LAWN TENNIS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1911, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS.

(By "Huka.") KHANDALLAH CLUB. The annual meeting, of the Khandallah Club was' held at Khandallah, on Monday evening. The president, Mr. J. H. RichardsoH, was in the chair. The report showed .that twenty-one ( members had resigned and" twohty hew members were elected during the year. The ladies' team was successful in winning the C grade competition' with nine wins and one loss. The men's team was runner-up in the men's ' competition C grade, with seven wins &tul two lassev The club is in a sound position, its assets exceeding liabilities by £577 18g 7d. [ The election of officers resulted in Mr. F. Holdswort.il being returned as pregident, and Mr. P. Hodgton aS hoh. ccc. atid treasurer. The following committees were elected:— Management Com* i mittee, Maces Cock and Batham, Messrs. G. H. Richardson, W. Hutohings, B. Heenan, and F. Buddie J Match Committee, Messrs. Richardson, Heenan, »jid | Hodgson ; delegates to the Wellington Association, Messrs. Keah and Hodgson; auditor, Mr. J. H. Jefratn. The club intends opening the season on the 16th September. Hearty votes of thanks were passed to Messrs, J, H. Richardson and G. H. Richardson, president and hon. secretary respectively, for their past services. Neither gentleman sought re-election. VICTORIAN TENNIS. The South Yarra team is leading for the Victorian championship, being on* win ahead of Grace Park and University. The leading team haa won all its double matches, but went down in the first singles match against University. Brookes was absent playing golf, and Blair (late of the Wellington Club, of this city) strained a smew on the morning of the match, yet played when an emergency could not be procured, but was beaten by.Rplland, 6<o, 6-3. Addison put O'Hara Wood down, but South Yarra's other two men just lost. In the match against Geelong the leaders won by four matches to ail. Addison beat Baird, 6-0, 6-3, and Blair beat Keys, 6-5, 6-3. The only team likely to extend the leaders is that of Grace Park, composed of Campbell, Tatchell, Lycett, and Hunt, but with Brookes playing for South Yarra the latter should hold their own. Fout teamsSouth Yarra, Grace Park, University, and Geelong—are likely to play off for the premiership after the completion of the singles NEW ZEALAND v. AUSTRALIA. It will be good^news for the New Zealand lady players that there is the chance of a teams match being arranged, Australia v. New Zealand, to be played either before gor after the Davis Cup match. ( The suggested place to play the match is Wellington, but that will have to be settled definitely when the arrangement is completed with the Australasian Association. It is rather interesting to quote an opinion given to the writer by a prominent Australian player 'as to the ■playing merits of the ladies in Australia and New Zealand. He contends that New Zealand's best six ladies would beat the first six ladies in Australia, and that Miss Stewart, the best Australian, would be beaten by at least three of the leading New Zealanders. Of course that sounds very pleasing to us, but it is very doubtful if our ladies have improved very much since their visit to Sydney, and on that occasion Miss Powflrell Was the only one who could cope "successfully with Miss Stewart. If such a match were to take place our team would possibly be picked from the following players : -'Misses Travers, Powdrell, Nunn&ley, Wellwood, Williams, Gray, Hartgill, Baird, and that ever sure player, Miss Campbell, of Dun« | edinj but with our team playing its very best, the strongest players from Australia, on their day out, would more than hold us. Of course, the home team always has the advantage, and that might just pull us through. At any rate, the meeting of the teams would not only be popular, but interesting and decidedly exciting. QUEENSLAND TENNIS. Ef. Rice, the challenger, beat H7 A. Parser, the holder, for the Queensland Championship somewhat easily, iv the challenge round, after a hard fight for the first and second sets, Parker hardly being in his usual fine form. The score Wa« 4-6, 9-7, 6-2, 6-1. In the teams match Queensland beat New South Wales by 16 matches, 33 sets, 252 gvmes, to 4 matches, 11 sete, 187 games. Queensland's best player, St. John, beat Parker 9-7, 2-6, 8-6, and also settled Rice 0-b, 6-4. 10-8. Shirley and M'Lean, in the doubles, gave Rice and Parker a' great hit up, the New South Wales pair winning 8-10, 11-9, 6-3. It was just touch and go. The losers' team was considered weak, but it was not expected that such a crushing defeat could be inflicted by the Queenslanders, WIMBLEDON. , In the fifth round Dixon beat Thomas, 6-4, S-7, 8-6, 6-3; Ropet Barrett beat Beaffiish 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The result of the last match made it look as though Barrett would have a chance against Wilding, as Beamish all but beat the New Zealander at Beckenham in the. Bingles. He led by two sets to one, and was 6-3 in the fourth, but Wilding came at the finish and won. The contest allowed a wag to work oft a'fannyism* Jhe said that had Beamish won the fourth Ist from Wilding, the winner would have been Beamihg and the loser Wildish. But to get back to the centre court. F. G Lowe put the rising young German Rahe out in the fifth ronhd, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 9-7. Then came the semi-finals. Dixon m6i Decugis, the French champion, and won, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Dixon had too much pace r aud hi* accuracy was also a fine feature. The Frenchman fought hard, but Was neatly always on the defensive. Barrett Bottled Lowe rather quickly, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 on the other half, and was too forceful for this consistent opponent. The heat was tcr-rific, and took a lot of the vitti out of both players. Then the' final— Barrett v Dixon. The match rah to the full five sets, ahd it looked as though Dixon would win three sets straight, but when leading 4<3 in the third Bet he suddenly lost his pace and length, and that was the end The heat was beyond all understanding, and eveh the spectators were in torment through it. Dixon led 6-3 in the first set, but Barrett evened. Then the former, with good high kicking serves, again led, and, playing with fine accuracy, took the set 7»5. Barrett led 4*2 in the hext 6et, but Dixon evened, and going on won at 6-4. Th*n, as explained above, came his failure; he lost the third set 6-4. Barrett, making for the net as often an possible, forced the ; pace, and beat a tired-out opponent in t the fifth and sixth sets 6<3. 6»1. | THE CHALLENGE ROUND. It was hot when Wilding and Barrett met, and both players wore affected by it. The latter had had fourteen days of Strenuous play, which iriust have affected hot only his nerve but hie utrength. Al any jate, the match opened tamely, and continued so until the end, aa far as brilliant strenuous tenni3 was concerned. The excitement was theie, because it was the challenge round between England and Australasia. Wilding led 3-1, and although Barret^passed his opponent every now and again with back-hand cross drives, the holder led 5-2. Then the Englishman started his tactics— and no player is such a master of tactics as Barrett. He kept on patting Wilding's shorts back gently, go that they juet landed in the centre of the court and about the service line, They were usually high-bouncing, but, strange to say, Wilding could not drive them— in fact, he seemed under a spell, and compelled to put them straight back to Barrett. Th£n when, Barrett had drawn Wilding up to the net he lobbed over him, landing time after, time just ah inch pr tvrp inside the base line. He got within a game of Wilding, and then the Mew Zealand player shook himself loose and took the tenth game end first set— 6-4. Barrett, still up to his dodges, led 3-1 in the second set, with Wilding showing signs of worry. Surely but steadily Barrett broke Wilding's game clean up, and .he evened the score by taking the set 6-4. Wilding wae worse in the third sel, and Barrett led 50; then he Momed to throw two games a* ay delibemtejy befoe jvifliuog 6£-*ta last

ace being secured by an unexpected fast service. The apectators hailed him as » sure winner, for did he not lead by two sete to one, and only wanted the fourth eet for championship. He took the first game in the fourth set, but then it was eeon that he was a beaten man— -he became dazed, and never made the leeet attempt to run for a ball. It was now Wilding's chance, and all his usual confidence returned to him, He played all o*er the Englishman, and won the eet 5-2, So done HP w » SißarrßttS i ßarrßtt that he «™ld not face the fifth set, and he retired, leaving Wilding again the champion. Now, the above ig just as the English writers would have us believe the match went. So it may have been, but when they tell us that Barrett displayed mas. terly tactics, and that as long as he was able to go oh he was the better player of the two, it appears as though they are prejudiced. Surely it is possible that JVnduig may have pl^ed Barrett at his own game, with the result that thfe stronger player of thA two won. When both were fresh, Wilding took the first set, atid it is possible that he used up hiß man in the second and third eetg, b&ine sure that he oonlcl beat him in the fourth and fifth. What about Wilding's Uft. ties? Of course, his methods were jost what Barrett forcer! him to. ThMS will not Eatisiy any one who knows ths Rtrehu-

ous game that the New Zeal&tider o».i i play, and the Home writers had bctiri look tor a more reasonable excuse foi their man's defeat;, or, better still, fcn,k» the beating. Right here, the writer vil admit that a more even trial would in given if the challenge round was <Umm away with. Wilding, himself, admits so. and offers to resign , the championship to assist in that direction. But good old eporting England dings to these old customs. When Norman Brookes Won the championship the subject cropped up; and" rum it has again come to light; but! why did not England deal with it when] one of her own men held the advantage?] But conservative England will have her; challenge round, and will muddle tennis affairs especially, instead of udopting the most approved modern methods for the general good of the Bport,