LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1303, 5 December 1911, Page 10

LAWN TENNIS.

e CUP DEFENDERS ARRIVE. (By TclegraDb-Pross Association.! f ~ „ , Auckland, December 4. s Norman E. Brookes and Rodd W. Heath two members of the Australasian Davis '; Uin team, arrived in Auckland from bydney yesterday' by the Mahcno. Thev were, accompanied by Mrs. Brookes and h V lr ' J ' ]},■ Koeil (secretary of the Victorian i .M n i ienn,s Association). The party i will leave Auckland bv the Main Trunk express train this evening, stop over the day in \Yellington, and arrive in Christ- , church on Thursday morning. Horace 11 Kice, of Sydney, and A. W. Dnnlop are other members of the team, which, with the exception of Kice, is composed of " Victorians. Kice left Sydney for Wellington, by the Aloeraki yesterdav, and will arrive in New Zealand on Wednesday 1 Dimlop will arrive at Auckland on December 17. The team is tho stroneost • Australasia could send, excluding Wilding. Brookes said in an interview: "Wilding cannot be expected to devote his whole . life to tennis, and I think be did quite . right in deciding not to come to New' Zealand, but he has promised that if we I lose the cup ho will help us to win iti ' back again. Wc have just played in tho' championship m"eting, so that wc aro in I rood form." Brookes added that from Australia's point of view the determination of the challenge in New Zealand was I a handicap. It was neutral ground, for [ both teams were stranjrers to New Zealand, so that the Australasian team would be I at a slight disadvantage in its defence of tho cud. In its own country there was no doubt that it would have been in a slightly better position." R. Heath said: "I really cannot say much about the Americans; what T judge by is the fact that thrpe Thci'lishmon— Boamish. Dickson, and Ijowe—put up a jolly good light against them only a eouple of months ano. Dickson came' within a nnint of banting Trfirncd. and I bent Dickson just before ho left, so they're not absolutely invincible. Of course wi> recognise we're up ag.T'nsf it, b«t we'll have nearly a month's hard practice, and all I ran say is. if we don't win it won't h n fr, r wont of t*-vin<r." This inornins Brookes and Keath are having practice on the Mount Eden Courts.