Lawn Tennis. [By Volley.]

Evening Post, Volume LVII, Issue 23, 28 January 1899, Page 3 (Supplement)

Lawn Tennis. [By Volley.]

At the recent championship sneeting, the Canterbury players succeeded in panning off both the men's championships, rm<l a Wellington player (Miss Nunneley) woi the Ladies' Single Championship, and with a Canterbury partner, Aliss Lean, won the doubles. The handicap singles also fell to Canterbury, while the gentlemen's and the ladies' handicap doubles both fell to Wellington. Aucklanders were sv<> cessful in the ladies' handicap singles and in the combined doubles. Though ths tournament was held in Dunedin, not a single match wa^ won by the Dunedin players. There were 305 sets (comprising over 2700 games) played during the four days. Amongst those who played most Fisher (Wellington) easily heads the list*

failure, and couldn't, or wouldn't, raise a gallop. Ruamahunga's sister Volley ran a couple of decent races, but the class was rather too good for her. Amongst the five-year-otas a couple of ex-hacks — Bush Rose and Rochester — were the only successful ones. There were many who complained that Bush Rose was not entitled to the weight he received on the first day, but I justified Mr. Evett's opinion, and the outcome has been that Bush Rose won both the evcnt3 in which he was entered for, and besides - carried an extra 71b in his second race. There is no doubt that he is a really good horse, and the running of Brisa, whom he beat over a mile, goes to prove that he is far above the common. His powerful cenformation and determined style of finishing give me the idea that he will be a hard horse to beat -over a journey this autumn. Rochester has fined down a lot since he left the Hutt, and some thought him overdone. But he disproved those ideas in the January Handicap on Monday, when he sailed away to the front and easily stayed there. He has always been a fancy of mine from the first day I saw him at J. Hunter's stable, and I was not surprised to see him win. Tupuhi was hardly seen at his best, being above himself, although he was well backed, while Target was sore before she left the paddock to compete in the President's Handicap. In the six-year-old and aged division, the best performers were Ainoureux, Titoki, and Sedgebrook. Ainoureux created a great surprise in the Telegraph Stakes on the first day, and enabled the bookmakers to get out of the double books on the Cup and Telegraph. Rosefeldt's sister dashed to the front at the start, and nothing could foot it with her. She was tiring at tho finish, and Titoki was overhauling her fast, the pair being locked together on passing the post, the judge deciding, in favour of Connop's mare. The rise in weight to 9st 21b in £he Electric on Monday, however, stopped her, and she had to be content with third place. Under a light scab she is very sudden. Sedgebrook is galloping himself into con-

had tho steadier of 9st 81b, and to carry it into second place when the mile was run in lmin 42 3-ssec proves her performance no mean one. Probably she will now be promoted to "big" company, as the big weights she will now be cfillod on to carry in hack company would be too much for a three-year-old filly. James up to the pre sent has had bad luck with Rata, who showed he could gallop at the Hutt once before, and also at Ma-rton in the spring, gaining second honours on three occasions. He went wrong after Mart on, and was not quite ready on Monday, being rather above himself, yet he ran the mile out from end to end, and pulled up pretty well. He had only 7st to carry, but nevertheless it was a sterling performance to establish a record mile for the course, and James has a useful pair in Rata and Trask. These horses have proved a thorn in the side of Prosser's stable at the last two Hutt gatherings, as they have snuffed out two Porirua "good things" on each occasion — the first time being Gobo, and now both Tortulla and Gobo. Of the other hacks, Waingawa, Derringcotte, and Ocean showed out best. P. White, T. Wilson, A. Lord, and J. Gallagher each rode two winners at the meeting, and W. Clarke, W. Higgins, F. Davis, T. Taylor, W. Raynor, "Tiny" Rutcliffe, W. Holmes, and T. W. Cotton one each. The most successful , sire was Torpedo, whose progeny won four events, Cuirassier coming next with two wins, while Ahua. Dreadnought, Clanranald, Vanguard, Pc troleum, Seaton Delaval, St. Clair, St. George, Louis dOr, and Puriri each had one winning representative.