WILDING SHIELD LOST

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 126, 25 February 1928, Page 10

WILDING SHIELD LOST

CANTERBURY WIN RUBBER SOLID PLAY ON SODDEN COURTS MALFROY BEATS OLLIVIER Canterbury regained possession of the Wilding Shield yesterday, defeating Wellington in the challenge match at Miramar grounds, by seven matches to five. Wellington won four of the six contests which took place during the second day’s play, three singles, and a double forfeited by Ollivier and Seay when Ollivier ricked his back. The rubber was fought out on sodden courts, and with a tricky wind bloving, and it was only after a vote b.V the Canterbury team that it was decided to continue. Considering the downpour of Thursday night, the courts were as well as could be expected, but that was sexy heavy. The Canterbury men were not at all at home in the wind, but Seay and Angas played good tennis in difficult circumstances. DETAILED RESULTS Yesterday’s matches resulted as follow, Canterbury players mentioned first: Singles. G. Ollivier lost to C. E. Malfroy, I—6,1 —6, 3I. A. Seay lost to D. G. France, 4—6, 4— C. Angas lost to N. Wilson, 6—2, o—6, 4—6. K. J. Walker beat J. McGill, 6-2, 7—5. Doubles. Ollivier and Seay lost to France and Malfroy, 6—3, 4—6 (retired). Angas and Walker beat Wilson and McGill, 6—3, 6-1. Ollivier’s Disappointing Display. Tho surprise of the day was the defeat of G. Ollivier, the present New Zealand singles champion, by C. E. Malfroy, of Wellington. It was a match which Malfroy won from end to end. He began by taking 10 points before Ollivier scored one, and lost only Jour games before match point arose. Ollivier was in one of his non-trying moods, and managed to reach deuce three times in the course of the two sets. He would not run for anything troublesome in tho first set, and Malfroy, who was playing with great confidence, swinging his shots to the sidelines with accuracy, and deadly at the net, led 2 —o, and 4—l, taking tho set on a double-fault by his opponent. The second set saw him run ahead I—o and 3—l. He lost his service in the fifth game. Thereafter he had a 5 —2 call, and though Ollivier outplayed him in the eighth game. Malfroy took the final game to love off service, making three pretty placements. France in Form. D. G. France played fine tennis against I. A. Seay, of Canterbury, and got a win in straight sets by sheer merit. Seay held his first service comfortably, but after that France won four games in a row, showing rare judgment in the way he swung his drives down the sidelines for a net-advance, and belting the ball into the wind when Seay held the advantage of the weather. The Canterbury man did not have his touch in the beginning, and many good shots which deserved a better fate went astray. Tn the sixth game, with the wind' behind him. he began a determined net attack which reaped him two games, and pressed Franco hard against the wind. Here France held a long game on service, and at 3—5. with Seay serving, was 15—40. Seay reached deuce by raking drives and courageous net raids in the teeth of the wind, and took the game after France had had a third set-point. That was the end of the set, however, for France smote his way to 40—30 and Seay, with a desperate’drive, just managed to reach a net-cord ball, only to have France volley out of reach. Pressed Hard. France was just missing the sidelines with raking drives at the beginning of the second set, and Seay went ahead, taking the second game on a double-fault by his opponent after some good placements. With some terrific hitting Seay held service against the wind and outplaced France in the fourth game, leading 3—l, and being in a good position when 3—2 and with three game points. France hung on grimly to win the sixth game and even tho game score, but Seay, with . brilliant placements, ran ahead again at 4—3. Thereafter France increased the pressure and Seay found the task of wresting the offensive from France too much in the final three games, France getting the set when Seay just missed the baseline with a nicely-timed toss. Angas’s Bad Luck. The N. Wilson-C. Angas match, which was one of the first to be played, began with Wilson missing the placements which he strove lor. Angas held Wilson all the time and was more aggressive than his opponent, who failed to connect properly with quite a number of shots. At the beginning of the. second set Angas was instructed by his team manager to remove the nets from his shoes, an instruction duo to a misunderstanding. He did so, and it was unfortunate for him, for Wilson was playing himself in and he bolted with the set 6—o. Angas, once more with a foothold, took the first two games m the final set, but Wilson opened out and smothered the Canterbury man, losing only two games in the next eight. At the beginning of the set Wilson had been miss-hitting in his efforts to force errors, but he outplayed Angas from the second game, free hitting bringing up easy kills at the net which Wilson almost invariably took. Only in the sixth game, with Wilson serving into the wind, did Angas sparkle, making a whole series of shots which completely fooled Wilson, who was always striving to get in close and taking some rather unnecessary risks to do it. A Missed Chance.

When .1. McGill went on against K. J. Walker, he suffered from the lack of nets over his shoes, and in the opening set fiis foothold was insecure. Walker made tho most of his chances, and lost only two games in tho opening eight, leaving McGill standing with shots which he should have been able to reach if properly shod. At the end of the set, when given some nets to help him, McGill’s confidence grew, and he hit Walker round with great freedom, running off with five games in the first six, and having four sot points. From one of these Walker made an extraordinary pick-up off a tremendous shot by McGill, and tho ball sailed away from McGill for a winner. This seemed to trouble McGill, who was never quite Hio same man. Walker hung to McGill and worried him, and with patient play turned imminent defeat into a clean-cut victory. Outplayed.

The doubles saw Angas and Walker out-drive, out-lob. and out-volley E ilson and McGill. ‘The match began after three successive victories by Wellington men in the singles had made the rubber score six matches to lour, and interest was great. Tho Wellington men were slow to start, and their failure to take Walker’s opening service when it was offered to them proved fatal in the first set. Wilson, after opening reasonably, quickly slumped, and Hie Wellington men wore completely outplayed for the rest of the match. Canterbury led 4—l and s—*2. and though McGill held service there with a burst of good play tho Canterbury pair took tho set next game, and rushed through

the second set in a very few minutes, losing only one game. Angas dominated play, making repeated recoveries and being very deadly at the net. Ollivier Retires. Tho remaining double, between D. G. France and C. E. Malfroy and G. Ollivier and 1. A. Seay, was < f very mild interest. The Canterbury pair were quickly into their stride, and, aided by the indifferent combination shown by France and Malfroy. and the latter s persistent refusal to hit tor a winner when the chance came, they took the first set 6-3, after leading 2—o and 4—2. When Wellington were down ;;_4 with Ollivier serving, the score was o—4o, but feeble hitting allowed Canterbury to win five points on end. In the second set the Wellington men teamed better, and had a firm grip of the game. They took the lead almost at once, and never looked in serious danger of* losing the set, which went to them, 6—4. It "’as announced at that moment’ that Ollivier had ricked his back, and was unable to continue, and the match was defaulted to Wellington.