LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 312, 29 September 1926, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS.

(By

“Forehand.”)

The Associatibn Secretary. For some time Jlr. C. W. Cobby, sectetary of the Wellington Provincial Lawn Tennis Association, has been handicapped, and tennis players also have been equally handicapped, by the fact chat he has had no central office. from which he could work. The association has now secured quarters for him at No. 13 King’s Chambers, Willis Street. From now on there will be no excuse for tennis players not availing themselves of the information which, as secretary, Mr. Cobby will be only too pleased to give them on request. In settled quarters he will also be the more able to conduct tho business of the association and make hiruself more known to tennis players generally. How They Do It.

There are no short cuts to success. This is revealed, in Charles Lenglen’s articles, and again in the following description from tho "American Lawn Tennis” of how the French champions practice “Lacoste and Borotra would stand at the service line or a foot or two inside of it and volley to each other. The ball went back and forth hundreds of times; sometimes a dozen or score of times without either missing. Swift, hard-hit volleys they were and the watcher’s neck would get tired from the constant turning of the head to follow the ball. Four or five minutes of this and then the players would retreat to the base line. Driving was then indulged in, some of it driving to the corners, with plenty of pace and length. Always, however, the principle was that of the knock-up—to hit tho ball to where the other man could reach it, even if with an effort. "Then there would be practice serving and lobbing—the latter especially. And such lobbing! It was the overhead play of the two Frenchmen that had the greatest fascination'for the present writer. The certainty and finality of their kills, even of tho deepest lobs, was marvellous. This was true not only of their plav In practice but throughout their matches. It was the smashing of McI onghlin over again. Borotra, and to a slightly les.ser extent Lncoste, have the McLoughlin smash; and I am inclined to think, with a shade more certainty than even JlcLoughlin.” Suzanne and Professionalism.

It looks as though English women are less conservative than the mon. S. N. Doust collected some opinions for the “Daily Mail” on Suzanne Lenglen’s decision to turn professional. Mrs. Satterwaito said that she thought it a wonderful offer, and also wonderful that Mlle. Lenglen's ability should produce such an offer. Lady Wavertrce said that she admires the decision, and added that, if musicians, actors, and artists use their Hcaven-'-ent gifts to maKe money, why should not Mlle. Lenglen use her great lawn tennis talents to her best advantage? Mrs Beamish thon,ght that iflle Lenglen’s tour in theUnited States won’d r'<o a' great deal of good to the women r.layers there. Tho Americans are, in the. main, slow on their feet and lack snrightliness. Mlle. Lenglen hns poise and elegance. Every shot is made so easily and so perfectly that the Americans, with their quickness to perceive end to imitate wb*i is best, will soon be producin'’ Mnyore i;’. n -.niA T pT ,„ip n r . (J. q. Tuckey thought Mlle. T.ens’le'n wise because her victorious career ns an amateur eon,bl not co on for over. Commander J. M. HiHvavri’s remarks wore torse and io the point. He said the onto mistake Suzanne had made was that she did not become a professional six months earlier.

Lacoste's Catalogue, ' "Lacoste." savs Vincent Richards, "actually keens a card catalogue of all tho plavers of the world, and after he meets them ho notes in his catalogue their weaknesses and their strength. Each time ho plavs with a champion ho adds to these notes, and ho st,l f thesp recoi’ds rnnstnr.tlv in gtgcf tn nt hti may plan his own game in such, a wav as to defeat each of those with whom he plays. . . "Ho has me down m his bttle i-coto nnd I smitod rnefnlto when he showed me the entry. Th takes onto one sentonne to size me un nnd finish, me off: ‘Ono m”»>t drive deen tn Richards's backhand and come to the not .for a volley.’. That is a 1! i.hore is to it; almost anyone can do it” What’s Doing?

With tho majoritv of city clubs bavin? oplelwatw’ U'o official onening of thejr eecon WoVm<’ton tenms may,, ho said to be in full swing. At present the

Wellington Club has given no indication of the date it will open, and the 1 horndon grass courts will of course be later. Already a number of Wellington’s foremost players have got in a considerable amount oi practice. They include L. France, D. France, and N. Wilson. E. B. W. Sinvth finds his work at the hospital an impediment to anything like the requisite practice, although he has been seen in action on occasions. It is to be regretted that a severe, illness has prevented R." Donovan playing as yet, and it is probable he will not be allowed to play before Christmas. ■ I have not heard much concerning C. Malfroy, but no doubt be will socn be in evidence when the Thorndon courts are open for play. D. France is mixing his game more. It would seem as though he has at long last-arrived at the conclusion that his brother Len possesses strokes that give a maximum of result with a minimum of effort. For instance, he is cultivating the drop shot, .which, as played by his brother, has upset Don’s equilibrium on numberless ccuasions, A mastery of this shot, combined with Don’s other stroke equipment, will make him a much more formidable opponent. ' Lon France lias set himself apparently tn cultivate a drive, a part of his play hitherto conspicuously absent in matches, although it has long been recognised that he possesses the fundamentals of it.. He still remains one of tho headiest players in. tho Dominion, Noel Wilson lias cultivated a beautiful service, which he places really well, althcugh he is sometimes . prone to fall into double faults at critical stages of his game. Hie volleying and bis smashing inside the service line are easily the best <>f any player in Wellington, and perhaps in New Zealand. ‘ It does not appear at- this early stage that there are any plavers coming on who are likely to seriously compete with those who were on top last year. • The courts are still swanned with th6se : who nre .doomed to tred \ the paths of mediocrity but to whom the , game is an unalloyed pleasure. Without the perseverance to better their play thev are allowed to go on year after year perpetuating the same faults which are themselves a .bar to any improvement. It coca without saying that club courts are swarmed by the ladies who, what they lack in practice, make up in an overdose of play. Some of them give the impression that they will play themselves stale before the season is well advanced. It cannot be said as yet that there is any one of them who shows ' signs of such improved form as to have left the others well behind. Indeed, I think we will be still lamenting the fufet that our ladies' tennis, comparatively speaking, is deplorably. weak. Nothing but deliberate coaching, T am sure, will cure it, and it would be well if the association instructed its coach, Mr. C. \V. Cobby, to take last year’s most prominent lady players in hand. This should have some result. Quite a number of Wellington’s leading players have become associate members of the Miramar courts, and are thus finding opportunities for much singles play. Recently L. F. France played a solid five set match with N. Wilson, which the latter won after being down the first two sets.

The interest that. is. being taken in tennis on club courts is such that it will pay members of the Management Committee of the association to ’make it a paramount consideration to map out a plan of campaign that will servo' to direct this energy into beneficial channels. Also they should consider it their duty to visit all the clubs. In this resnect it was pleasing to see Messrs. Morgan and Cornet present at the Brougham Hill 'Club opening last Saturday. Apart also from these two, who are members of It, there was no other member of the Management Committee present the previous week for the openins: of the Newtown Club. It is only fair to state that Mr. Graves would be detained last week at the opening of his own club, Salamanca.

Avonside Club, Avonside (Christchurch) start the new season with four of the six courts in first-class order. Two have been relaid, and two top-dressed. The annual report reveals the fact that Miss Speirs, their first lady, has won eleven championships this year; three national ones, three Canterbury, and the others at United and Avonside.

Information Wanted. < "Forehand” will be pleased to receive from club secretaries and all others interested in tennis anything of interest that may have occurred on their courts or come under their notice. The column is at all times opfen to an expression of view from those sufficiently interested in the game to express it.