EXHIBITION TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 32, 1 November 1933, Page 11

EXHIBITION TENNIS

Englishmen at Wanganui BRILLIANT DOUBLES PLAY By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wanganui, October 31. Exhibition tennis matches were played here to-day, the participants being Perry, Lee, and Wilde (England), and Malfroy (New Zealand). Play was of a high order, dazzling at times in Its pace and accuracy, and brought spectators to au appreciation of tenuis or an international standard. There were times when the play in the singles was not quite in keeping with what was expected, but the doubles was of an exceptionally high order. It was tennis of a type never before seen in tvangaDU Rpsults were: Lee beat Malfroy, 7-5, 6 Perry beat Wilde, 2-6, 6-3. 6-2. Lee and Malfroy beat Perry and Wilde, 2-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. All the singles were played mainly from the baselines. Malfroy led in the first set against Lee, 3-2. The New Zealander kept playing to the Englishman’s backhand, and Lee defended well against a good service. Malfroy still led at 4-3. Lee and he then each won their service games, and the Englishman took the lead at 6-5, winning the last game and set 7-5. In the second set Lee led at 5-4, and, with the last game at 80-15, the Englishman used bis service effectively to win 6-4. Malfroy had difficulty in placing his drives in the court, nearly always reaching beyond the baseline or wide of the sides. Perry and Wilde played an interesting game. Perry had difficulty in keeping bls footing and opened poorly. Wilde keeping him guessing with brilliant sideline drives. Wilde won the first set fairly easily. In the second set the seventh and ninth games went to deuce. Perry gradually worked up to form, and won. The doubles was really a triumph for Malfroy. The New Zealander still displayed a tendency to find the court too small for driving, but his service was deadly, despite the fact that he almost invariably missed with the first ball. Lee opened poorly, but, as he came to form, he gave Malfroy the support required to win. Perry was brilliant at times, but there were shots which he missed badly at others. Several games went to deuce and zig-zagged before the deciding point could be obtained. In one eight smashes followed one another in succession, all four players participating with great combination on both sides. The matches left the impression that Perry and Lee could both do better, and that Malfroy is deservedly in the first .flight to-day.