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Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 506, 13 May 1909, Page 3

BACK FROM AUSTRALIA.

THE OVERSEA TENNIS TRIP.' AS' MISS. NWNELEY RECOUNTS IT. . "By. far and away tho best tournament.l have.played in when in Australia)" ro- . marked Miss 'Nunneley, the' captain ..'of. tho Now 1 - Zealand .team of ladies that flayed in ; the intercolonialv tournament . between' 'New South Wales and New Zealand..; "For ono . thing, people there could not do' too ; much to entertain us. When tennis was over for the : day there : was always, something: planned for our enjoyment—a, dinner, a theatre, a supper party, or long motor drives all over tho country. Not once did we over find time hang on our hands or were over left: to our. own devices.",

"It took' somo- of our players nearly a . week to . get over the effects of the trip ; across,so that our team ivas by no means . ■ in .its *best. 'form'; at .tho/; beginning of the itournament.However, • that passed. Players over .there , are very keen over their ton- : nis. .None of tho girls. wq played : against, ;..V have' to earn their living, ■so they 4 havc : plenty of time to spare ;foj, tennis, many of them playing. all tlio year . round. Of v. course, as > you \ know, •_ they.. are -particularly ' good at volleying, even the, merest- beginner or weakest -player becoming expert at ' it.' Our strong ipoint <was, our fore-hand; driv-;-^ing." I'''rv; r ..■ iv-;■" :V -- ■- In answer to a query as to whether >; the standard' of playing had : becomo higher than, it was' it other, tournaments she had played ill over there, Miss Nunneley said sho did ■ not. think so. ■ ".There .are moro gopd players now, but, nono of, tho players I nav come :across aro better or even quite. the playing of Miss Howitt, for instance, whom 1 played against somo years ago. " ' "Somo of tho days, even, though it was. ■ the cool-time-of the year there, were quite .as,hot as'the, hottest days we ever get-here., ■ Tho;light- failed {early, ; : ;By .about half ..past fivo, or even'before, wo would have to lcavo , v off playing.: Only onco did .we' come, across. ; asphalt; -' ; .Strathfieldj 1 ■ where we played in a tournament got; up, all in a hurry. Tho'y play on grass courts 'nearly everywhwe. ; People'over there took ~. a great. interest in .the: matches,; and turned . out well to see them played. It was dis- ■ lpjjointihg that the,' match with the ;Vi'ciorian players - could not-havo been played . an tjie. Davis Cup but there seemed ■ to havo ' beeh. some- difficulty •- in arranging about third and fourth players. Altogether, we ,had the-most: delightful time - that any- .. oho'.'ifculd ipossibly,' ha>;ei' pndi'we. only, hope that.wei'. can ;give ctho^Australian.-,playors ,as, ! / good a time; whcn'.'thoy. come;, over;.' here at !'• as .they, talk of iiloing. There is no place like Sydney," .concluded Miss VunncTey..

• MRS. GOLDIE'S REPORT. . 3lrs. Gpldiej '.who accompanied., tho .lady . tennis players toSydney, asl-chaperon of -,tho. patty, speaks in equally glowing terms of the ,hospitality' shown to -them .by tennis folk 'in ■: / , Syaney.V .Various enterteihments 1 were; arranged f° r their pleasure, including a.delight-', ful .evening • reception, given -for. ; the, visiting■• players by Mrs. Dunlop, wifo of tho secretary //of./ the VA-Ustralasiaii-Teriiiis_' = Association at '/her .charming -home at Kirribilli Toint'.' Tho New 'Zealanders:: very- much enjoyed .. this,. ; v.- though ,as they : were playing, next day" they had to vanish early like, so many Cindeo-el-las. A launch picnic was arrangod for them on Sunday by tho New South ' Wales Tennis, Association; and.-they . spent ■ the - day . in exploring many ;littlo - harbour .. .while an- '■; other pleasant excursion 1 wis a motor ride to Pennant Hills, through beautiful undulating country, with bush, and: gardens and; orange ■ groves. -■ ■■ One disappointment of the .tournament was . . the. sudden breakdown! of. Miss,: Peyton, a V.' lady/.who, for,fso'meyears^held'the.:',:tennis . championship ,of ..New South Wales, and whose devotion to tho gamo resulted in a ~ ; heart-strain. '■ Two ,:years ago, - when playing at Brisbane, Miss Peyton took part, in no . fewer' than sixVfihals/'.and' won .; singles from (By the'way, Miss Nunneley's handicap in this tournament was o—4o/ and Miss Powdroll's 0—30.) After . such cnorgotic play, Misa Eeyton broko down, and'was forced, to give up tennis for two years, only, taking it. up again mildly in prc- / . paration for tho tournament. Sho is a de-

;'liglitful girl,'- say^-thoso whohave met-her, ' : and an ideal, player, aiid though, she was or . -ajurse : not :in form;:.what.':they- saw. of' her . : P? a y this''inmoj /before she -broke down : once '.;/ more, '"was beautiful and fascinating' to watch.' 1 ':/ .-> ; ;-;j.,:'.V'-/ : :' - /. Miss,'Powdrell.was; very ill going'overhand it took' her nearly aweek to: recover, from the - voyage, 1 so ;that-.during .the.first matches her : ' >: form was poor, biit/she'revered by the first .Monday,:arid her play on:that day,astonished 'the other players,, and, of course,.she ivent on ;'/; after that. Tho ' VictoraiiL' team'- was rather uneven, but' : ,tiheir.two /strongest/players—Miss . Stewart ; 'and. Miss/Addison—were stronger than, .any '.-of-, tho New South :,Wnles".players., 1 : The play . of both .New South Wales and Victoria was /. / ;brilliaiiiy;and/it may ;be said that the New Zealanders had never before come -in'con-. ' tact with such players. ; Their ,'strtngt-h lay ;;;:; especially; in' their yolleyihg, : and that was >' /. where the' New Zealanders found their weak spot. /The Australian play was intensely in- : . terestipg/toy.watclfr because of.: this, forvolleying is twice as.interesting:from.the spec-'i - . tator's point of view as long rallies from the • back lino. ..' .', ,: They all pl:tycd._on grass courts, .and /.the. courts at Double; Bay, whero the tournament :. was: played, had only been 1 ' mado two years .: >• ago, so that-they .were: riot' hard, -as might ' have been; expected. ;: Four of tho New Zea-: /landers accustomed: to play on grass , . courts, but, with the exception 'of Miss .Nunneleyj tho: Wellington players were all used to hard courts. ' . . . V /, ', - ' /''Tako 1 it.; altogether,", concluded Mrs. ./. - Goldie., 'lour visit to Sydney lias been a most - / enjoyable one, arid the members of the team : . -/■- formed 1 a/very/ happy family. Wo stayed ■, at : .Macquarie House, which is : a gre.it resort of New'•Zealanders, I '/and wore within easy : : reich/bf the ;places best worth/visiting in •:..i;VSydnoy''.-v'.i : '.v -; ■ The only bar to- tho perfcct .enjoyment of v.; the. in'p/appears.'to. havovlain .in the fact ./' that what Mark .Twain said of.New Zealand's relation to -Australia is incorrect,, and that you do -not "go over on a bridge."