LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 23

LAWN TENNIS

By "' HUKA"

AT WIMBLEDON ANDREWS'S GREAT WIN AUSTKALIANS DOING WELL Tho famous Wimbledon meeting started on Monday, and provided the weather is favourable should be concluded in ten days. Tho All-England Club champibnships were once known as tho championships of the world on grass courts, but that has been abolished for some few years, nevertheless players who come through and win any of the events are unofficially looked upon as world champions. Although the club has no right now to call its events world championships, it still has the right to feature tho events played at Wimbledon, as "The Championships." Many people, and also the actual players, talk about the -Wimbledon championships, and untold thousands would sooner score a win on the famous Centro court at Wimbledon than anywhere else. If, a player has won at Wimbledon thon he*or she has the hall-mark of champion of champions. Others consider it sufficient honour to have only played at the famous gathering, and may be heard to remark, "When I lost at Wimbledon . . ." which, of course, convinces one and all that such persons must be in the first flight of tennis— some are, but others are not. The AllEngland championship singles for men was first played in 1877, and has been continued annually ever since, barring during the war years, 1915 to 1918. The men's doubles started in 1879, and the^ladies' singles in 1884. The ladies' doubles and the mixed doubles championships of the All-England Club were not played at Wimbledon until 1913, and the All-England Plate had its opening day in 1896. Talking about championship meetings that date back to days of long ago, it may be interesting to .know that the Irish championships— men's singles, ladies' singles, men's doubles, and ,the mixed doubles —were started in 1879; and the championships of Scotland—men's singles and doubles iv 1878, ladies' singles in 1886, ladies' doubles in 1909, and mixed doubles in 1903; the championships of Wales, men's singles in 1886, and ladies' singles in 1887. New Zealand's Tifst Contests. The first record of an open to all tennis contest in Now Zealand that can bo traced is when Mindcn Fenwick was the winner of the open singles in 1884, and he was again successful in 1885 at an open meeting held on Farndon Park, near Napier. In December, 1886, the first New: Zealand championship meeting was held at tho Farndon Park courts. P. C. Fenwick met his brother Minden in the first round and beat him, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-5, C-3. Fenwick won from E. P. Hudson (Auckland) in-tho final,6-2, 6 : 0, 6-4. It will be noticed short sets were played in those days, as P. C. Fenwick won the fourth set against his brother, 6-5. Fenwick beat J. W. H. Wood in the semi-final, 5-6, 6-5,-3-6, 6-5, 6-3. Miss Lance won the singles from Miss Hilda Hitchings, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. The Fenwick brothers won the doubles, beating F. Logan (Napier) and A. J. Cotterill in the final, 6-4;,6-5,15-4. Tho ladies' doubles Wero won by Mrs. Way , and... Miss Lance, who defeated Misses Harman and Cotterill,, 6-I,' 6-4, in the final. Tho combined doubles, as they were then termed, wore won by Miss' Hitchings and Hudson, who boat Miss Lance and H. B. Williams, 6-3, 6-1. Tho number of entries for that far back meeting will be of interest, aud is as follow:— Men's singles 16, ladies' singles 6, men's doubles 9, ladies' doubles 4, combined doubles 14. In 1885 Canterbury beat Otago in an interprovincial match at Dunodin, and won again in the return match ,at Christchurch. Canterbury also defeated' Wellington at Wellington in August;, 1885, but Wellington won the return match, at Christchurch in November of the same pear. Otago and Canterbury met again in December, 1885, and -Canterbury won. Hawkes Bay visited Canterbury in 1886 and won. ' Early Championships., Many people will bo surprisod. to know that the championships of the Biver Plate, at Buenos Aires, wero started as far back as 1890, and also that the championships of Bengal, at Calcutta, first saw light in 1887, that the covored court championships in England, were first startod in 1885, that Oxford and Cambridge aiet for tho first time in 1881, Victorians first championship was held' in 1880, New South Wales' in 1856, South Africa's in 1891, Canada's in 1897, Transvaal's in 1898, and Natal in 1909. The French championships did not start until 1891, but the American men's singles and doubles championships were first played in 1881, and the ladies' ( singles in the, same year. The championships of London, which are hold at Queen's Club, on grass courts, are generally considered the tryout before Wimbledon. Tho men's singles . for the championship of London were first played in 1890, and the ladies' singles in 1894. The honours list contains many famous names, such as: D. G. Ghhytor, the first winner, J. Pirn, E. W. Lewis, 11. S. Mahony, H, S.Barlow, H. L. Doherty, A. W.tGoro, C. P. Dix^n, M. J. G. Ritchie, G. Grevillo, H. Ward (America), A. F. Wilding (Now Zealand), F.G. Lowe, P..O'Hara Wood (Victoria), W. M. Johnston (America), Z. Shinrizu (Japan), H. G. Mayes, Vincent Richards (America), A; It. „F, Kingcote, and now W. T. Tilden. This year the men's singles resulted in an All-American final as Tilden and Hun-, tor met, tho former winning easily, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. Tilden put out ,W. Coon, the American fifteen-year-old;' 6-2, 6-2;----he also beat J. C. Peacock, 6-0, 6-0, and beat J. B. Crawford (New South Wales), 6-4, 6-0. F, 7. Hunter boat tho other Sydney player> H. Hopman, 6-4, 7:5. . In the mon's doubles tlie Australian colts —Crawford and Hopman—did well to get to the final, where they were beaten by, Tilden and Hunter, 4-6, 6-1, 8-G, G-8, 0-4. Tho winners had previously beaten H. Cochot and ,R. Lacoste, tho French pair, 6-1, 6.-4. Fraulein C. Aussein, the German lady chainpirn, and Young Warren Coen, of the

United States, performed remarkably well to win the mixed doubles, beating Baroness Eeznicek and Norman Brookes in the final, 6-4, 8-6. Patterson and O'Hara Wood (Victoria) were expected' to have a great chance, but evidently Patterson's arm. must have gone back on him again, to cause them to default. Nothing much has been' cabled about the ladies' singles or doubles, and it may be that few of the 'champion players competed. Miss Joan C. Eidley ! beat Mrs. Nieolopoulo in the final, 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. The winner was beaten in the third round at Wimbledon last year by Miss Colyer, 6-4, 6-3, who then went < out in' the next round, 6-2, 6-2, to Mrs. Godfree. Miss Eidley won the covered court winter singles championship of Queen's Club last year. Miss Eileen Bennett and E. H. Harvey beat Misses E. B. Clarke and M. Thomas in the final of the ladies' doubles this year, 6-2,^ 4-6, 6-2. The American of Australian1 * ladies evidently did not compete, otherwise something would have been heard )f their performances by cable. The "try-out" at Queen's Club did not throw any great light upon what might happen at Wimbledon, as is amply prov--led by the cables received regarding doings at Wimbledon, where play started on Monday of this week. Wimbledon. Tournament. This year the All-England Club decided to "seed" the draw, and of the 64 players accepted for the men's championship . singles, eight w,ere "seeded." New Zealanders generally will rejoice over the victory of E. D. Andrews, the Now Zealand champion of 1926. No doubt F. T. Hunter, the United States player, would be "seeded," consequently Andrews would not be, otherwise they would not have met in the first round. On last year's play Hunter was classified as sixth player in the world's;"first, ten." The New Zealand colt's victory, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, stamps Andrews as a' very fine player, better perhaps than many in New Zealand hay ever thought him. Tho match was a ■ close one, as each player scored 26 games, but Andrews very nearly won in three sets straight, and it was only during the fourth set that he appeared to falter. There would be an interval of ten minutes after the third set, and Andrews may have been blow to start after the spoil, or more than likely Hunter, realising that more pressure was necessary to even the sets, put all his weight into that fourth set.' Whatever happened," it is clear that Andrews played with confidence, and he must have captured Hunter's service at a critical stage to win that last set 7-5. It was anybody's match at "5 all," but Andrews not only won his own service game, but secured that of his opponent's also. It was the first sensation this year at Wimbledon, and followers of tennis in New Zealand will agree that E. D. Andrews's briliant win has oneo again put New Zealand on the tennis map of the world. In the past it was tho late A. F. Wilding that caused the followers of tennis in many nations to look up the map when inquiring where New Zealand was. Last year •F. T. Hunter reached tho last eight at' Wimbledon, where H. Cochet, tho winner, beat him, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. Huntor reachod the semi-final1 of tho National Championship singles of the . United States. last; year, but was beaten ■by Tilden, 14-12, 6-1, 4-6, 9-7. Hunter reached tho final at Wimbledon in 1923, but his countryman, William M. Johnston, beat him. In 1924 Norman Brookes boat Hunter in the .third round, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Tilden has considered thafHunter's form is this year quite good enough for him to bo included :in tho Davis Cup team of the United States, and that being so Andrews can most decidedly be acclaimed to havo reached that high standard. Well done, Andrews! Soino Other Hatches. N. Dicks (England) beat J. C. Teacock (New Zealand) in a five-sot match, 6-4, \ 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3. Peacock led by two sets to one, but tho interval was of greater value to the younger player, who would recover his vigour quicker than Peacock. Tho. latter did remarkably well to force Dicks to five sets. Peacock competed in the New Zealand championship singles in 1897, just 31 years ago, was runner-up in 1899 and I 1900, and won tho event in 1901,' and |

for him to retain such form aa to enable him to take two sets from Dicks speaks volumes for what might have been had he been able to have Wimbledon experience when in his tennis prime. P. Landry, one of France's first ten, beat Dicks last year at Wimbledon in the second round, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. Hugos (Prance) beat Bussel Young (New Zealand), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. The winner has just lately come to the front in France. E. F. Moon (Queensland) put J.^B. Gilbert out, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0, 6-4. In 1925 the latter represented the British Isles in the Davis Cup, and has been in the' first flight in England since 1921, but must be now feeling the wear and tear of five-set matches as he was born in 1887. R. O. Cummings (Queensland) went down to Colonel H. G. Mayes, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. Last- year Mayes won the championship of Cannes, at Beau Site, the championship of the Cote d'Azur, but was beaten by H.. Coehet in the .final at Metropole, 0-6, 7-5, 7-5, 9-11, 6-1. He has been showing great form in the South of France this year. H. Hopman (Victoria) beat E. Higgs, 6-2, 6-4, 7-5. Borotra beat Higgs, 6-1, 2-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the third round iast year. Higgs is, a British Davis Cup player, and Hunter beat him last year in the match America v. England, 7-5, 3-6, 9-7, '6-4. J. B. Hawkes (Victoria) won comfortably from H. W. Artens, Austria's Davis Cup player. E.Boyd, the Argentina Davis. Cup player and champion of the Eiver Plate, Buenos Aires, beat L. A. Godfre© very, easily. The latter was a British Davis Cup player last year. P. Landry (France) beat D. M. Greig, 6-3, 6-8, 6-4, 4-6, and the latter retired in the fifth set when Landry led 3-2. Greig represented England against America last year, and Hunter beat him, 6-1, 7-5, 6-8, 8-6. G. L. Patterson (Victoria) had to work hard to beat F. E. L. Crawford, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. The latter has not been showing great form since 1925, when he represented England against Bermuda and also against Wales. According to the cables, D. A. Hodges (England) was beaten by F. E.-L. Crawford 6-1, 6-3, 6-2, but possibly it . was J. Crawford (Sydney) who beat Hodges, . andvit is not likely that Patterson and J. Crawford, both of Australia, wfuld be drawn to meet in the first round. Patterson no doubt beat the English Crawford, and the Australian Crawford beat Hodges, as only the first rounds would-be played^on Monday.