LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 116, 8 February 1908, Page 9

LAWN TENNIS.

,-.(By Inter-CLUD.)

' 'Although tlio Shiold Committee acted in all . good faith 'by -postponing ,^he-inter-club matches .last ..Saturday oil account- o&.the athletic sports, all. tho courts word, thronged with; players, who were.'. evidently not, to, .lie enticed awayfrom" their. ;own sport to any oither oil such 7 a lino day. ! Many players! were anxious for the'matches to bo played,; and possibly .it. would have been just as well if ;tho fixtures had been played off on that day; ', '.vv}■ ;v v'

The Shield'contest'', is being continued '.today,' 'but therevis. not ,'tho keen .interest- in this event now,.-as'Wellington, with.six wins and 110' josses, has'a mortgage on'it. _

.;. The Cup is being much more closely contested: Brougham . Hill ■ has 'one' more win in than, Wellington. These teams meet today, anil should ■.'Wellington roverso the defpat it ; suffered from the leading team in .the last round, both clubs will. be • running oven, for-first place. • : The .Pennant will in all ..probability. go : to Brougham Hill A,' as that team should' l feat Brougham Hill li at the Bay Courts to-day. ""Johiisonyille' is hnjuly ' : out of the ruiming;yet/ and may, with good hard prac-' tice, still make .the above; teams .go all they know to- keep ahead. C-■ : ■ , ;i: Kilbirnie and- Muritai. meet in quets to-day, and the 'winner of this heat still has time to upsot the Brougham Hill teams -in the result,for. this, contest. '

The. Men's Singles at ,Masterton drew six-, teen players. Howe', \Aj Young, and Watkins worKed-into the second "round. .Hunter fell to Cox in the first round', as/did Young in the second round. Howe put up a Very; good fight against Aitken,, tho second set being very close.. i\ Jackson fell to Cox in the-somi-iinal, the formur player, giving the holder a. real goad run in,the first set, but proving unable to keep the pace up ill the second. Cox and Aitken : met, in the final,' but Cox'.- was'.much too good for Jlis op-' poneht, who was kept well on the run-and beaten repeatedly by the -winner's -fine cross, court volleys. Cox won'tho match G—2, 6—0., P. Jackson and .J. A. B.' Howe, J. Hunter arid H. Howe got into tho second round of ,the...Men's. Championship Doubles, the former, pair being beaten by Cox arid M'Caiil, whilst the latter; pair were defeated by Young arid'.' Aitken' in tho second round. Tho final saw Cox and M'Caul against Young and Aitken, and a very interesting ■ match was the result, which ended 6—4 in favour of tile former pair. •

Only, five .pairs entered, for the Combined Doubles. Jackson .and" Mrs. Wagg just managed to. get home, 9—B, from M'Caul and Miss G. Booth, but lost in the nextround to Aitkcn . and Miss Williams;. Cox' and Miss Paytcn, after disposing of Young and Miss K. Booth in the previous round, liad hard fight in 'the final- with Aitken and Miss -Williams. This lady played an admirable game, but she and her purtner were not-quite strong enough to cope with Cox at the net, and the Masterton pair ran out winners, ,9 —7. .. Maddox, of Wellington, (rec. 20),' Won. the Men's: Handicap Singles ' comfortably, ■ beat-, ing M'Caul (rec. 10), 60—52, in the final. ' ,J. Murray (scr.) defeated Hopper (rec. 20) in the final of the Sccond-grado Handicap. Miss Williams, from scratch, had 110 'dif-' ficulty in annexing the Handicap Singles, and partnered with Miss Payton :won tho Handicap Doubles. Jackson and Mrs. Wagg, after being run very,, close in' tlio second round by i'oss and Miss M'Gregor, had no difficulty in, winning tho Combined Handicap, beating Hunter and' Miss Farmer, 50 — 37, in tho final.

Visitors speak very highly of the hospitality of the Masterton ladies, who. dispensed £ea and refreshments during the tournament.

; G. Ollivier, the Canterbury player, attracted attention some little time ago by his winning the Canterbury., Club's .Championship; Many thought that A; I). .Cox was tho bettor man, even though Ollivier beat him iii the final. Tho Ashburton mooting saw Cox beat Goss,: and then, in tho next round, Ollivier and Cox had "a crcat co, but the

former again won, 6—2, 4—6, 6—2, and afterwards beat White, of Dunedin, 6—3, 4 —6, 6—4, in the final. Ollivicr showed fair form at. the: Wellington meeting, although Swaiistbni; heat him easily in the final. The defeat Was a. crusher, yet the ' loser , lost more by inexperience, and ' wero lie able to -' meet such playors as the winner morO often in practice would, give a better display. Mrs. Penny, an ex r ßrougham Hill player, and who holds, with Miss Timms, tho Canterbury Doubles Championship, put up a good fight in tho South Canterbury Championship Singles against Miss W. Hislop, of Dunodin. Miss Hislop, won, 6—3, 6—2. Miss Tonnent pushed tlio winner hard in.tho semi-final, but tho Dunedin girl won, 6—3, 3 —6, 6—4,. iind secured-the final from Miss Jackson, 6—l, 6—5. Mrs. Penny (owes 15) got to • tho semi-final only to be beaten by Miss •: Sbuter ' (rec. 2—6 16) 9—l. Miss So'uter' beat Miss Hislop (owes: 15) in tho final, 9 —3. Mrs! Penny and Miss Souter (owo 2 —6 15) won tho Doubles, beating Mrs. Lord • and Miss ;Papps (rec 2 —6 15), 9—6. In the Combined, _ Mrs. Penny and Eric Tayler. owed -I—6 .15, but were beaten by the winners (Miss Terinent and, Weir) of the event, who wore on .the scratch mark. Tho Ecore.was 9 —7. The winners had a hard fight right through, 'and just won the final, 9 —B, from Mrs. Cuff-and_ Cliff '(rec. I—6 15). This'tournament-was a- most successful one, and the'courts were .in splendid order. Tho general management was ail that coiild ho desired, and a general wish lias been expressed that the South Canterbury champiouship ' meeting' should.- ail moans bo' made an annual-one. Thirty-one entries were received. for. tlio- three, championships, and 136 for the-handicaps-rmaking a grand total of 167. , . . ..