LAWN TENNIS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 41, 18 February 1911, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS.

(By "Huka.") La.=t Saturday was again an ideal day for the tennis, player, and good progress was made in tho several competitions, j In the B grade Crewes surprised his friends by beating Sampson. The Brougham Hill player won the first set easily, but the Trinity representative evened matters by taking the second set. A ding-dong go saw Sampson with a j strong lead in the final eet, and it 1 looked as though ho had his man beaten, but Crewes is a player who never gives in. He battled hard, got level — "5 all" : — and, going on, won the set at 1 6—5.6 — 5. Sampson is not a player easily beaten, and it is most certainly a feather in Crewes's hat to gain such a victory. May the win lead him on to try harder than ever to play the game with vigour, and to look . for advice from better players than himself as to how to improve. A player must study the game in all its departments if he or, she wishes to advance beyond the ruck. It 1 is not sufficient to simply go en the court to bang every ball over the net, even if it does always go into court — there must be a good solid reason for each and every shot played. When a player starts out to play his shots with some idea of gradually forcing his opponent out of position, then, not until then, does the real out-and-out conviction strike the player that he is playing the game with some system. Hew often, players are seen lashing the ball back without any idea of varying the pace or placing their shots, and all the time hoping and looking for their opponent to give them the ace by either hitting out or into the net. > How much nicer it is to gain the point by beating your man by cleverness, gradually worked up to after a series of stTckes. Of course, if one can win the ace straight out in o'iig stroke by pace or placing, one should accept the • chance. But to hark back. Lawrence met a one-time clubmate -in Oorrell. The latter won. The second se6 was a close one, "5 all" being called. Some few seasons back, Correll gave some promise-, but .settled down to try a shot that H. A. Parker excelled in. . That somewhat threw him back in his game, but he has come on again, and did well to get a win. Roberts played all over Swinburne atr first, but the latter pushed the victor towards the finish. In the C grade, young Worboys again had a win. This young player has done well this season; so far he .has only been once defeated. _ But now is the time that he would learn more by meeting players who would defeat him than having successive wins — nice though the wins may bo. In the C grade- of the ladies' competition, Johnsonville sprung a surprise on St. John's ladies, beating them by 4 matches to 2. The losers" scored 37 games to their opponents' 35. There was only one easy win, and the losing side secured that 7 games to 1. Al!th9 other sets were most, even, one being a 7—5;7 — 5; the other four were just won on the nost at 7—6. JohnsonvilJe, St. John's, and Khandallah. now are even, and it has been decided that these clubs shall play off for the championship. Khandallah just managed to squeeze into the tie, as last Saturday the Oriental team was even with it in matches, but the former scored on the games, winning 27 to 26. It was a close thing. The writer tips St. John to win. A REMARKABLE HANDICAP WIN. ( It was a splendid win, and one that tne winner has every reason to be 'proud of. That is the writer's opinion of" Miss NunneJey's win in the Thorndon Club's Handicap Singles. Last year Miss Nanneley won the same event from the owe 40 mark. The committee thought it out, and ~ this year, lo and "behold! she was op the owe 50 mark, while one of the players was receiving 15 3—6.3 — 6. Miss Nunneley won her first match, 6—l, 6—2, from Miss Yon Dadelzen (rec. 5—6 of 15). Then she met Yvs. Holmes (scr), and won 6—2, I—6, 6—2 Now, just think what that win meant. Miss Nunneley was owing four 'strokes m every game played, yet in the first and third sets she won at 6—2. Miss Batham (owe 3—6 of 15) got through to the. semi-final, after beatine Miss lurton (rec. 3—6 of 15), 6—2, 4—6 6—3. It was a great fight. Miss Nunueley then met and defeated Miss Batham, 3-6, 6-4, 6—l. Miss Simpson (owe 3-6 of 15).. after a hard threeset match in the first round against Miss Fulton (ree. 15), won 5— 6, b— 2, 6—o, and by winning in the two follow■ing rounds qualified to meet Miss Nunneley m the final. The writer honestfy believes that there were few (including Miss Nunneley herself) who thought Miss Nunneley had a chance of winning the event, but she won the final, 6—l £«; the metches against Misses Batham. and Simpson she was owino40 and 2-6, which means that she owed four strokes in tho third and fifth games, and three strokes in the first second, fourth, and sixth games of every set. J ust fancy owing players it?<J- Hoim t s an d-Mi B«8B «8 Batham and Simpson such a number of strokes Ihe wm stamps Miss Nunneley as a most wonderful handicap playei. Now how far would she have to be put back to stop her- from winning. One wonders if her recent handicap were doubled and the winner put on the owe 90 mark what would be the result? A few strokes owed is nothing to such a player, snd, without the slightest idea of reitection on her opponents, the writer would not like to say that Miss Nunneley would lose. She is such a trier, and goes on to win ever time; the Heavier the odds the more determined ihe is. The writer congratulates Miss JSunneley on what was surely one of the greatest performances of- "her briluant tennis career, and one that will be hard to equal— far less beat— on this or the other side of the line. THORNDON CHAMPIONSHIP. The men's chtmpion singles of the Thorndon Club will be a fight between Swanston and Salmond in the final Swanston Ls the holder. He beat Smythe 6—2, 6—2, 6—3, and Wilson 6—3,6 — 3, 6—3, 6—l.6 — 1. Salmond "beat Carter 6—o, 6—2, 6—2, Prouse 6—2, 6—3, 6—o and Young 7—5, 6—4, o-^l. Three wellknown names are missing this year from the draw— those of Peacock, Fisher, and Laishley. Swanston bids fair to hold the record for most wins (in .succession) in this event. The final will be played in the near future, and Salmond will have to be playing above his usual to v.-in. THE LATE R. F. DOHERTY. By the death of R. F. Doherty, which occurred at his home, Albert Hall Mansions, in the small hours of Thursday morning, 29th December, lawn tennis has lost one of its greatest heroes — a player whoso irresistibly attractive personality, no less than the inimitable grace- aiid effectiveness of his play, made him the idol of every follower of the game. For some time he liud been in indifferent health, and last autumn it h.id been ileemed. advisable for him to winter abroad. He spent sonic time in Switzerland, but although the change at first appeared to benefiting him, the improvement was not maintained, and by Christmas his condition was so serious that a return homo was deoided upon. He arrived back to die within" a few short hours of his arrival. He was only 36 years old. To say what he did in and ! for tennis would be superfluous ; he waa a champion^ of champions. Whosoever | saw that lithe and graceful figure, that

perfect style, and the apparent effortlessness and yet- crushing efficacy of his strokes, will always remember. What was his most valuable asset? Probably hits marvellous power of anticipation, which.no player has ever possessed in a higher degree. Though by no means ilow in his movements, he was not fci> quick about court as his younger brother H. L., but ho made up for this by the way in which he could divine instinctively what an opponent was going to do. This, coupled, with. Ins long reach, enabled him to cover the court so thoroughly that he never seemed to run hard. Equally valuable to him was his eerene disposition, which, apart from the fact that it endeared him to all his friends (marl?: well, and. inwardly digest this, all ye tennis players), was the complement,* if not the actual backbone, of his play. Nothing upset or flurried him; he took the ups and downs of fortuno with the same charming nonchalance, and just as no defeat could disturb his equanimity, so no triumph, however great, could spoil him, or tempt him to any display of undue . elation. He was all that a champion should be — a generous oponent, an ideal partner, a sportsman to the core, and a player who has done incalculable good to the game by setting up an example of conduct and demeanour for all to imitate and admire. Doherfcy's best time was from 1895 to 1900. 'He won the All England championship singles from 1897 to 1900; the Irish championship singles from 1899 to 1901 ; the championship of Scotland from 1895 to 1897; the Hamburg Cup from 1896 to 1899; the Monte Carlo singles from 1897 to 1899] Welsh covered court championships from 1895 .to 1897 ; and many more big events too numerous to mention.