LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 79, 3 April 1926, Page 23

LAWN TENNIS

"BYHUKA" THE FIRST TEN

MOSTLY YOUNG PLAYERS

NOT ENOUGH 5-SET MATCHES,

Although there is practically no close season for tennis in New Zealand, simply, because hard courts outnumber grass ones, the clubs' members play right through the year—weather permitting. It is taken for granted, however, that the season proper ends with the Easter tournaments. Daring the winter, players who are keen to improve their standard of play, continue their games on hard courts, and the majority of our best players have arrived at their high standard by improving their play generally, or overcoming any'of their weakpoints during the oft* season. Now that the season is practically over one can look back on the performances of players. Generally speaking, right through New Zealand, it •is perfectly safe to say that the-standard of the men has improved. Possibly, .some of the .older players are not sd good as they used to be, and have been hard put to it to hold their own against the younger, school, but it has been more the rapid improvement of the juniors, rather than the want of form of the seniors that has caused such a position to arise. Any centre that can point to its juniors giving the older players : a beating, or even a hard fight for victory, should see that those juniors are encouraged in every way, as \they should be. the champions of the future, and-a splendid asset for next season. The writer has been asked his opinion as to the best ten men in New Zealand. The opinion is easy enough to give if one can judge by the ranking already attempted, but as ranking should be framed from performances, and as the only performances to count for much are those where the matches have been the best of five sets, one has no great guide. Yet, in "Huka's" opinion the players should be placed as follows:—rOllivier, as national champion, must be No. 1. Len France is placed as No. 2, not so much on his general all-round game, but on his ability to beat seemingly better players, and there is no doubt that he is more than a match for any New Zealand player, when at hii best, except Ollivier. D. G. France has earned third place, and is a better player than many will allow; had he kept up his aggressive attack of his first set, such as when he played;Ollivier in the final of the New Zealand championship singles, the winner would have been pushed to the full five seta, and even then might not have won; France has improved his game since the 1924 championships were played, on which occasion he beat both Andrews and Bartleet. Peacock, on this season's form fairly earns .fourth place, and it was just touch and go that he did not reach the filial of the New Zealand singles; had he.done so, there was no player in the contest with a better chance of beating Ollivier, as he knew the attack that would counter the champion's play. Readers will be pleased to hear that Peacock's arm has mended splendidly and he is now out and about, although still Carrying it in a sling. He did not go to Sydney with the team as reported in some centres. ' Smyth, who has improved greatly in singles play tMs season, has shown some in-and-out form, but is entitled to fifth place, being superior to Andrews, Bartleet, and Wilson on general all-round

play; he is about equal in attack with his ground shots compared "with the first two mentioned players, and is .better than Wilson in that department} although not so good overhead as the last named. Bartleet yet'is superior in that respect to Andrews. Notwithstanding the result of the' AndrewsBartleet match at Palmeraton North. Bartleet should bo placed, sixth, and taking into account the general excellence .of his.game ho .ranks higher from a national point of view than does Andrews. Andrews has not, owinj to want of good .practice, shown any advancement on his last year 'a 1 form, yet he is capable of great improvement, and the, Sydney trip may be the making of him. He can be'placed seventh with confidence, yet for all that Wilson is just the player likely to beat him, but the' latter must be satisfied with eighth place until he haa more control over his ground shots. Overhead he can be brilliant, but only too often ho will go in to the net on the wrong ball. Seay is No. 9, and were h(» more robust would earn a higher portion. His ground shots are good, a» is his overhead work, and he has a.good asset in his service, but he fails to push home his advantage, mainly through inexperience, being too often tempted to hit out at stuff that cannot-be furiously driven. The trip to Sydney should improve him in strength and experience. Tenth position falls to Alex. Wallace, who is still a harder player to beat than most people think. Only those who have competed ■ against him can tell the tale, a: d they admit that he is a wily opponent, and a hard nut to crack. : Experience, fitness, and a thorough knowledge of the game, are his mainstays, and he as the : last player in the national ranking list helps to make up a very fine lot of players, capable of giving a good account of themselves against the first ten of any other nation. Five Advantage Sets. The time is ripe for all important singles championships to be made the best of five advantage sets, and .the Anthony Wilding Memorial , Shield singles also. In most tournament programmes this season the men's singles are confined to the best of three advantage sets, and, " strange to say, the ladies' sirfgles are the sanle. In some cases the finals of the men's events are the best of five advantage sets, but only too often first-class players meet before the final, and a through line.cannot be drawn from the result. If associations cannot be induced to make (he sets in their various championships the same as at the National championships, then some attempt should be made to grade all championships, calling only those akin to the National Meeting, first-class grade championships. If that cannot be brought into force then the governing body should' have several - invitation meetings during the season, and make it plainly understood that when the national team is being selected first consideration will be given to the form shown at such meetings as well as at the National championships. Although much good may result from the New Zealand team's visit to New South Wales—the writer says, may result, for the benefit to our players and the sport generally is for the future to prove—yet as much if not more good could be done to a greater number of our young players with the same outlay if they were gathered together several times during the year to compete in invitation singles and doubles. Our firstclass, players do not meet one another often enough in one season to enable the standard of play to be improved. The main trouble is that our first-class players are distributed over the length and breadth of the Dominion, and even if we had only four associations that ■would tot remedy matters; in fact, it might make association team matches a close corporation for a few, the young promising player being left out every

time. Players of the first rank must' meet one another more often, that is; essential, and it does not matter how; if is accomplished;" but at the moment the invitation events appear to be tho best solution. It also ought to be made plain to first-class players that' they cannot refuse to play for their association in teams' matches, without some very good reason, and players that do not support their association in such matters are not worthy of consideration when bigger events come along.: It ought also to be remembered that players should support their own tournaments, and associations should not !bo blamed if they barred those who make a practice of not so doing from becoming representative players. Before concluding, the writer is pleased to saythat there are quite a number of promising young players, who will, if tried. out next season, give tho players of tho New Zealand team at present in Sydney quite a hot time. . ' • " :