LAWN TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 9, 5 October 1927, Page 8

LAWN TENNIS

THE WELLINGTON SEASON

WILDING SHIELD

Wellington starts its lawn tennis season in a singularly fortunate position and should have little difficulty m retaining the distinction of being the premier province in the Dominion. There seems little likelihood of its losing the Wilding Shield as it will have available to play A. L. France, D. G. France, N. R. C. Wilson, C. E. Malfroy and MtGill. McGill.

McGill, the last-mentioned player, is a. comparatively recent arrival from Canada, who was selected as one of the Canadian Davis Cup team. His performance this season will bo regarded with interest. Tall (he stands well over Cft), slinily built, somewhat loosely kdiL lie plavs an almost leisured and studied came, ‘in which there is no appearance of haste. None the less he covers the court vorv quickly. He drives with length and with good placement and works carefully to the net position from where his volleying, without being very formidable, has to be carefully watched. His height gives him an advantage in smashing, but be does not use it to the best purpose iu his service. In this respect he is hardly as dangerous as he might be. Indeed the ball he serves is peculiar in that its flight would indicate that it would fall well beyond the service line. When well beyond the net, however, it drops suddenly well inside the service line. I t is not a fast service and is directed to making the opponent move out of court. When he is going properly from the back court ho is a difficult man to take the net against, as he exploits tho side line shots with great accuracy. Nor is he inferior to Wellington’s best with his cross-court drive. His backhand is made with the same ease as his forehand. Although McGill is some compensation to Wellington tennis for the loss of E. D. Andrews, who, had he not gone from New Zealand to Cambridge University, would have had to play for the newly formed Manawatu Association. E. B. W. Smyth.

It seems lair to assume that the claims of his profession will prevent E. B. W. Smyth from participating much in first-class tennis. Ho is a player who demands more than the ordinary amount of hard practice to keep himself properly in form. I do not, therefore, include him among tho probable defenders ot tho Wilding Shield. C. E. Malfroy.

This season should show a rapid advancement iu the game of C. L. Malfroy, who, at his best, plays with the steadiness, exactness, and precision of a smooth-running machine. His performances last year were phenomenal for a boy. and he ought most certainly obtain the highest honours Dominion tennis has to bestow before ho is much older. As it is ho but needs a. little more strength to his shots and that will come as he develops physically D. G. France.

The last, month of last seagon showed a tremendous advance in the game of D. G. France who, up to that stage, was too prone to “knock the cover ’ off the ball. He. apparently now sues the wisdom of maintaining absolute control over the ball even if it means a little slackening in speed. Ho will have to be reckoned with as a force in Dominion tennis for many seasons yet to. come and a Dominion championship ia .by no means beyond his anilities to win. For variety of strokes he has no eqhal in New Zealand. This, with his lately acquired stoodinoss, will greatly improve his play His brother, A. L. France, up till recently, quite dominated D. GFrance, as elder brothers have a habit of doing to younger ones. That phase has now quite passed except that A. L. France has passed on to D. G. the secret of some of his own most effective shots. A. L. France.

A. L. France is tho finest match player in Wellington to-day, and it was solely due to the decisive nature of his victories against Canterbury that Wellington won the Wilding Shield by tho narrow margin of two sets. He is every inch a grim fighter, whose’placements aro alike tho envy and despair of his opponents. I have always held that ho had but to get closer to tho net for his volleys to raise the standard oi his game much oven beyond his present standard; and this despite the fact ho

can but seldom be prevailed upon to use tho drive that he undoubtedly lias, rather than make the staple of his game tho cut stroke of which, it must bo admitted, ho is a master. His present court position for the volley compels him to volley upwards and more slowly. A closer position would enable him lo volley downwards, faster, and at even more acute angles than he now does. Only his uncanny sense of anticipation and his speed pulls him out ‘of many seemingly hopeless positions at present.

N. R. C. Wilson. N. R. C. Wilson had perhaps the most successful season of his career last season, but it is in doubles more than in singles that he most shines, particularly because of his overhead work when inside the service line. He would bo well advised this season to pay more attention to returning his opponent's service than in endeavouring to win outright off it, one of his faults is to play when lie is off form as though he were off form. Others might be able to do that, but Wilson leaves too little margin for safety to adopt those tactics. R. H. Donovan. One of the tragedies of Wellington tennis is the breakdown, through heart strain, of 11. 11. Donovan, who had the makings of a remarkably fine player. One may express the hope that care through the coming season may yet help to again make him physically fit. He has shown only too plainly the danger of young boys not over robust in physique pitting themselves against experienced men in championship tennis. Miramar Courts. Another factor that should do'much to make Wellington tenuis a success this season is the progress that is being made with the construction of the association courts at Miramar. The sixteen grass courts that have been built up, aud which, when properly consolidated, will be used for match play, are looking in first-class order. Tho extension in the number of hard courts ought to provide adequate facilities for the increasing number of players. In this respect I hope tho association will see its way clear to let a certain number of courts out to hire 'after protecting the rights of tho paid members. It would at least be a means of raising revenue, which the association very badly requires at the present time. Last season auito a number of courts were left with scarcely any play on them from one week-end to the other. It. seems rather a pitv that there should be a prejudice on the part of the authorities against the hire of courts. Bona-fide members would not suffer because hirers of courts, no matter how good the standard of their tents may be, would not be allowed to participate in tournaments without they first became affiliated members of the association. Daylight Saving,

Another factor that 'no doubt will contribute largely to increasing the popularity of lawn tennis will be the institution of daylight saving. It is the surest means of bringing Miramar within range of the city worker on week days. Coaching.

Mr. Murray, of Christchurch, has commenced a system of massed coaching among the juniors on Wilding Park and indications joint to considerable success in that department. On one Saturday he had about 150 enthusiasts waiting to receive hints on the game, a number in excess of tho capacity of. the courts to carry. It would bo a distinct step in advance if some such arrangement could be made on the Association Courts at Miramar Now that the Wellington Association has a permanent secretary who has also had considerable lawn tennis experience in England, it ought to lie very easy to arrange for him to give coaching at certain times. The mere provision of courts is not enough. Wellington has some first-class material going to waste for want of proper instruction It is a great pity. In no other game in New Zealand is so little attention given to the encouragement of boys and girls. Very little help is given by the association to enthusiastic teachers. Tho putting on of events in tournaments, or the permitting of interschool games is not sufficient of itself without the aid of proper instruction Coaching is the only remedy. There will be no rapid progress without it. Inter-Club Matches.

Tho Wellington Association will 'again hold its inter-club matches. Tho increase in tho number ot courts will permit more clubs lo participate, because there will probably be an increase in the number of grades. It is good to know that a suggestion I made last year that clubs should be graded is to be carried out this season. It is not right to expect senior teams to have to meet third grade teams merely because those third-grade teams are the senior teams in those clubs. Such a position merely reduces the inter-club' matches to a farce. Closely allied with the grading of clubs is the handicapping of players themselves on a uniform scale. This, too, is being carried out, and, I believe, has almost beem completed by Mr. J. A. B. Howe, Mr. W. G. Morgan, and Mr. G. Penlington. Such a list will be invaluable in the handicap events in the various association tournaments. Handicapping.

Almost from the commencement of the season club committees get to work on the handicap events. Very frequently the best man in the club is made to owe points. This I hold to be a fallacy. No player should bo put behind scratch. If necessary, move the poorer players forward. By putting the best man behind scratch you lengthen tho game, and, of course, give him by far the better chance. Tho longer the game the less the chance of the limit man. who is supposed' to be the poorest player, has of winning. Even if the start the limit man gets seems absurdly high still he should get it. He has entered for 40, 50, 60, or 70 points up, as the case might be, not those number of points plus the {lumber the best player is put behind scratch. The Volley Board.

Nearly every tennis club has n volley board, but very seldom is it utilised to the best advantage. More often than not players merely hit the ball against it haphazard, and without any aim or object in view. This is wrong. The volley board should be the instrument to eradicate faults by serious practice. Suzanne Lenglen advises tho painting of a red line six inches above the white one painted on the volley board .to indicate (he height of the net. Tn her opinion some of the finest practice is to lie had iu playing'to keep the ball between those two lilies. It will be readily seen that a hall hit between those linos, thus just clearing the net, will seldom go out of court. Admirable as this plan undoubtedly is, there is another one worthy of being followed in conjunction with it. Just above the height of the net paint in numbers, say one to twenty, commencing from the left side of the board, and working along to the right side. When practising, strive to hit the ball tn n special number rather than bo content to just hit tho ball at tho volley board anyhow. You will find yourself then placing as though actually particinatiug in a game. You will by that means play your shots straight down the linos cross court, or down centre court at will Also, because of the angle at which the ball will come off the board or a cross court- shot, you will be given plenty of running about, nnd ample nrnctiee in plnv'nT a ball while running. It is possible f o work up quite a doubles match by no other means than two players playing together on a volley hoard marked as I have explained.