LAWN TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 69, 15 December 1931, Page 16

LAWN TENNIS

Inter-club Matches NOTES ON PLAYERS Wilson Beats D. G. France (By “Forehand.”) Saturday’s matches at Miramar practically decided the senior men’s inter-club eompetitious. Thorndon club, by beating Brougham Hill elub’s A team, by the narrow margin of one set, did more than virtually win the iriter-elub competition. It gave the Brougham Hill club senior team its first defeat since before 1914. To be top for so long is a remarkable record. Thorndon nearly did not win. Pearce and Wilkinson had set point against Wilson and Sandral. Had they clinched it, sets, as well as matches, would have been equal, and Brougham Hill would have won on games. The most looked-forward-to match was between D. G. France and N. R. C. Wil- . son. France had previously beaten Wilson, who would not try. The match on Saturday, even though Wilson deserved his win. as obviously the better player on the day. was disappointing. France was well below form. He was as little a match for Wilson as Wilson had been for him in their previous meeting. One lesson the match should teach Wilson is that he is a much better stroke player rhe more he gets away from his fetish of playing the rising ball. His service and his smashing, also his driving, were in real championship class. He played well. The. best thing about France’s game was his’ service, and that was heavily cut and well placed. There were no fireworks at all. Both remained almosf throughout on the backline. Wilson occasionally came to the net. France then never went for a passing shot, but sent up a lob, which Wilson generally buried. A Great Team’s Player.

A. L. Franco is more dangerous as a team’s player than when merely playing for himself. He played with relentless determination against, A. E. Sandral, who had beaten him in a ranking match the previous week. France played with all his old craft, to which he added a stinging forehand drive to pass Sandral as the Thorndon man took the nets. France played his drop shot, not with the idea of winning the point, but to bring Sandral in close so as to lob him or pass him with a sharply-angled drive. The tactics succeeded. Sandral did not meet with his usual success in his volleying. There was very little to choose between N. A. Foden and E. A. Pearce, victory resting with the former through a greater consistency, and an ability to volley from the nets. Pearce, who does not give himself enough margin for error, netted to often. The game was' brimful of interest throughout. A Heady Player. A. Park was overwhelmed by. II S. Wilkinson, who is one of the headiest players, and among the best strokeequipped players in Wellington. By cleverly mixing his length he frequently ran Park hopelessly out of position. Park also netted a tremendous number of his forehand drives. Wilson and Sandral were much too strong for the A. L. France-D. G. France combination. Wilson’s service was the decisive factor, allowing Sandral to kill all the short returns. Park and Foden were a very poor combination. There seemed to be a complete lack of u-derstanding between them. Pearce and Wilkinson paired very well indeed, and held Wilson and Sandral to a very close second set. Had they won it it WOIII4. have given Brougham Hill the team victory. ' Rousell Improving. Each succeeding week seems to show a distinct improvement in the play of E. A. Roussell (Wellington). He had a day out against W. G. Morgan (Newtown). The weakness of Morgan’s game is that it is absolutely without variety. It is just one series of hard driving. It was meat to Roussell, who brought into evidence a wide assortment of strokes. He was very severe with anything overhead. B. R. O’Brien (Wellington) is going back. Nevertheless he did well to press G. Lezard so hard. O’Brien .keeps on hitting deep down the side-lines, and so makes it not always easy for an opponent to take the net against him. Lezard, who is cultivating a net attack, had very often to realise the difficulties. Without the Temperament. H. D. Reid (Wellington) has the strokes, but not the temperament, for big tennis. In addition to that defect, he met Walter Hollings (Newtown) at the top of his form. Reid made the strokes even harder to return by standing in too close on them. Hollings won as he liked. T. R. Chisholm, a visiting member, whom the Wellington club' unsportingly persists in playing, also suffers from a faulty temperament. In his case it takes the form of indiscriminate hitting, regardless of the consequences. He was beaten by W. D. Sykes, who has a kicking service and a strong forehand drive. He is also very fit to last, which'Chisholm is not. R. Howe (Brougham Hill B) was not disgraced in his defeat by R. McL. Ferkins (University). The game was hard fought throughout. Ferkins was hitting harder than usual, and he was also more accurate than Howe. Livingstone (Brougham Hill) has a wide variety of strokes, his forehand and backhand strokes, particularly, being beautifully executed. At his best he is capable of playing the all-court game. A Hard Fighter. There is. no harder fighter in the_ inter-, club competitions than J. Marsaw (Brougham Hill). Whoever boats him earns every point. Whether ahead or be hind, he never alters his keenness. His game is not a very varied one, but the strokes he has he makes good use of. He hits cleanly throughout. ’Were he able to mix his pace and length more he would be a still more formidable opponent. Although beaten by Gosnell (University), he performed with credit. Gosnell has a fine forehand drive, a well-placed service, and considerable volleying ability. A. Richards (Brougham Hill B). while lacking pace in his shots, is. at his best, a consummate artist in the case with which he plays all his strokes. A little bit more devil in his play would make for a great,improvement in his game. Primary School Champion. Doug. Howe, of Clyde Quay School, who. for the second time has won the primary schools championship, is a remarkable player for one so young. Although but 13 years old he already shows a judgment that is well in advance of many players twice his age. He mixes his game with great skill, and many a man player has been unable to drive him off the court. Against the net rushes he sends up impeccable lobs, or passes them with fast, dipping, cross-eourt shots. He has even cultivated an American service. ITis court position is faultless, end he is quick on his feet. He times his shots admirably. He comes of a tennis family. H's father. Mr. 11. V. Howe, was a noted Wellington player, his sister. Mrs. R. P. Adams, is an ex-New Zealand champion, and his brother. R. TTowc. is a player of no mean ability. Outstanding Sisters. .Tessie and Vera Burns, of I’ctonc. who will light out the secondary schools final, are sisters, either of whom would stand a good chance of winning the New Zealand junior championship, if they were sent to the tournament, which is to be held m Auckland. There is very little to choose between them. Their stroking is sound, but they should overcome their habit of walking into the court after short shots. That habit, sooner or later, breeds lack of concentration, and it is bad for footwork. Audrey Kean is a player with a remarkably fine forehand drive, which she controls well, and places to perfection. Tier weakness is in dealing with high bouncing balls. 'When she learns to let them drop lower and hit them she will ho a better player. Her service is sound. She should be heard of again. 1