LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 473, 3 April 1909, Page 12

LAWN TENNIS.

(By Intee-Club.) After being undecided for some weeks as to whother the Easter tournament should be held at Day's Bay or Thorndon, tho Wellington Association has finally decided to play tho senior championships on the Thorndon Club's courts. As it would be quite impossible to run off both senior and junior events on tho four grass courts, it is more than likely that the junior championships will bo playod on tho hard courts in tho city.

Tho meeting will bo of more than ordinary interest as the whole of the ladies' team, whioli leaves for Sydney on April lfl, with the exception of Miss Powdroll, will bo competing. Misses Ward and ' Wolhvood are playing together, and. should fight tho ladies' doubles out with Misso3 Trovers and Gray. Tho ladies' singles should prodnce both hard struggles and fine tennis. Miss Nunnoloy will bo first favourite for this event, and the meeting of such players as Misses Travors, Wellwood, Ward, Gray, and Williams will be watched with great interest, especially as the last-mentioned lady has many supporters, who think that she merited a place in the team. The combined doubles will be very open. Amongst tho pairs together are Blair and Miss Nunneley, Rice and Miss Travers, Wilson and Miss Ward, Brown and Miss Wellwood, Peacock and Miss ledger, and Woir and Miss Bathiyn.' Blair and Fisher, Peacock and Swanston, Dickie and Wallace, find XI, Rice and Brown are the strongest pairs in tho men's doubles! Rico should account for. all-comors in the singles if in anything like liis usual form. 'Horace Rico is a well-known Sydney player, and, in fact, seems quit® good enough to hold the ex-Now Zealanded, H. A. Parker. On several occasions he has beaten him. Rice has a very pretty style, and it is quite an education to watch hiin when ho is playing at his best. With tho New South Wales and Victorian craok taking part in the tournament, the meeting should be quite the best the has yet held. Fine weather is all that is required to make it a hugo success financially. The final of tho Brougham Hill ladies' championship doubles will be played off between Mrs. Goldie and Miss Archer and Misses Morgan and Creacy. Miss Travers has reached the final of the Wellington ohampionship aftor beating Mrs. Goldie, who, in._ turn, had disposed of Miss Francis. The winner of the match between Miss Cock and Miss Dimant will come through m tho top-half of the drawer. Tho Thorndon championship has again been won by Swanston, who defeated Peacook, 3 sots to 3, in fjie final. The winner did not have tho soft sido of tho drawer and, in turn, accounted for Prouse, Sloman, Fisher, and Peacock. Swanston started off with the serve, and took tho first game, but his opponent won four games before Swanston annexed the second and third —the only other games which he won in the first set. Peacock's stand was not so good in the second set. Swanston won overy game on his own service, which, though not very severe, was extremely well placed; score, G—2. Tho third set saw both players running even until i all, when Peacock failed •badly on his serve, losing a love game, whilst Swanston, playing up, took the set after on advantage game. Peacock made a big bid for the fourth set, assuming a lead, 5—2, only to see his opponent oreep up to 5 all. Again Peacock led at 6 —5. and had "vantage in," but that was his final effort. Swanston evened at G all, and won the two next games with only one ace scored against him. The winner depended principally on his accuraoy in placing, and on working liis opponent out of position. Peacock was hitting with great pace, and put a good many of his drives over the base lino. Pennant Championship.—This contest is still undecided. Brougham Hill leads with 9 wins nnd 3 losses, having .settled Victoria College A's chance last Saturday. Muritai defeated Newtown on. the samo.date, and has now 8 wins and 3 losses to its credit, but has played one match less than Brougham Hill. In fairness to tho four teams that played last week Muritai should now meet Victoria College A, and, if tho Bay club secures a win, it should play off for the championship -with Brougham Hill. This is desirable, not j only on account of the leading team's; but'also 1 :so that , tho positions of the Victoria College and Newtown teams can be finally settled.. Tho former has tho same number of wins as Newtown, but has played one match loss, and, although it has now the advantage .in . the games played, its record should bo gauged from the same number of matches as played by Newtown. Although Brougham Hill defeated Victoria Collego A by 7 sets to nil, two of .the matches were.ivery olose, and it was .anybody's game until the last stroke was plnyed. Sherris and Prof. Picken reachod 8 all, after prolonged rallies, when the former had the luck to win tho deciding game. Misses Still and Hall played up well, and succeeded in taking six games from Misses Hogg and Powell. Muritai's win wns 5 sots to 2 against Newtown. The Muritai men—Wright, Howden, and Harton-r-all had comfortable wins from Grady, Hursthouse and Pratt, respectively,' but it was the Newtown • ladies—Misses Voitch and MTjean—who won the two matches for their club. 1 Miss Veitoh' has come on very much since she- won the handicap singles at the Brougham Hill tournament last Easter. Pratt and Miss Mlean gave Harton and Miss W. Low a good "go," which ended 7—5 in favour of Muntai. N

Tho Management Committee of tlie New Zealand Association decided at a meeting 1 held lately that, as Mrs. Goldio is going over to Sydney at the same time as the New Zealand ladies' team that is to play a match against New South Wales and Victoria at Sydney, she shall be asked to act as chaperon to and from Sydney. It has been ascertained that the lady in question will play at the New South Wales tournament.

At the recent Adelaide tournament H. A. Parker won the South Australian championship for the third time in succession, but, when partnered with Quill, found the local cracks, Bowen and Taylor, too good for them, being beaten by three sets straight. Parker and Miss Payne reached the final of the mixed doubles, and were defeated 5—7, 6—2, by Bowen and Miss L. Addison, after a most exciting finish.