LAWN TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 18919, 18 April 1925, Page 3

LAWN TENNIS

[By Recorder,']

The Kapler tournament' lias mine am] gene, with its usual crop of surprises, and though no doubt some may feel disappointed over results, all ore agreed that it was a good tourney. 1 have heard a. few complaints about handicaps, but there ore always bound to be some mistakes and some aggrieved ones when so main' players whose e.'ipahhiin'.s are not. known are competitors. When all is said and done, ma-,t ot the. handicap gomes wore reasonably close -some remarkably so--therefore let one and all overlook what few mistakes there may have been as being duo to lock of knowledge ot some of the entrants' powers. ( rrtainlv tho-e on the front marie did best in the handicap event?., but, after all, these events arc for the weaker players mainly. Of course, (he chief .surprise of the, tournament, was the defeat of Bray at the hands of Townsend, the Central Otago champion. This player came into the limelight last year, when he played so well with Tregear in the double.-,; but this year bo has done even better, and his remarkable recovery from 3-5 down in the third set against a player such as Bray will long be rcmeninrred. tie plays a very open game, and time aim again passed Bray cleanly as lie came into the net. Ills backhand was working quite well, but gave one the impression of being a little unreliable. JTo was certainly on bis game against Bray; but when playing in a double later in i.c di i not display "the, same form, and it. was Ids backhand that deteriorated most, lie has a tendency to lot bis racket, drop below the. level of the wrist, and would improve bis game if bo corrected this fault.

Sumpter, who was expected to go near the championship, found Dutbie lyo good for him. This player was serving and driving very well, and gave the Oainarn man littlo or no chance to bring off that tremendous smash of Ids. Lumpier ga\n a good display against. Buddy, who was also placing well, but could not accommodate bis" panic to the tolady dillcicnt stvle employed by llnthie. The singles final has yet: to he played between Clark and tiny, which should produce a line exhibition of tennis. 1 am inclined to favor Guy’s but Clark, too, is playing well, and his vicloiy would surprise nobody. A pleasing feature, of the singles was the success of Keask, a, young Genital Otago player, who shows great promise. _ dbe ladies’ similes went to IMiss 1 atti-,-nii, as was "expectcd by the writer, but she bad to give of her best to defeat Miss Bagiev in the final. The winner was not ns careless as usual in her final match, but, (bis may have been duo to the fact that the occasion rather overawed her. Miss Bagiev was driving very well, and several times passed IMiss Balti.son as she ciinw up to the net, also getting out of dillicult positions with yleep lobs to her opponent’s backhand. The score of 6-5, 8-6 gives a fair indication of the game. This is Miss Pathson’s first win in the Otago championship finals, and slm is to bn congratulated on her victory. The fo!k/\ving aro ibo winners for the last five years:—l92l. Mrs K. Jopp; 1922. Miss J. M-bareii; 1925, Mrs W. ,T. Melody : 1024, Miss J. M'Liren; 1925, Miss ,1. Bat Menu.

The men's doubles championship provided the heft tennis of the tournament, the title finally failing to G. Clark and S. X. Brown,' both of whom have had wins to their credit in this event previously. 1 hough never as partners. R, X. Brown is to hn heartily congratulated on his performance. It is many years ago that he first won tiro doubles title with his brother, and now hn shows ho lias still to lie considered one of our host doubles players by winning the title, again. He was ably supported by Clark, whose, lobbing and driving were as good as any seen in the tournament. He has won i his event before with It. Wilkie, now ni SydneV.

The championship doubles final was contested between Guy and Hiss M'Adam, and Sumpter and Miss Pattison, and reMificd in victory for the Moana pair. 1 think they won because Miss M'Adam practically novel- tried to beat Sumpter at net by driving through him. Miss i'ai--1 isou manv times endeavored to pass the man at net, when a deep shot to the lady was the correct silof. Both men played well. Sumpter bringing off .some tremendous smashes, while Guy. who pla\ed best of tile four, excelled in placements. Tins player has shown steady improvement this season, and lias added pane, to his shols without impairing Hie accuracy of his game. His play in the next New Zealand championships will he followed wMh interest, and lie should do well. I’art tiered with Online in the doubles. Im gave a fine display against Brown and Clark, and Imi for a- slight tendency to hang back was. next to Brown, the. best- doubles niayer in the tournament.

The Otago Ini end iy ii-ain Is to lie congrat nlai ed on winning the iiifenitiivcvsity nip oi! 1 1 ■ i£;!!t■ tor tin' tilrl linn' in (he thirty vears nr more (lint the compel if ion has been in forcr-. The team justified (ho hopes expressed in this column he winning I hive, events out of the five, and. though, la. 1!. \V. Siny l h was unexpeet edly lata ton in the. .singles, victory in the men s ami ladies’ doubles, and in the mi; e.l doubles gave the cup to 01 ago. The men’;- singles went to Robins,m, of Ganterluirv. ami the ladies’ singles bi .Miss .Miller, of Am kiand. both of whieh results were unexpected. I I lave- received an are.ami, ~f some of the more i::!ei eat mg game, in v Ini )i (>■ atm player.; were competing, and v. ill pnhiisii it next week. 'ldle Canterbury chanipincshm. v. me dreided a! ( 'hi'ist ohureh at Kasim 1 , and in tlie ahsenee of several of 1 in- \hsnling players (lie single went to I’lM'-ron, win. played fonrlh in the ( animl an y leant in Dunedin ]:i.d moiiih. D. .h .Inns: on, of rim uni, diil very wall to ihfial Id i enwo.h! and Shepnard, two e.a 11 l-mov. n inTiurmei'. imt lie went down to Falters,.n in the final, though he long the fir." ‘el. lie also featured in tim I'mai of tin doiilih xvliero he anil imam .lone.- had t.. lower do't’oles champion-. of New /"aland. This young plater sliould nmi. mol why develop into a line nlaver. o lie ian get the practice. Ills To 1 i i I a lather awkward old. most ehem.iv." I .»ia•;i 11 '.<! drive: hut he can ah-o „ volley veil. T'e-ngh m i Wfak on (he Iru 1; ;:a ml. it, m llim departmetit of the I'm Hi * I 1 I tdlm'! TJio ladles.’ single-, went in .'I s. Spur,,. in l was expected, though she dro;.ped a setto Miss Ferries in the iimil, .Many eonipiaints wage made waiibl the Avers’ “ Union ” hall, an nn: defied hall, ]i file cover atiaebed in a sneiki; way to that of the Woden hall. A majority of the players considered that it had a tendency to (loaf, after a levs games, though (loss and others denied thro Several members of tie:- ('anterhijry team, when hero lad mn.-ii]i. had the •ame lliing to sav about Slasenger '-raniies-, halls, bill most local player.) seem salaried with them. Andrews, one. of those, selected fo' practise for the Now- Zealand Davis Cap team, has been doing well in the, north;, agd ham just, added the singles and doubles championship of Hawke s Hay to. Ins already long list of victories this reason. Hu must be practically a certainty for the New Zealand team.