third set and it looked all over. However, Mahoney saved them courageously and went on to win. Mahoney excelled with passing shots on forehand and backhand, even on return of service. It was not Thom’s best form and he made mistake after mistake on volley and smash. Moss and Aldridge also had a very close contest and one of the features of it was some brilliant retrieving by Aldridge. Baseline Driving The women’s final was essentially a baseline driving contest with Mrs Leopold sometimes getting more pace, but with Mrs McKinnel getting everything back. There was barely an excursion to the net in the whole match. It was a match of drives from corner to corner at the beginning of long rallies and sometimes towards the ends of the rallies Mrs McKinnel, retrieving from wide in the corner, could hardly force the ball back over but she did and often won the point. She also won with lobs and in this fashion took the last point of the match. It was a gruelling struggle. Mrs Leopold had cramp in a leg towards the end of the second set but she won that set. It cannot be certain that this did not affect her play in the last set. Mrs McKinnel tries for returns that seem well-nigh impossible and she never gives away a point. They were both quite exhausted when they came off but they still recovered enough to win the doubles final together. The semi-final between Mrs Leopold and Miss Rich was also closely fought. Miss Rich had more variety in her tennis and she was markedly superior at the end of the second set. However, Mrs Leopold’s experience and coolness told in the third set which she won comfortably Results: — SENIOR EVENTS Men’s Singles Semi-finals—J. Mahoney beat W. Thom. 4-6. 8-6, 8-6; G. Moss beat B. Aldridge. 9-7. 9-7. Final.—Moss beat Mahoney 6-4. 6-1 Women’s Singles Semi-finals.—Mrs D McKinnel beat Miss K. Williams. 6-4, 6-2; Mrs P. Leopold beat Miss S Rich. 6-4. 4-6, 6-2. Final.—Mrs McKinnel beat Mrs Leopold. 6-2. 7-9. 6-2. Men’s Donbles Semi-finals.—R. Neumann and B. Aldridge beat W. Smith and B. Johns. 4-6. 7-5. 6-3; W. Thom and G. Moss beat T. Beatty and K. Whaanga. 6-0, 6-0. Final.—Moss and Thom beat Neumann and Aldridge. 6-1 11-9. Women’s Doubles Final.—Mesdames P. Leopold and D. McKinnel beat Misses S. Rich and K. Williams. 6-4. 6-3.

Mixed Doubles Semi-finals.— L. Watkins and Miss S. Rich beat T. Thomas and Miss D. Hopping, 6-2, 6-1; W. Thom and Miss K. Williams beat G. Hastie and Miss J. Andrews, 7-5, 9-7. Final.—Thom and Miss Williams beat Watkins and Miss Rich, 8-6. 6-1. UNDER 19 EVENTS Boys* Singles Final.—R. Bruce beat P. Tremewan, 6-3, 6-0. Boys* Doubles Second Round.—J. Cullington and A. Brooks beat A. Thompson and T. Thompson. 9-0. Semi-finals.—W. Edgecumbe and R. Watson beat K. Kiernan and T. Thomas, 9-8; Cullington and Brooks beat R. Bruce and G. Davey, 9-6. Final.—Cullington and Brooks beat Edgecumbe and Watson. 6-4, 6-1 Girls* Doubles Final.—S. Jordan and J. Mawdsley beat S. Mac Neill and D. Newton, 6-0, 6-1. UNDER 17 EVENTS Boys* Singles Quarter-final.—A. Brooks beat J. Brebner. 9-5. Semi-finals J. Cullington G- Ford. 9-0; Brooks beat W. Edgecumbe, 9-7. 6 V°6 1 i —beat Brooks, Girls’ Singles Semi-final —p Hopping beat S. Mac Neill, 9-3. Final—D Smith beat Hopping. 6-0. 6-2 HANDICAP EVENTS „ Men’, Singles *K ,a . 1 ‘Z N i. Gosne b (owe beat T. Beatty (owe 30). Final.—Gosnell beat W. Jamieson (owe 30), 9-3 Women’s Singles , S’ufi-final —Mrs B. Watmuff low'e M 1» *•’ »/' i 2 al ’T Mrs Watmuff beat Miss M. Cowden (rec. 15), 9-2 Men’s Doubles Round.—T. Beatty and £ (owe 30 3-6) beat D. Fletcher and P. Tremewan (scr), 9-4. Final.—N. Gosnell and W. Jamieson (owe 15 3-6) beat Beatty and Whaanga, 9-5.