LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 51, 1 March 1930, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS

AUSTRALIA ON TOP

FIVE RUBBERS TO ONE

WILSON WINS WELL

If the tennis seen on the opening day of the match between Australia and North Island was not brilliant, it was at least full of interest, and provided an excellent afternoon's entertainment for the several hundred spectators who gathered at Miramar yesterday. The weather was perfect and the Wellington- Association's courts wore looking, at their best. Six matches were pluyed during the afternoon-*four singles and two doubles—and in five of them the Australians were successful, Noel Wilson (Wellington) being.the only -North-Island player to hav.e a win. His defeat of Donohue was meritorious, and ho was warmly congratulated on all sides. Li all the other matches the Australians showed a decided superiority, indicating vjevy plainly that tennis in the Commonwealth is still ou a. some what higher plane than that in New/Zealand. .~Kalms, who probably would have represented Austni"-' lia in the Davis Cup contest this year, had he been available, was the centre of attraction; and lie certainly justified all that has been said of him. He is a huished player.-Another-Australian who impressed was Sproule, who is, the persouilicat^on of ease and grace. Results arc as follows: — SINGLES. F. Kalms beat 0. E. Malfroy, 6-0, 8-0. " U. Sproule beat-D.G. France, -G-l, 3-G, W Teague beat A. Stedman, G-4, 2-G, 6-3. ■:C. Donohue1 lost to'.N.- R., C. Wilson, 3-0, 0-2,-l-e/ ■■■■•;■ ' .\. , ■'-.•; DOUBLES. ■Kalms and Teague'-'' beat Wilson and Stedmau,-,8-(J,,6-S, e-2.' ' " ... fcjp'roule /and .Donohue: beat I( rauce and Malfroy, O-i, 6-3.;,,' , .;/ ;.,-.■'■■ . KALMS AND MALFROY. Kalms had the-measure of-: Malfroy all through; .and gave one the impression that he ,was/lioidiug.-:Soniething;,in. reserve, liic Australian's service •- had: :Malfroy puzzled at times;-and, his .quick cross-court shot trom near tie neticlt tlie .Wellington man standing ni'ore ' • than -' once. • The/ match opiy went to-two sets, and the first set needs'little 'description.:- If was simply a walk-over for- Jialuis.'who had Mallroy on the run. from''beginning to end, and took the set,6-U.- 'it was all over in just under ten minutes, and was not a very auspicious.start for the North Island, in the -second set, however, Maltroy showed vis lighting qualities, and although he went under 8-6, heI'was not disgraced by. any means, taking the score to 6-6 before he allowed Kalms to assert his superiority. Mallroy delighted tlie gallery, by taking the first game olf his. own service. Alter that fortunes fluctuated, and the players took their own services until the score stood at 5-0. Mallroy was playing an entirely different game to that whicii lie played in the first sec, and at times lie succeeded in getting Kalms ou the run. The Australian was as steady as a rock,However, and there were few balls which passed him. With the score, at a-o Mai; iroy double-faulted when within a point ol game, and allowed Kalms to take the lead, U-5 Kalms dropped his service m the next game, however, and Malfroy again drew level, 6*. . In-an effort to secure the lead, Malfroy came to the net in the next game, but'Kalms's court-crait proved too much for him, and the Australian took that game and the next, and set and match, 6-0, 8-G. Although Kalms did not appear .to be all out. He gave glimpses of the brilliance winch has made him,one of Australia's*'"big. tour He has -a", great1 service,, and. the iiappj knack of disguising bis intentions. SPROULE AND FRANCE. • The match between Sproule and France probably ■ provided the most entertaining tennis of the afternoon. 'Although Sproule generally held .-the upper hand France played brilliantly at times, and during the second set he was at his best, coming to the net with great daring and frequently leaving ' Sproule standing with wellplaced shots. Unfortuntely the Welling-' ton man faded. away in the final set and allowed Sproule to run out an easy winner. Sproule is a great stylist, and he plays his-'shots with delightful ease and grace He takes very-little out. of himself with his service,' and relies very largely on his remarkable ability to keep the ball moving from one side-line to the other. In the final set with France he had the- North Island representative running from, side-to side. In the first set Sproule only lost one game—the third—and for, the great part, of tlie set France was plainly at sea, and'very much below form. He showed a burst of his true form in the third game (which he took), but afteu. that he allowed the "Australian to do as he pleased. It was different in the second set. France started, off in brilliant style, and coming to the net with great daring he took the first four games, much\ to the' delight of the gallery. Then Sproule came, to light, and us a result of superb placing won the next two games. France 'won .the next, and Sproule the next, .making the score 5-3. France then settled the issue by making the next a love game, and taking the set- 6-3. The spectators, who had been delighted' at France's exhibition, looked to the Wellington man to get a leg-in for the North Island, but they were, doomed to disappointment. He was as much off his game as he was in the first set,^ and Sproule simply did' as lie pleased. France managed .to: win the sixth game, but his recovery came too late, and Sproule took the set and .the match—o-1, 3-6, 6-1. i NORTH ISLAND'S ONLY WIN. To N. E..C Wilson (Wellington) belonged the distinction of being the only North Island, player to achieve a victory over an Australian opponent. True, it was that he was pitted against.the weakest of the four Australians, C. J. Donohue, but the opposition was such that the winner had.to produce something like his best form to get home after a three-set match. The Australian is not an impressive player, but his height and reach are used with ;good effect, and1 he can put plenty of punch behind his serves and drives.- Wilsou started inauspiciously with a couple of 'double faults in the first game, but* this- was redeemed .by a couple of aces. He won the first three games before Donohue;got into his stride. For several games .there was more even p.lay, Donohue not netting so frequently as he had been doing.. Wilson was: deadly when he got up to the net, arid was bringing off some unmerciful kills. ; He, took the first sot, G-3. In the seoorid .'set Donohue had matters more his own-way, Wilson adding to his own downfall by serving too many double faults^ The Australian player scored with many hard.placenients, .and took the set somewhat easily,6-2. -The third set saw Wilson playing something like his best singles game. His services were getting home, and'he was following up to the net to kill with confidence.': When: playing from the base line, his drives were on good length, with plenty of vigour behind them, the Australian frequently being passed by well-placed balls, which 'he had no chance of reaching. Although "'ilson lost the first game of this set, he won ;the next six in succession, the scores for the three sets being 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. TEAGUE v. STEDMAN. The meeting between A. Stedman (Auckland) and W. E. Teague was interesting from the fact that both played a similar type of game, hard driving from the back of the court with but infrequent incursions to the net. The Australian, however, drove harder, and. with a better length than did his younger opponent, being especially powerful and accurate with his back-hand drives. The result was that Stedman, who played as well as he ever has. had to admit defeat by the odd set in throe, the scores being 6-1, 2-6, 0-3 in Teague's favour. The Australian player established a lead of 4-2 in the first set after numerous long driving rallies. Stedman then came to light, ami evened the score at 4-aIl, Teague losing his service -in the eighth game, which was a very long one. The Australian, however, made no mistake about the nest two games, takiug the first set 64. The second set saw everything going right for* the North Island player. There were the same long driving rallies, but Stcdman was getting! a.better, length and greater accuracy into his shots than had

bec-n the case in the first set. He obtained a lead of 0-1, the Australian getting only one more game before Stedmau' won, 6-2. The final set saw Teague taking full measure* of his opponent, and Stedman was generally outplayed, some of the .Australian's drives into the covers of the court being very deadly- After 2-all had been called, Teague made the score 4-2 iv his favour. Stedman, battling hard all the time against a superior opponent, managed to annex oue more game, but that was the most he could achieve, and Teague ran out victor iv the third und decisive set, 0-3. :' .' ' ; ■: It was generally thought that the North Island would 'shine in the doubles, and there appeared to be some justification for this when Wilson and Stedman started off brilliantly against Kaims and Teague. They were unable to maintain the pressure, however, and although they took the second set they had to acknowledge defeat, 8-6., 6-8, 6-2. 'Kaims did not show himself to be such a brilliant doubles player as he is a singles player, and' it was,left to Teague to provide the high, lights so far as the ■ Australians were concerned. Teague placed brilliantly, showing almost uncanny skill in finding an unguarded spot. Kaims did good work at the net, but made more mistakes than uiigl.t have been expected. His deadly serving was a big asset. The North Island pair relied almost entirely on net play, and lobs by the Australians found them out of place at times. Wilson was a queer mixture of brilliance and mediocrity. There were times when his net play was^dazzling; at other times he missed the simplest of shots..' Stedman \yus steady and he scored 011 occasions with well-placed, shots, to the side-lines. Wilson and Stedman appeared to have the Australians well beaten in the first set when they held the lead, 5-2. Teague nud Knlins." improved considerably, hbweviir, and succeeded iv drawing level, largely as the result of some.■briliant .placing, by Teague. Stedman won his next service, but Teagne again drew level by taking his service. Then Wilson, lost his, and Kaims settled the issue. Australia held the early advantage-in the second set, leading. 3-1, but Wilson and Stedman caught up -and games fluctuated until' the score stood at 6-6. Stedman and Wilson took the next two games and the set, Teague losing some o£ his form during the last few games. In the deciding set Wilson and Stedman faded away, and the Australians took it and the match, S-0, : 6:5, 6-2.-:" .--■•,, FRANCE AND MALFROY BEATEN. For D. G. France anil' C. X Malfroy to beat the Australian pair, C. Sproule and C. S. Donohue, they would have to play at the very top of their form, and even then such a victory would not often come their way. Yesterday they did not play as well as they have sometimes, and they were well beaten in two straight sets. ' The North Island pair, adopted their usual -tactics of coming' up to the net, but their clever opponents frequently worked them out of position .by 1 well-judged lobs and cross driving, Spi'oule cleverly making openings and leaving Donohue to put in the 'finishing touch. The Australians started off by annexing tlie first .three games. Malfroy then stopped .the rot by his -service';, and the North Islanders took, two games in succession. The Australians, however, re-; taincd their load, and when the score was 5-4 in their favour France presented them with the decisive game of the set by.: losing, his service in a love game.-. The second set saw the Australians forcing the North Island pair into numerous errors, double faults not adding to the chances of the local players. Superior placing and team work told their, tale, and the Australians established a lead s of 4-0 before France and Malfroy got a look in. Three games in. succession were then won by the North Island "pair, a'utljt looked as if they 'might make a fight for it. But the effort faded away, and the Australians took the next two games aiid the set. The scores were 6-4, 0-3, ' '■