Lawn Tennis.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 14

Lawn Tennis.

fBY lluka.]

COMING EVENTS. New Zealand Open Championships— 27th, 28th, and 29th December, at Auckland. Ashburton Open Championships and Handicaps, at Ashburton— 2sth, 27th, and 28th December. ' Hastings Open Tournament, at Hastings. —27th and 28th December. Auckland Open Championships and Handicaps, at Auckland — 31st December, and Ist, 3rd, and 4th January. Taranaki Open Championships and Han- ( dicaps, at New Plymouth— lst, 3rd, and 4th January. i Hawkes Bay Open Championships and Handicaps, at Dannevirko — 216t and 22nd January. Wellington Open Handicap Tournament, at Day's Bay Courts — Ist and 3rd January. Pahiatua Open Championships and Handicaps, at Pahiatua — Ist and 3rd January. Rangitikei Open Championships and Handicaps, at Marton— 2lst ' and 22nd January. The chief event in the tennis world this week has been the competition for the Davis Cup between Australasia and America at Sydney. Brookes and .Wilding have lvoved themselves to be masters of the great game, and Australasia is again the champion nation. The win was a particularly fine one, the holders scoring five matches to nil, 15 sets to 1, and 108 games to 68. In the singles, Brookes won 39 games and lost 23, Wilding won 42 and lost 25, M'Loughlin won 25 and lost 41, and Long won 23 and lost 40: The Americans gave better displays on the second and third daya, and it is clearly seen that they lacked experience ; but for such young players it must be said that they put up a splendid fight. -Had they entered and played in the Victorian championships, the experience gained would have been of great advantage to them. Those young Americans have plenty of time yet to be world's champions, and one has only to think what the contest would ba like next year between the same four. The boys would be' a year older, and yet still full of that vigour of youth that carries a player through a severe five-set match to victory. The losars' display and stubborn fight in the doubles alono puts the hall mark of "champions" upon them, and, although they have lost, one cannot but fool that t^eir fight has been a game one. America was defeated, but by no means disgraced. Dixon, the .English player, who represented the British Isles against America, had a fearsome tale to tell about M'Loughlin's wonderful eorvico, and how it tied all the players up. No doubt he has a splendid service, but against players like Brookes and Wilding it did not work havoc every time. The Australasians nre no experienced that the best of services would not absolutely tie them up, and ifc only goes to show that "down under" possesses play«rs just superior to the Mother Country. If the British Isles can produce better, well, 6end them along next year, and if they can take back the Davis Cup, Australasia will be the first to congratulate them. The intor-club matches for the shield contest ends to-day, as far as singles and men s and ladies' doubles are concerned. The combined events will be started- in January. The mooting between Wellington and Thorndon to-day will deoido the contest, or will go a long way towards it. ' Wellington should win with its men, but Thorndon should about equal matters with its ladies : that is, of course, ■S?\ i • Sldes can put in . tnoir full strength. Wellington won easily from Newtown. Eraser and Ward, after winning well in their singles, did not combine in the doubles, and were beaten by Jeffery and Lewis. The latter pair just took the nrst set, but had two games to spare in the next. Miss Travers's pace was too much For Mrs. Nagle, tho latter getting one game only- in tho match. Misses l<rancis and Dempsey showed good form against Misses Hannah and Francis, a win going to eaoh of the Newtown ladies. In the writer's opinion, Blair and Brown do not pl tty tho double game as it should be p ayed. Brown is often seen right up at the net, whereas Blair will not go any furthor than tho sorvice lino, lhat, of course, gives their opponents a great advantage,, as all stuff hit down to Blair s toos has to be hit up by him, and the opponents should score right out hJ? a n y n is adm i«°d that Blair half-volleys well, but after all, it is only 5. defensive shot, and they cannot expect to do much good in first-class company 1 . It may be said that Blair remains back so as to get back for lobs, but a player with any floetness of foot and quickness ot eye can get back from tho not as soon as he sees that a lob is coming, it has been proved over and over agafn that in a double both players must be right up, or both right back. When they parallel, and the same distance apart The sooner both can rank themselves in parallel formation within three or four t?f °/ the ™\ which is the best posY tion for volleying the greater chance they have of winning. The server's part net S^f ta \\ Up , hia » OBition at net, and from there ho can move to the centre or side line as required. Players in a double work first to get their oppon ents out of position, and Brown must remember that when ho enters hfs "art 0^ d ° inSWhathis fatter KJ^T inst Swanston. Tht latter won, but !t was a close thing ,n7rrT d by , takin ff th ° second set, and had a fine lead in tho final • in fact something like 5-2 or 5-3 Swans tO n and great M*?^' woro his man SS: and won, but had the V.C. player blen ;w° ndlfcl n n , ifc is doubtful if Ws oppo backlnrr^ tO u n - 18 ' hiß fore-hand and Wo it - es bem £ clean and crisp S K fl ? MICnMI bu^ thafc wm c °™ a S »nS f a yy u OXmg pla y er of srreat promise, and if he studies the game and trams under proper instruction, his future should be good. While on the subject, it is opportune to state that few payers in Wellington think of tramiSt properly. . Some are so big around /the waist that it is a wonder they can last one set-far less five. Were they to put themselves in the hands of a competent trainer their game would improve, and so would their health. Without being personal, four of the leading playcould come down quite a stono with advantage. Young, as usual, lost the centre set, after just winning the first one. His opponent was in no condition for a threeset go, and lost badly in the final set. tswanston and Young tried to force the pace againßt Prouse and Weir in tho doubles, and had to accept defeat. They just missed the first set, plugged hard for the second, and took it, went out badly in the third, and then lost the boat. It was bad generalship. Tho Thorndon ladies won easily. Miss Nunneley is not quite in her. old form, but it is iust as well she is not, othorwise she would be stale by Christmas time. In this month some good hard play should soon tune her up for the New Zealand championships. Brougham Hill beat Wellington second team with ease. M'Nicol gave Hunter a close run, and Patterson had Watkins thinking hard all through the three sets. Watkins, who is always in good condition, won mainly through that, and deserved it. Clarke and Eller, players who havo a fine free stylp, put down How© and Wafckins, and no doubt ifc was a stirprise, but the former pair have it in them if they were only taken in hand' and coached 1 by some of tho older members of thoir club. They are players who will take advice, as the writer can vouch for. \ In the Hutt v. Bidwilll-strecfc match, Jackson' and Green got a fright when Hamilton and Pavill took the first set from them. They played up all they knew afterwards, and won by two eets to one. Jones and Fleming had a hard fight in the Muritai-Khandallah match. The former won the first and third sets. C. Richardson gavo Sanson the groatest struggle he has had for snme time, and it looked as though tho young Khandallah player would win the match after taking the first set. He played hard, but just lost £he second!

and third sets. Sanson's fight was a game one. Marton Club beat Oroua (Feilding) last week by 14 Eets to 7. Some of the matches were very long, and in three of the men's BDts there were as many as eleven deuces. Taihape beat Marton on the former's courts by 8 sets to 2. The asphalt troubled the Marton players considerably. The New Zealand Championship meeting at Auckland bids fair to be one of the most successful held in New Zealand. Tennis playerß in Wellington all seem eager for the trip, and those who know the wealth of enjoyment that is to be obtaino'd in the northern city do not wonder at the projeoted flight of players to Auckland at Christmas.