OPEN CLUB EVENTS.

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 104, 29 October 1927, Page 22

OPEN CLUB EVENTS.

December 24, 26, 27, 28 —Ht wera championships ana handicaps, at HawiTa. December 26, 27, 28, 29—Martinborough championships and handicaps, at Martinborough. January 2, 8, 4—Pahiatua championships and handicaps, at Pahiatua. January 23, 24, 25, 26—Dannevirke championships and handicaps, at Dannevirke. April 6, 7, 9, 10—Hawkes Bay championships and handicaps, at Napier.

The interclub matches set down for last Saturday were not played owing to the bad •weather. Players should not have to jfurney to Miramar eoflrts to be told that the matches are declared off. It has been suggested that a postponement committee should, meet at 11.15 a.m. on Saturday mornings and have its decision regarding any postponement posted up in some stated place in the city by 11.30, so that players will not have to journey to the courts when play is out of the. question. The loss o£ time and the expense can be avoided by the setting up of such a postponement committee, and it is to be hoped that it will be set up at once. O£ course, if the weather changes from fair to rough after the committee has met, then those in charge at Miramar will have to do the best they can to mcc? Die altered conditions, and the telephone office at the Miramar ground should have someone in close attendance so that players may get in touch with the official in charge before leaving the city . Wellington was not the only place unfortunate with its opening of the interelub events, for Otago also experienced bad weather on the first day, and all matches had to be declared off. Most sports publish their fixtures each week, and the names of the players in each team are also published. If tennis is to be properly put on the map in Wellington such details shou'd also receive attention. It used to be done before the war, and can and should be given attention now. It a sport is to flourish, every endeavour must be made to see that such details as mentioned, and any others that may be of service, are consistently published. Now that the Miramar courts are in action, players and intending members must be able to get in touch with some oliiciiil ot the association on any morning or atternoon, either at the courts or elsewhere, so that general satisfatcion will be the result. Anthony Wilding Memorial Shield. Wellington is hoping that challenges iiom several associations will be received this season for the Anthony Wilding Memorial Shield. "Huka" candidly admits that a Wellington team, if properly picked, quite as strong collectively, on paper, as that ot last year can be placed m the field, but the players in mind have not as t^infri° Wnr an yy al interesfc in Be"°»s V,o w ff\ Ga=teib«i'y and Auckland may be able to put stronger teams in the field thTh.T °/ J h ° ? ther s , yet in wllkjL ° pfe yerVnd enthusiasts from Otni, *.<"»ld welcome challenges Z«wi* f° r aD? other association, and would not go as far as to say that the season they can rest assured that they will 7 w*°™. »nd om pllyt ing 1.0 rule 7, the matches areTbe played (a)_ within the area of the defending association, or (b) at such other place as the two associations may both agree upon." Naturally, the defenders will want the matches played in Wellington this season for many reasons, and it is hardly likely that any other course -vill be agreed to. Wellington players do a lot of travelling to tournaments, and the time has arrived i when players,from the districts visited by our members should support the tournaments held in this city at Miramar. The writer has said that our champion players have not' yet settled down to serious training this season, and one could go farther than that., and ask, have the leading; tennis players in this city really ever considered the matter of serious training? The champion athletes of Finland take their training more seriously than any others in the world, and in consequence go into competition against others as fit as it is possible for an athlete to be. They are regular in all their habits when training, and study their diet, with the result that the Finns are the most wonderful Mayers in all branches of sport. The linn believes that the red corpuscles in the blood must dominate, and these red corpuscles are obtainable only through such foods as provide them. ""The Finns believe in eating prunes and more prunes, and they also believe in sweetening with honey or pure maple syrup, with an addition of sugar. This, they contend, gives them extra endurance when competing in long-drawn-out athletic contests. They contend ire devitalise our foods by refining, sifting, bolting, bleaching, shredding degermmating, decorticating, bludgeoning and bedevilling them. We make them inert and lifeless. They are robbed of their energising qualities, and athletes s oiv down or speed up in accordance with the combination of foods offered them " Athletes tram better with good plain fowls, and all fancy stuffs should be cut out. .brown bread gives better results than white, and even the tennis player can get better results this season' by oivmg just a little thought to diet. Jlanv would ho .surprised to know how carefully llie diet oi a racehorse is considered and it it is necessary for an animal to bo so considered then why not also the Human being! Deep breathing, skipping as well as playing tennis is essential for thoso who desire i> excel as champions i layers will nnd it much easier to strike their best form it they are in good trainins; when they start practice. But budding (•hi.nipmns must always remember that it is not desirable lo play and continue play- ■

ing when tired, just to oblige some mate who rrmst have another Bet. That is how staleuess creeps in and before one is hardly aware of it the young player breaks down. Hopman Beats Crawford. Tennis players in New Zealand, and more particularly those who have been to bydney during the last two years, will be interested to know that the two New South Wales colts, J. Crawford and H. Hopman, are still on the improve. When the New Zealand team was in Sydney, the two players mentioned were in a colts' team that was badly beaten by the New Zealanders, but since then Crawford and Hopman have gone ahead with leaps and bounds. Crawford has accounted for the best players in Australia, and would appear to be just about to arrive as Australia's star player. For several years Crawford and Hopman have been chopping at one another, but being chums since their school days, have treated their matches as a sort of go-as-you-please. Suddenly, this season, Crawford spurted ahead ot Ins doubles partner, who only finds his true game in fits and starts. When he does strike his proper mood for serious play, Hopman takes some stopping, and his game is full of fireworks. In the Metropolitan championships at Sydney, Hopman, after beating Willard, wio by the way was in good form, 7-5, 6-8, 9-7 immediately afterwards, with Crawford, beat A. Willard and A. L. Busby, 7-5* 6-2, in the final. Hopman showed that he is some stayer by tackling Crawford \ n „ "nal o£ tlle singles just after the doubles match. Crawford led 3-1 in the opening set, but Hopman' evened at 4-all, and won at 64. Hopman quickly ran to 5-2 m the second set, and after six match points he failed to clinch the set, as Crawford was fighting for all he was worth to save the set and match. Hopman made sure of the ninth game, and won a great victory, 6-4, 6-3. The Strathfield tournament, at which the Metropolitan championships are held, has been on the map for 32 years, and more surprises nave been sprung there than at any other tournament in Australia. World's First Ten. "American Lawn Tennis" has a Bhot at the world s first ten for 1927, and the ranking is as follows:—1, Lacoste; 2, Tilden: 3 Cochet; 4, Borotra; 5, Hunter; 6, Alonso: /, ijott; 8, Hennessy; 9, Brugnon. Lacoste suggested the putting of Alonso between Hunter and Lott, and it was he who also said that Johnston (Little Bill) should be dropped on account of "insuf|«an a d j^sasffSgf jf-sss Washer was also mentioned, but with the same reservations as Johnston. It was then suggested that Gerald Patterson be included to complete the ten, and also on the theory that Australia should not nhJ P°tt °£ a, world's l>st- But why include Patterson? I 8 he not in the lame bot, or even worse, as Johnston? Anyhow Patterson has broken down-he became unwell quite recently when in BrkS, and will be compelled to rest for a time. He contended tbat it wag nothing serious, and that he weuld be fit and well to Vlav against the Frenchmen in February

opinion that the advantage held by the Stewart Island crew will be so small as to be almost negligible. Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Otago harbours, he says , all have their patchy parts, bnt off Half-Moon Bay and ii Paterson's Inlet the breezes are steady |±rom all points of the compass. A movement is on foot for a fleet of Dunedin powered yachts to make the trip to the contest. Bunedin's New Rona Boat. A southern writer says that a start has at last been made with the building t if n^ Eona boat V Mr. E. Leach, of Eavensbourne, for a Dunedin syndicate The plans were 80 long in arriving from Auckland that thepromoters were seriously considering dropping the proposal, but all obstacles have now been removed. The keel was lairt last Saturday.week, and the moulds .placed in position. The builder ha five clear weeks in which to complete his task, and the Dunedin trials will Notes. . The Oyster, rolling gunwales um l er went round to the slip at Balena Bay afternoon/ She was Sg nea just a few minutes before the storm broke m earnest. Her crew were lucky JLSS i, Yin time ' otterwise « would have been impossible to slip her in the face of the elements. „#£ "^ Kirkcaldie's Seabird came off the slip on Monday. The E.P.N.Y.C. clubhouse is to be painted m time for the opening day on 12th November, and working bees t7 ST 3ite^ °n the b tn !,. lolantllß cam° down shortly before the southerly commenced, and her 1640^^^^

ti,^ w t-?* 8 th? week-rad will delude the Nautilus and probably the Eomp. The Evans Bay Club's working bees are making steady progress with the construction of the concrete piles for the clubhouse, and have sixteen piles ready to be placed in position. It is anticipated that by the end of the sumSugho nut. etc WiU te snStaUed

Mr. J. Huteheson has almost completed overhauling his big lannch. • The Venus is receiving a thorough overhaul at the hands of Mr. Lauchlaml and his crew. There is every likelihood of this boat crossing the straight this season.

Mr. C. Holmes is contemplating an extended cruise in Pelorus Sound about Christmas time. He does not intend to visit Queen Charlotte Sound. The lolanthe, Eomp, Venus, and Viking will in all probability accompany each other to the Sounds thiß season The Evans Bay Club held a most successful invitation dance last week, the social committee doing good work with the decoration of the hall. It may be decided to hold periodical dances of a similar nature throughout the season.

Arrangements are in traia at Paremata for what is hoped to be the most successful season in the club's history. Most of last year's sailing fleet of the Pareinata Club -will be out again, and the Ariki and the Kotuku are already in the water.

Mr. E. Hargreave's new 12-footer Maire, which was launched during the week-end, is a decided acquisition to the Paremata Club. On appearances she should be very fast and seaworthy. Her trials will be watched with interest.

It is now definite that Mr. J. Parkin has under construction at Paremata a unique addition to the motor-boat fleet. This is a baby hydroplane, which is expected to attain a high rate of speed.

Although most of the Paremata Club's launches are still on. the hard, overhauls are proceeding apace, and interest in this branch of the sport promises to be voiy keen. A committee meeting of the Evans Bay Club decided on "Wednesday night to open the season on 19th November. An entertaining programme is being arranged.

To enable the smaller boats to compete, the Evans Bay Club's ocean race will this year be held on Sunday, 26th February, to a buoy this side of Sinclair Head and back. The race will be sailed throughout in daylight. The Evans Bay Club will conduct a ladies' race this season. This event has not been on the programme for some years.

Picnics for members, honorary members, and friends are proposed by the Evans Bay Club to take place on every second Sunday in tho month during the season.

It is not yet definitely know whether the Peggy, now at Plimnierton, will be a competitor in the Sanders Cup trials It is understood that her skipper, A # ?, tcrH?% is t0 be in chargo of either the Wcllesley ov the new boat, Wellesley 11.

The 14-footer" All Black was out on bundiiy before the storm arrived Slie is looking particularly well, and her skipper, "Mick" Crawford, is confident that she will bo able to hold her own with the new boat now building. '