LAWN TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 80, 28 December 1928, Page 9

LAWN TENNIS

NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIPS COMMENCEMENT OF PLAY MEN’S AND LADIES’ SINGLES (By Telegraph.—From “Forehand.”) Auckland, December 27. Wind last night and early this morning dried the courts well, but further light showers delayed the commencement of the New Zealand tennis tournament until 12.10 p.m., when R. P. Adams (Wellington) and M. M- Morrison, took the court for the first match. Thereafter, despite a grey light and drizzling rain at frequent intervals, good progress was made both with the Men’s Singles and the Ladies’ Singles, the first round of each event being completed. Until well into the afternoon the courts were very slippery, the players using nets over their shoes, Malfroy alone wearing spike shoes. In the early stages jit was almost impossible to move for a ball placed on the other side of the court.

The lobbing and smashing of T. Laurenson were too much for A. K. North, who endeavoured to drive the .ball as though on a dry surface. He succeeded in passing Laurenson, but rarely. His chances were not improved by serving double faults. L. T. Pickmere treated R. V. Bundle with scant ceremony, allowing him but two games of the 20 played, and those two in the third set. Pickmere made the awkwardness of Bundle seem more apparent as he drove or volleyed straight at him.

W. J. Melody maintained his footing ; remarkably well, as he chased gaily about . the court, shooting the balls down the side lines, past W. Blakey, or volleying them from the net, both cross-court and down the lines. ■ Hard, Smashing Shots. The match between W. H. Entwistle and It. McL. Ferkins was a match between two players not afraid to go after their shots. Entwhistle was the more accurate, and frequently got Ferkins at his feet. Nor was Ferkins’ volleying or drawing of heavy balls too accurate. ! M. L. Lampe got something of a surprise from A. M. Nicholson, who, by dint of literally pushing or poking the ball back, mane the. JVangauui champion go the limit, taking a set from him, and running him to.vantage in two others. He clearly worried Lampe. Lampe’s hardest smashes frequently came back with good lobs, and Lampe found Nicholson parked at the net hard to pass. Nicholson volleyed with surprising quickness, but not always with a sharp enough angle to win. Lampe ultimately won. C. F. Atmore found the net too great a barrier with damp balls, and a slippery court. Taylor kept his placements going nicely, profiting by mistakes made by Atmore, which probably could not have occurred on a dry court. A Practice Match. A. C. Steadman merely looked on his match with A. S. Gray as a practice one in which to cultivate his heavy driving to the corners. In trying too close to the-corners' he made jnistakes. He hit hard all through. C. L. Malfroy, wearing spiked shoes, found a firm foothold and proceeded to give J. D. Jones no rest with moderate paced placements to the side lines, varying the length. The match between J. C. Charters and E. W. Griffiths was an interesting one, the latter, a veteran, winning on headyvork and consistency. His accuracy down the lines was amazing. His service was a good attacking weapon, and the mixed short cut shots with his drives. He would make Charters runs and then catch him on the wrong foot. Charters drove without much discretion and could not maintain a certain foothold. T. Rhodes Williams, who used a steel racket, had no difficulty with H. O. Thompson, except in the second set. Williams played coolly and drove quickly with fine placements, and made winning short volleys. Williams, however, will require to move faster. , N. G. Sturt ran through G. J. Grant almost as if the latter were non-existent. It was essentially a practice match. The courts were so slippery when P. P. :Adams and M. M. Morrison started, that victory' rested with the latter, who could more often put the ball out of his opponent’s reach. Marathon Five-set Game. F. R. Chisholm and J. N. Lowry had a Marathon five-set go. The match lasted about three hours. Lowry started much better than Chisholm, who developed the habit of double faulting and netting his drives, and letting those mistakes irritate him. Lowry hit hard, but not rashly. The game was mainly a back-line one, with Lowry exercising more than ■ usual patience in working for his position. His foothold was also firmer, Chisholm playing in socks, doing a great deal of slipping. Chisholm played carefully at times, but he had not the patience to continue so. A. L. France, although making numerous mistakes with his drop shots, succeeded in running S. Lamb hopelessly over the countryside. Lamb could deal with France’s cuts when he got to them, which ■was not very often. W. G. Robertson has some beautiful ground shots, especially a ripping backhand, but hitting everything hard, he lacks for accuracy. • Not to be accurate against E. L. Bartleet, even when Bartleet may be somewhat off colour, is to lose, and Robertson lost. More discretion would make Robertson a fine player. Bartleet was-obviously taking things easy. C. Angas, with good ground strokes, volleying and smashing, quite outplayed W. G. Watkins. D. F. Glanville. and S. J. Robinson fought out a Marathon five sets of three hours, the doggedness and surprising quickness of Glanville in getting, to the net taking him to victory. The pair were evenly matched, a mistake inseparable from the game rather than any superiority in tactics giving Glanville a shade of advantage. Each placed well and hit hard to make the other run, and when the opponent came to the net lobbed. Sometimes the lobs were short and severely punished. r Ladies’ Singles. The ladies’ singles natches, which started late in the afternoon, were generally easy victories for the winners. Although Miss M. Gibson outplaced Miss P. Miller in the first set, she found matters more difficult in the secbnd set, Miss Miller almost holding her own in a backline duel. Miss N. W. Whitelaw is accounted a. good player, but she had no hope against the fine placements of Mrs. R, Pi Adams, with her variation in length and terrific cross-court forehand drive. The court is ideal to her type of game. Mi?s Whitelaw was always on the defensive scratching. Miss M. Myers, except in the backhand. was mimh too strong for Miss Marion Macfarlane. who she quite outplaced by good volleys through going in

on deep drives. Miss Macfarlane hit everything hard, but was more accurate with her backhand. Whenever she came to the net Miss Macfarlane miss-hit the ball.

Miss M. Wake was much too steady from the backline for Mrs. Napier (nee Miss Witherow). Occasionally, too, Miss Wake went to fhe net. Mrs. Napier was kept chasing from side to side, Miss Wake being the business end of the pendulum. Win For Miss Speirs. Miss M. Speirs waltzed through Miss Potter to a most lively and varied tune, which included volleying, driving and smashing. j The strength of Mrs. Shroff’s (nee Miss Colebrook) drives were too much for Mrs. Arneil. It seemed as though Mrs. Shroff was husbanding her resources in the second act. Most of Mrs. Arnqil’s lobs were short, and Mrs. Shroff easily killed them. Airs. Arneil fought pluckily all the. way, the heavy court and heavy balls being all. against her. She is not playing so well as of old. Miss M. Andrew played a beautiful free driving and Volleying game against Miss D. Newton, a solidly-built Maori girl, who two years ago won the junior championship. Miss Newton plays some good shots, especially backhand, and has brilliant patches, but she has no idea of court position. Both ladies had fine services, and they were functioning well. Miss -Andrew covered the court remarkably fast. Miss D. Nicholls played a fine heady game against-Mrs. Scott Watson. She placed all over the court, varying length and pace occasionally, and lobbing to give Mrs. Scott Watson the maximum of running on a heavy court. Particularly did she get Mrs. Scott Watson in the backhand corner and then take the net and volley or smash the weak lob for a winner. Miss M. Tracy is striking more her true form, and although Miss J. Ramsay chopped and cut ns usual, Miss Tracy was not one whit disturbed, driving accurately with depth nnd coming to the net to volley or smash the return. Miss Ramsay was hopelessly outclassed, getting only two games. , RESULTS IN DETAIL By Telegraph,—Press Association.’ , Auckland, December 27. MEN’S SINGLES. First round: J. L. Gregory (Auckland) won from C. H. Strombom (Taranaki) by default: J. T. Laurenson (Waikato) beat A, K. North (Auckland), 6—o, 6—l, 6—3; L. T. Pickmere (Whangarei) beat R. V. Bundle (Wellington), 6—o, 6—o, 6—2; W. J. Melodv (Wellington) beat W. Blakey (Auckland), 6—3, 6—4, G—l; M. L. Lampe (Wanganui) beat A. M. Nicholson (Auckland), 6—3, 6—S. G—2, 7—5; C. E. Malfroy (Wellington) beat J. D. Jones (Maori), 6— 0. 6—o, 6—4; E. W. Griffiths (Auckland) beat J. C. Charters (Whangarei), 7— 5, G—4, 7 —5: C. C. Chalmers (Auckland) beat S. C. Thorne (Whangarei), 6—3. 7—5. 6—4: T. Rhodes Williams (Wellington) beat H. O. Thomson (Auckland), 6—3. C—B, 6—3, 6—l; M. M. Morrison (Auckland) beat R. P. Adams (Wellington), 6—o, 6—l, 6—3; J. N. Lowry (Hawke’s Bay) beat F. R. Chisholm (Auckland). 6—o, 10—12, 3—6, B—6, 6—2: A. L. France (Wellington) beat S. Lamb (Auckland), f—2, 6—3, 6—3: Entwistle (Auckland) beat Ferkins (Wellington), IG—l4, B—6, 7—5; R. E. Taylor (Auckland) bent C. F. Atmore (Manawatu), G—2, 5—7, 6—l, 6—B, 8— N. G. Sturt (Auckland) beat G. J. Grant (Waikato), 6—2, 6—l, 6—2; K. Hayr (Auckland) bent G. E. Brown (Auckland), 2—6, I—6. 6-1. 6—3. 6—2; A. K. Turner (Auckland) won from A. W. Smithson (Canterbury) by default. Second round : E. L. Bartleet (Auckland) beat W. G. Robertson (South Canterbury), 6— i, B —6, 6—4: C. Angas (Canterbury) beat W. G. Watkins (Auckland), 6—4. 6—2, 6—2; D. F. Glanville (Canterbury) beat S. J. Robinson (Auckland), 6—2. 2—6, 6—4. 7—o, 6—l; Rhodes Williams beat Chalmers, 6—3, 6—B, 6—2, 6—l. LADIES’ SINGLES. First round: Miss M. Gibson (South Canterbury) beat Miss P. Miller (Auckland), 6—2, B—6; Mrs. R. P. Adams (Wellington) boat Miss N. N. Whitelaw (Auckland), 6—l, 6—l; Miss M. Eliot (South Canterbury) beat Miss P. Rukutai (Maori), 6—l, 6—3; Miss O. J. Taylor (Auckland) beat Mrs. H. Jones (Maori), (j—o, 6—4; Miss M. Myers (Wanganui) beat Miss Marion Macfarlane (Auckland), 6—l, 6—2; Miss M. Wake (Canterbury) beat Mrs. B. Napier (Auckland), 6—l, 6—l; Miss M. Speirs (Canterbury) beat Miss M. Potter (Auckland), 6—o, 6—l; Mrs. M. Shroff (Auckland) beat Mrs. A. M. Arneil (Whangari), 6-3, 6—6, B—6; Miss M. Andrew (Canterbury) beat Miss D. Newton Maon), 3 ' 6-°: Mis 3 D - M. Nicholls (Wellington) beat Mrs. Scott Watson (Auckland), 6—o. 6—2; Miss M. Tracy (Wellington) beat Miss J. E. Ramsay (Auckland), 6—o. 1 6 —2; Mrs. Robsou (Auckland), beat Miss D. Miller (Auckland), 6—3, 6—4. MEN’S DOUBLES. P. H. Jones and J. D. Jones (Maori) beat J. L. Gregory and H. O. Thomson (Auckland), 6—2, 4—6, 7—3, 0-6, 6-3; A. L. France (Wellington) and C. Angas (Canterbury) beat L. T. Pickmere (Whangarei- and C. F. Atmore (Manawatu), 6—2, 6—o. 6—2; E. W. Griffiths and C. E. W. Macintosh (Auckland) beat E. P. Drew (.Otago) and W. G. Robertson (South Canterbury), 5—7, 6—2, 6-2, 6—4; A. C. Johns and M. M. Morrison (Auckland) beat A. M. .Nicholson (Auckland) and G. Grant (Waikato), 3—6, o—7, 6—4, 12—10. COMPETITION FOR SCHOOLGIRLS. The girls’ inter-schools' tennis competition, which was played by teams trom the primary schools of the city, resulted as follows:— Th® section was won by the South Wellington School team, which won five matches without losing one. The B section games resulted in a draw between Terrace and Brooklyn, who each won five matches and lost one. In the C section Hatajtni .School team led the way by winning six matches without a loss. In the semi-finals Terrace defeated Hataitai 7 games to 3, and South Wellington won from Brooklyn by 7 games to nil. the other 3 games in this match not being played owing to the absence of some of the players. The detailed results of the final between South Wellington and Terrace are given below, South Wellington players beincr mentioned first:— Singles.N. Halliburton defeated A. Beere. 39—27: M. Brooking defeated B. Yentts. 30—24: M. Clark defeated P. Fdwards. 30—13; M. Burns defeated J. Barnett. 30 —25. Doubles.—N. Halliburton and M. Fronton." lost to A. Boere and B. Yentts, PO—2"; N. Clarl- nnd M. Burns bent .7 B"rnett nnd B. Edwards. 30—29; M. Wi’son nnd M. Epsom tost to A. Button "nd J. Benge. 30—24: J. Barnett and B. Edie tost to M. Ftoinomnn nnd G. Dutton. 30—29: }t. Wilson a>’d M. EnS"m Lnqt M. Heinemnn and G. Dutton. 30—19; J. Barnett nnd T’>. Edie beat A. Button and J. Benue. 30—27. South Wellington won 6 games, 286 points. Terrace won 4 games, 257 points,