CANTERBURY’S WIN

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 114, 8 February 1937, Page 10

CANTERBURY’S WIN

Wellington Challenge For Wilding Shield

EIGHT RUBBERS TO 4

Nunnelcy Casket Team Similarly Defeated

Dominion Special Service. Christchurch. February 7. A decisive win by eight rubbers to four in each case was gained by Canterbury in the Anthony Wilding Memorial Shield and Kathleen Nunneley Casket matches agaimt the challenging Wellington teams at Wilding Park on Saturday when the contests were concluded in ideal weather. On Friday the Canterbury men caused a surprise by gaining a lead of four matches to two against the Wellington shield team, victory for which had been regarded as a foregone conclusion by most followers of the game. The visiting women, on the other hand, had done unexpectedly well in holding the defending team to three matches all.

On Saturday the result o£ both events was placed beyond doubt when Canterbury won three of the four singles matches in each case. Canterbury’s unlooked-for success in the Wilding .Shield match was due chiefly to the superlative form of the leaders of the team. C. Angas and 11. A. Barnett, who won all their singles matches, and to the superior combination which enabled the defenders to win three of the four doubles matches. Canterbury’s casket team was better balanced than that of the challengers, and apart from Miss D. Nicholls’s two expected wins in the singles, Wellington’s only successes were a good win by the youngest member of the team, Miss J. Douthett, and a solitary win in the doubles. History Repeats litself. Last season’s tennis history repeated itself, for once again Angas was able to take revenge for a New Zealand championship defeat at the hands of D. C. Coombe. The latter earned his success at Timaru, but Angas is always a much harder man to beat on his home courts. On Saturday he gave the New Zealand champion absolutely no chance. Coombe started with a burst of brilliance which threatened danger for Canterbury—then holding a lead of five rubbers to three—but Angas settled down to a solid game marked by very accurate driving and occasional brilliant net attacks. Angas did not repeat his mistake of allowing Coombe to dictate the terms of the game. He took the initiative early in most rallies and maintained it. Coombe was bustled and had to travel too fast to make attacking shots witli any degree of accuracy. He saved the match several times with fine passing shots and volleys in the second set, but Angas did not at any stage relax the pressure. If possible Barnett was even more impressive in his match against N. F. N. Bedford than he was against Coombe. on Friday. He again took valuable points with his surprise attacks at the net, but at the same time he showed none of the early tendency to make mistakes on the forehand. lie was well tested on this wing by Bedford, who has a vicious crosscourt forehand drive, but his returns were always safe mid well-directed. Bedford himself did not handle Barnett’s heavily sliced backhand confidently, ami he too often came to the net on shots of insufficient length. Barnett’s passing shots found the gaps consistently. Roussell’s Second Win. The early singles matches in the shield contest were divided, alhtough at one time it appeared that Wellington would again start with two wins and thus make the rubbers score level. E. A. Roussell scored his second singles victory by beating H. Dymond in two close sets. Again Roussell cleverly used the slow, deep ball to break up his opponent’s driving game, and he made very few errors in the match. Dymond, seeking always to attack, could not keep his margin of error sufficiently low. and though he made some brilliant winning shots and volleyed effectively, he just failed to hold the consistent visitor. The other singles went to Canterbury after D. G. France had held four match points in the second set against A. R. Cant. It was a game of long and gruelling rallies, and the Wellington man faded after failing to press homer his advantage in the second set. Cant defended tenaciously against France’s net attacks, hit strongly on the forehand, and used the drop-shot to good advantage. Errors were largely responsible for his losing the first set and giving away a 3-5 lead in the second, but he was able to steady his game at the vital points and turn defeat into an unexpected victory with nothing depending on the result. Care-free Doubles.

The doubles were care-free exhibitions. and some good play was witnessed in both matches. Coombe and Bedford confirmed the curly impression that they are u stronger pair than Roussell and France by beating Barnett and Cant. Coombes’s serving and smashing were full of power, and his partner supported him with good serving and neat, volleying. Angus and Dymond again showed brilliant doubles form in beating Roussell and France. There were some brilliant and exciting rallies in this match.

Nunneley Casket.

The Canterbury Nunneley Casket team played impressively on Saturday to win five of tlie six matches played, and the oulv match that was lost reflected nothing but credit on the Canterbury player, Miss T. Poole. Undiscouraged by her decisive defeat at the hands of Miss Nicholls, the New Zealand champion, in tlie Canterbury championship final two days earlier, she played a fine attacking game to win one set and press Miss Nicholls closely in the other two. Her ground shots on Saturday were under better control, and they forced more defensive returns from her opponent. These returns Miss Poole dealt with confidently at tlie net. Miss Nicholls made her opponent work for every point, and Miss Poole had to run hard to retrieve tlie drives and chops which Miss Nicholls directed with great accuracy to either line. Consequently Miss Poole was the more tired at the beginning of the third set, and. though she made a good recovery, Miss Nicholls was not to be denied. Some Beautiful Aces. Miss M. Howe. Wellington's second player, has a win over Miss Nicholls to her credit this season, but she is very inconsistent. Defence is foreign to her nature, and when her attack fails her she has no othej resources. She hit some beautiful aees down the lines against Miss I. Poole, but they scarcely balanced her errors, and Miss Poole, who drove consistently and made some fine recoveries, won comfortably in straight sets. Miss Poole’s net play was a deciding factor in the match.

A close and interesting game developed between (ho much improved Miss N. Bishop, third in the Canterbury team, and Miss ,1 Douthett, tlie promising young Wellington player, who won her singles match on the first day. Both players arc sound, hard-hitting, base-liners, and both made fine recoveries. Miss Bishop had more in reserve for the final set, and her greater steadiness ami ability to cud rallies from tlie net gave her a clear-cut advantage.

Miss 14. Rudkin showed better form than she had done on the first day, and her strong serving, stinging forehand drives, and elever use of short angled shots, enabled her to beat Mrs A. I). Latham in straight seis, both of which were closely contested. Mrs. Latham also drove well and won many points with ex-

cellent volleys and smashes, but the Canterbury player was the steadier at important points. Play in (he Doubles. As in the shield contest, Canterbury had the casket event in hand before the doubles were begun, for even had Wellington won both matches and levelled the rubbers. scores, the defending team would have won on sets. The success of both pairs, however, turned the province’s win into a decisive one. Misses I. and T. Poole were too severe in their net play for Misses Nicholls and Doijtlietl. while the sound driving of both Misses Bishop and Rudkin more than compensated for the occasional successes of Mrs. Latham and Miss Howe in the forecourt. Results in Detail By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, February 7. Detailed results are:— WILDING SHIELD. (Canterbury names first.) Singles: Angus beat cootnbe, 6-3, 6 2; Barnett beat Bedford, ti-l, 6-3; Dymond lost to Koussell, 1-6, 5-7; Cant beat France. 4-6. 9-7, 6-0. Doubles: Angas anil Dymond beat Houssell and France, 6-3, 8-6; Barnett and Cant lost (o Coombe and Bedford, 3-6, 8-10. Canterbury 8 rubbers, IS sets, 157 games: Wellington. 4 rubbers, 11 sets, 130 games. NIINNELEYCASKET. Singles: Miss 1. Poole lost to Miss Nicholls, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6; Miss Irene Poole beat Miss Howe. 6-4, 6-4: Miss Bishop beat Miss Douthett, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1; Miss Rudkin beat Mrs. Latham, 7-5, 6-1. Doubles: Misses T. and 1. Poole beat Misses Nicholls and Douthett. 6-4. 6-2; Misses Bishop and Rudkin beat Miss Ilowe and Mrs. Latham, 6-1, 8-2. Canterbury: 8 rubbers, 18 sets, 135 games. Wellington: I rubbers, 9 sets, 116 games.