Lawn Tennis.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 129, 1 June 1907, Page 14

Lawn Tennis.

[Bi ITuea.] Last Saturday the Brougham Hill Chib started its '"Monte Carlo" event, uhich had dosed with forty entries. The first round was completed just before tho bad weather broke. The event is now divided into a winners' and a losers' event, and players ballot for their patrners every round. The winners will, indeed, be hard to pick, although it is a scratch event. A tennis enthusiast of sonic note in England writes as follows to a Wellingtonian :— "So far as any British team tjoing out to New Zealand is concerned, I cannot at present -give you any indication at all, but I should think it is more than probable, seeing that Noiman Brookes and Wilding aro after us again, that the representatives of Australasia will succeed in winning tho Davis Cup, in that event we may have, next year, to challenge for its recovery." The feeling is fairly general in England that the colonies have a great chance to secure the international honour this year, and naturally tho British players will not make any set plans regarding a trip to the colonies until the lesult of tho Davis Cup fixture is known. The New Zealand Association's Committee met last night to consider the regulations for interstate- and intercolonial matches, as drawn up by the Australasian Association. Several alterations havo been suggested to i-he governing body, bpt as the New Zealand Association docs not havi; the voting power necessary to combat successfully the allied Australian States, the suggestions are not likely to become law. Tho Taranaki Association has already completed the top dressing and re-sod-ding of the grounds that are to be used for tho New Zealand championship- at New Plymouth about Christmas, and it I is the intention of the management to keep about six sheep on ths ground during June, July^ and Aujrust. It is confidently expected that the courts will bo in splendid condition for the meeting. A club is to be formed at Hataitai very shortly, and grounds have bean picked out. Players on the Mount Victoria slope aro also anxious about securing f.V>f vicrht tn nlav upon a certain piece. of flat country that lies adjacent. News arrived this week from London that Dr. Sharp and S. N. Doust, both chanpion players of New South Wales, had been competing at Surbiton meeting, in Berrylanus, Surrey. The Surbiton Tennis Club has run an annual tournament for the last eleven years, at which the Surrey championships are decided. The championships are always entered for by most of tho crack players of Enghnd. and it was at tho Surbiton meeting last year that Wilding made a tame ending to an otherwise enjoyable and exciting week's tournament play by scratching in tho championship final to S. H. Smith (who won the twenty-guinea* 1 cup outright), und to M'Nair and Prebble in the final Of tho doubles. Riseley was Wilding's partner, and it was hard luck for the former when the New Zealander dtcided to go to th& docks to •meet his parents, although he had received a Marconigr.i^n from his father that they expected to see him "after tennis." Wilding evidently has not attended the meeting this year H. Pollard (who is an English player) is a much better double player than single, Knd wilh Ward, the American, was just too good for Sharp and Doust in the final of the open doubles. It must have been a hard mateh — all five sets being played. Sharp has been ono of tho New South Wales champions sine 1903, and probably is just now at his best. Doust is quite a young fellow, and won the championship of Queensland in 1904 and 1905, and the West Australian championship in 1905. These two. players ' will do better before long, and the experience gained will improve their play considerably. The next big meeting — the Northern championships — starts on Monday, 3rd June, at Manchester. This will be the 28th annual meeting, and no doubt tho colonials will all endeavour to be present.