TENNIS TITLES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 155, 28 December 1935, Page 22

TENNIS TITLES

THIE.D DAY AT MIRAMAE

FINALS REACHED

The Wellington Lawn Tennis Championships were advanced towards the finals yesterday afternoon, the weather at Miramar tennis grounds being windy and hot. In the handicaps also events are well forward.

An interesting contest was that in the semi-nn«il of the women's doubles, Miss D. Nicholls and Mrs. N. St. C. Dickson defeating Mrs. Latham and Miss M. Macassey in straight sets. The Wellington and New Zealand champions of last year made a formidable combination, but despite the apparently one-sided score the win was not easily obtained. Miss Macassey, •■ who ,for a long time bore the brunt of the attack of superior players, stood up to it very well indeed, and Mrs. Latham contributed some forceful shots to each rally. Had the work of the latter in front of the service line equalled her form behind it the match would have gone to a longer score. Both Miss Nicholls and Mrs. Dickson, however, were -clever at digging up their opponents' winners and they made some remarkable returns. At the net Miss Nicholls was usually deadly; in the general run of the play Mrs. Dickson showed great steadiness and her superior racket-work reaped its reward. SLOW OPENING. After a very slow beginning in their match against Mesdames W. J. Melody and D. G. France, Misses D. Miller and M. Howe (once down 0-3) took ten of the next eleven games. The opening games were sternly fought, most of the attack of the winners was concentrated upon Mrs.. France, who shaped very well. Mrs. Melody's sliced drive and her volleying boih were valuable assets, but as the match advanced superior steadiness made itself felt, Miss Miller being very consistent on the baseline and Miss Howe supporting her well. Few of the games in,the second set went to deuce; in four of them the winners lost only four points altogether and the success of the winners was more quickly won. D. G. France and N. Smith met solid opposition from D. C. Coombe and J. C. Charters, but pulled the match out after a slump in the second set. France was very sound and defied any attempt to trap him. The losers, to their dost, concentrated their attack on Smith, who thrives on such tactics and played well, though his overhead work was not very decisive. When Coombe and Charters decided to" play for the opening instead of attempting to break through Smith's game they did better, but the winners remained the better pair with France hitting decisively and with a consistency overhead which repelled lobbing attacks. The final sets were full of bright incidents with all four players showing up well, but with the winners revealing a degree of solidarity which always revealed them as likely to emerge victorious. A LONG STRUGGLE. In the other semi-final; the Pearce brothers lost the first two sets to E. A. Roussell and R. McL. Ferkins, winning only six games in the first eighteen. At this stage the Pearces were erratic at the net and the more consistent lobbing and sounder volleying of Roussell and, Ferkins made it seem as if they would gain a victory in straight sets. However, iri*the third set the Pearces' game improved and they made good use of the lob and of the court position they created as the result of dislodging their opponents. They attacked Ferkins more frequently and -raised more errors by better placing. Thus they won the third set easily and the fourth just as decisively. • E. A. Pearce was covering most of the court in these latter sets and the tactics of bombarding Ferkins were reinforced by sudden switches to Roussell who was thus caught unready as .'it were. So the fifth set followed the other two to the Pearjces whose severe smashing,and.,detefmined attack was good ta watch. Undoubtedly, in both doubles,' the genera! trend of play was affected by the fact that the semifinal of Ferkins and Coombe had lasted for over three hours and left the two far from fresh. " In the mixed doubles A. L. France and Mrs. N. St. C. Dickson defeated G. A. Pearce and Miss D. Miller after facing a match point in the third set. P. G. France and Mrs. France scratched (France was in the final of the singles and doubles), and D. Coombe and Miss D. Nicholls had a win over Ferkins and Miss I. Small. , Results:— CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS. Men's Doubles. Semi-finals.—D. G. France and N. Smith beat D. C. Coombe and J. C. Charters, 6-4, 5-7, 64, 6-2; G. Pearce and E. Pearce beat E. A. Roussell and R. McL. Ferkins, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. , Women's Doubles. Semi-finals.—Miss D. Nicholls and Mrs. N. St. C. Dickson beat Mrs. A. D. Latham and Miss M. Macassey, 6-2, 6-1; Misses D. Miller and M. Howe beat Mesdames W. J. Melody and D. G. France, 6-4,.6-0. Mixed Doubles. Second Round.—E. A. Roussell and Mrs.iß. P. Adams beat A.D. Latham and Mrs.' Latham, 6-4, 3-6, 8-6! Third Round.—B. McCarthy and Miss J. Douthett, w.q. (D. G. •' France and Mrs. France scratched); D. Coombe and Miss D. Nicholls beat R. Ferkins and Miss I. Small, 6-2, 6-1; A. L; France and Mrs. N. St. C. Dickson beat G. A. Pearce and Miss D. Miller, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5. . . ' ■ B GRADE. Men's Singles. ' Second Round.—J. Vaughan beat J. S. Withers, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; L. Evans beat D. Dyer, 6-2, 64; W. Calcinai beat H. Curtis, 6-3, 3-6, 9-7. 'Men's Doubles. Semi-finals.—Evans and Ridyard beat Vaughan and Winchester, 4-6, 6-5, 6-3; Jarman and Toswill, 6-3, 64. Women's Doubles. Semi-final.—Misses Jack and MacLean beat Misses Berry and Bedford, 6:3, 6-1. Mixed Doubles. Second Round. —Boniface and Miss Berry beat Sandford and Miss Evans, 2-6, 6-0, 6-3. HANDICAP EVENTS. Men's Singles. Third Round.—T. N. Gordon (4-6) beat A. N. Toswill (owe 3-6), 6-4 (defaulted). Semi-final.—Gordon (4-6) beat D. Wiggins (scr), 64, 6-3. Second Round.—N. A. Wilson (15) beat W. Jarman (owe 3-6), 6-0 faulted); J. S. Withers (4-6) beat J. Tonks (15), 6-1, 6-1. Women's Singles. Second Round;— Miss D. Maslen (owe 15 3-6) beat Miss Z. Castle (owe 15), 6-2, 6-1; Miss J. McWhinney, w.o. Men's Doubles. Second Round.—Calcinai and Langdon (owe 2-6) beat Boniface and Painter (owe 5-6), 6-5, 6-2; Evans and Ridyard (scr) beat Gordon and Gordon (4-6). 6-5, 64; Jarman and Toswill (owe 15) beat Plank and Sivyer (owe 3-6), 6-2, 6-3. ' Women's Doubles. First Round.—Misses L. Akel and M. Akel (owe 15) beat Mrs. C. Dunn and Miss M. Cootes (owe 1-6), 9-5. Second Round.—Misses L. Akel and M. Akel (owe 15) beat Misses Z. Castle and M. Castle (owe 3-6), 9-4. : . Mixed Doubles. Second Round.—Langdon and Miss L. Akel (scr) beat Tonks and Miss Forrester (owe 2-6), 9-5; Manoy and Miss Jack, w.o. - ■. . Third Round.—Robb and Miss Patrick (owe 4-6) beat Manoy and Miss Jack (owe 2-6), 9-3; Livingstone and Miss Dale (owe 30) beat Plank and Miss Mac Lean (owe 4-6), 9-5.