BRILLIANT TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 156, 30 December 1925, Page 10

BRILLIANT TENNIS

YESTERDAY'S BIG STRUGGLES

THORK'DON VETERAN'S SUCCESS

SEMI-FINALS TO-DAY.

(«I TILMRAFB,— PRIS* 1ISOCIAT1OI,)

CHEISTCHUKCH, 28th Deo.

The New Zealand lawn tennis 'championships were coritinjed in* fine weather; before' large galleries. The morning. wM still and sunny, but a cool easterly Blew in the afternoon, with a promise of fine,; coo! weather for the remaining two days/

In the men's singles the matches wera 1 remarkably interesting. Four players aro left in. J. C. Peacc-pk, who won the: singles championship 24 years ago, when! he was 24 years old, will play D. France; in on« semi-final to-inormw morning, while Ollivier, the present holder, will, meet L. France, of Wellington, in tha, other.half. The final wHj, be played.cn: Thursday. ' .. •';

In the ladies' ; - tingles Miss Knight (Auckland) will play Mins Speirs (Canterbury) in the, top half, and Miss Marjorie Macfarlane (Auckland) will play Mrs. Scott (nee M'Lareh) -in the other semilin»l. These matches will take place in the morning, and the final will be played on Thursday.

In the men's doublus also the semi-finals were reached, and to-morrow morning Ollivier and Seay will play Haege and Parker, while Peacock ana Wilson will play France and France in the afternoon.

The final was reached in the ladies' doubles, and it will be played to-morrow afternoon, between Miss Spein and Mr«. Scott and Misses Travers and Tracy; of Wellington.

The combined doubles have not reached the semi-final stage, and are the most open event on the programme. They will be continued far enough to leave the final for Thursday. At present Miss Speirs and Don Franca are in one semi-final, und will play the winners of Miss Travers and Haege versus Miss Ballantyhe and Smyth. In the other half, the semi-finalists will be found in matches between Miss Marjory Macfarlane and Lowry versus Mias Marion Macfarlane and Hill, and Mies Tracy and Wilson versus Mrs. Scott and Pearse. >

< The boys' final of the singles will be played to-morrow morning between Lucas and Malfroy, two very promising Wellington lads, while Dulcie Nicholls, now of Auckland, will play the final of the girls' events against Margaret Gibson, of Timaru.

The events so far have gone off in remarkably good time, without hitch or unpleasantness. Although the standard of play is not quite up to thai of some previous years, the events we remarkably open, except that Mias Speirs is playing better than ever, which gives good judges cause to favour her chances of winning the triple event.

A GRIM STRUGGLE. T'he big feature of the day's play was J. C. Peacock's defeat of Seay in a grim match, in which Seay was eight timeu within point of losing the match in the fourth set, which he won, but only to go do\yn in a memorable fifth set. Seay got the first set, 6-3, but Peacock played himself in beautifully, and, keeping Seay on the ,moye for most of his drives, just' made him uncertain in hit length. Indeed, Seay never got a good longth, because he vvas afraid to hit, and. this'fact enabled Peacock, by better court- ! craft, to work his way into the net with almost sickening regularity (from * Can-terbury-point of view); andi onoe in his volleying precision was uncanny. There were two games in the match, which iast^ ed three hours. The third set went to Peacock, 10-8, after SJeay had the odd game at 6-5 and 7-6. Thrills were thick and fast in the fourth set, which Peacock led 5-4 and 40-15, 8-5 and 40-15, 7-6 and 40-30, and also, advantage. Seay't recovery of this set was the sensation of the day, and kept Jnany spectators late tor lunch.

1 After a rub down the men took the qourt again, and Seay's chances were favoured, as Peacock showed gi(jnn of cramp in the hand. Peacock, however, led 4-2, but he gave He hand a bad jar-in taking a back-hand volley without a »hift of grip, and S3eay helped him to massage it. He netted the next, and his lead was reduced to 4-3, Seay serving. \Vith great volleying Peacock took the eighth game off Seay's service. Seay, like Peacock, suffered cramp in the hand, and netted {he first off Peacock's serve. His hand waa massaged, and on resuming he got a brilliant shot down the side-line,, Peacock went to 40-30 and won the match-point through Seay driving out.

"CREAM OF THE TOURNAMENT."

The court was hardly cleared before Ollivier and Bartleet were the centre of attraction. A favourable start seenied to put life into Ollivier, and the succeeding play was the cream pf the tournament. Ollivier undoubtedly dominated the game, and his long, sweeping drives, shooting down v foot, ineide th» corners, kept Bartleet racing. The Aucklunder's returns, however, were perfect net skimmers, and but for the uncanny anticipation of the champion and his varied stroke equipment for all sorts of emergencies Bartlnet would have' forged ahead. As it was, after losing the first set, he forced an advantage set out of Ollivier, although he never had the lead except for winning the first set. The pace had Ollivier •in a lather, and he took it easier in the third set, only to find that Bartleet had such a run on that he could'not stop him, though he tried desperately to avert a love set./ Ollivier regained his composure after winning the first two games of the fourth set, and Bartleet only got th« •third and fourth.

Besides these two (ingles the Len France-Parker- match was tame, and whatever hopes night have been aroused by Parker's defeat of Smyth were soon dissipated. France was simply impregnable, and in the last set did not lose a game. ' Don France lost the first set against Wallace, and this fact is not reassuring to His friends, unless he is gradually playing himself in.

In the ladies' singles a good line to form was found in the fact that whereas Miss Mariorie Mtcfarlan* took 7-5, 6-3, to beat Miss, Ballantyne, Miss Speira beat Miss Tracy; 0-3, 6-2, never letting up on her forceful drives on both hands. Miss Tracy was marvellously nimble and safe, but could not withstand the pounding- . .....

In the men's doubles there were no outstanding games, except that the young Aucklanders, Jackson and. Turner, fought a grim final get against the redoubtable Wellington pair, peacock and Wilson, giving quite an object lesson in' the art of hard driving 'and smashing. The boyi' play; hag been very good, and the final will be one of the bent events of the tournament. Lucaii, who I has a clean back-hand drive, and smashes vigorously, is 17. Two years ago he wan tlie Wellington provincial (uridar, 18) championshin, ana he was. runner-up last year. He has, many good paints, and often serves iU» tsoeud aervieo as faat as the first. If anything, lacks judgment, and often goes, in on the wrpjig ball. Alalfroy, -who defeated Browne in the semi-final, was very sound, and won 0-2, 0-0. This was more significant in that Brovme had beaten tl\e younger Ferkins. Malfroy, who iis also a Wellington player, has a sound, all-round game, but volleys too short, and his opponents often makp a, recovery. . Mixed Doubles. !

Second Round.—Miss Marion Macfarlane and Hill beat Miss Bowron and France, 2-6, 6-3, «-]. Mis* Travers and Haege beat Miss Ferrier and Sheppard, 6-1, S-'l. Miss Marjarie Macfarlane and T^owi.v beat Mint Bnchjnmi «ud (join, 3-6, 6-2. Mia* Bftlkat«M Mid {batftA

beat Mrs. Kceves and Loughnau. 8-(t, 0-2. -

Third Hound.—Miss Speirs and France beat Miss Saunders and Soinmerville, 0 4, 6-4.-

Ladies' Singles.

Fourth Rouud.-^Muis Speirs beat Miss Tracy, 63, 8-2. .

.-..' Ladiii-'.Doubles. Semi-Fißal.—Mmb Tracy and Mise Travers beat Mi«« Knight and Miss Nicholls, 6-1, 6-3.

Mens' jingles. Fifth Round.—Ollivier beat Bartleet, 6-2, 7-3J- 06, 6-2. A. L. France beat Parker, fl-2,- 6-4, 6-0. D.. Fiance beat W#Uace, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. ■';;'.'':/';.; - : Men'g Doubles.' " jhird Round.—Peacock and Wilson ;be«t Jackson and Turner, S-0, 6-3, 9-7, France and France, beat Griffiths and Johns, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Ollivifir and Seay beat Patterson and Tait, 6-2, ■7-5, 6-1. Haege and Parker beat Page | and Knott, 2-6, 9-7, 6-4, 7-5. [ ■' ' ■ ■ (}i r ] B ' ginglca. i >T Firf *■ T Round.-Dulcie.,, Nicholle beat Norah Haggitt, 6-1, 6-0. " • •■-,■'■ ; Boys' Singles. Semi-Final.—>£alfroy beat Browne, 62, 60. Lucas beat M'Donald, 3-6, 0-2, 6-2.