LAWN TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 19841, 14 April 1928, Page 11

LAWN TENNIS

THE EASTER TOURNAMENT

[By Recorder.]

The 1928 Easter tournament just concluded should go down as one of the most successful ever held by the local association. Excellent entries and almost perfect tennis weather, except for the first day, made the tournament must enjoyable, there being an entire absence of that cold wind that can make conditions so miserable at the Anderson’s Bay courts. The arrangements were in the capable hands of Messrs A. M'Adam and E. S. Wilson, who gave up practically their whole Easter holiday in order to run the tournament, seeing very little of the tennis, and the success of the meeting was largely due to their efforts. Others who assisted at various courts were Messrs J. Leggett. Fulton, and Duthie. Regarding the standard of play, we in this part of the dominion are handicapped when playing against others centre by having to play on grass. On asphalt the ten loading players would give a good account of themselves against, say, the ten best from Wellington or Auckland. Mr C. G. White, an ex-Otago champion, who umpired the final of the men’s singles, considered that Bray, on his play in the final, would have extended any player in the dominion on asphalt. With regard to the younger players, Miss Fleming showed the most promise among the ladies, while the Pearce brothers, M'Kinnon (Kurow), and Barsdcll were the most promising of the men. E. A. Pearce was expected to extend Bray, but lack of steadiness told, Bray running through the second set to love. A feature of the tournament was the attractive play of Rhodes-Wil-linius, a visitor from the north. This player won several events _ at the Hawke’s Bay tournament this season besides competing with success at Nelson. He has delightful ground strokes, keeping well away from the ball, and driving a moderate-paced, well-controlled ball both forehand and backhand. He is a dangerous man to go into tho net against, except on good length halls. _ His volleying is fair, but his smash is the weakest part of his game, and he must improve this if he hopes to go far in the game. He was defeated by E. G. Boddy in the championship singles after the longest singles match of the meeting, Boddy winning at 15-13 in tho third set. Probably the best exhibition at the tournament was given when J. B. Macpherson met Bray in the semi-final of the championship singles. Macpherson started off very confidently, smashing lobs for winners from all parts of the court. Bray was outclassed this set, and could only keep Ills opponent on the move, hoping that ho would not be able to keep up the pace- These tactics paid, for Macpherson began to tire after rushing to the net on his service, and then back again lor lobs over his head. Once the Roslyn man slackened up on his net game, Bray came into the picture with his favorite chop to the backhand, followed by an advance to the net. Previously he had been gaining most of his points on his opponent’s mistakes, but now he was attacking, and from 3 all in the second set ho was definitely in the ascendancy. Macpherson made a fight of it all the way, hut was a weary man when he came off the court after the match. He has had a good season, and lias shown a great improvement in his game, having strengthened his backhand and become much steadier. Bray, in winning the singles title for the fourth time, played a much better game than against Moody in the final last year. He was right back to his old form, and Moody would have found it difficult to smash consistently the perfect length lobs the Otago - man was sending back in the final. Bray has largely abandoned his old plan of following in his service to the net, now waiting for a short ball to enable him !o come in for a volley, but his game does not seem to have suffered. Some of his drop volleys against Guy were absolutely perfect, leaving the Moana man yards away, while his backhand has rarely worked better, R. A. Guy showed improved form during the tournament, having speeded In's game up considerably. Formerly, his service was decidedly weak, hut in the final ho won several clean aces against Bray, besides keeping him more or less on the defensive with his second service. His forehand drive is also speedier, but lie did not employ this fast drive much unless driven into a corner. Then a perfect drive often respited, demonstrating that he should employ this stroke more frequently. Guy has been playing well for the last half of the season, one of his best performances being to take Aligns, one of the first half dozen players of the dominion, to three sets iu the representative match against Canterbury. R. G. M'Dongall played excellent tennis in all his matches, and might have won against Guy if he had hit a little harder in the concluding stages of their match. In tho third set he was 5- down, hut took two games on hard hitting, and led 40 love in the next. Then he slowed down his game, and Guy won the next five puints for the match. One of M‘Bengali's best displays was against Guy and Bray in the somi-final of the doubles. Ho and Black lost tho first set, but overwhelmed the opposition in the next two, M'Dongall hardly making a mistake over the concluding stages. He and Miss Pattison are in the final of (lie mixed doubles championship, having to play the winner of the Guy and Mrs Giiy-Fnlton and Miss Nichols encounter. The Roslyn pair should win this match, which was to have been plavod this afternoon (Saturday). Fulton and Boddy carried off' the men’s doubles mainly on their excellent combination and net-rushing tactics. In the final against Black and M'Dongall they would put up a deep lob as a return of service, and then rush the net, hoping to volley tho return smash if it was not too severe. Those tactics paid them handsomely, for if their volley did not win outright, it at least gave them the net position—a .somewhat difficult task for a pair whose ground strokes are weak. M'Dongall and Black soon saw through these tactics, and their reply was to smash harder, thereby forcing their opponents into errors. The winners were therefore kept back from tho net, more in the second and third sets, this showing in the scores, for after winning tho first set 6-0, the next two were very even, going to 8-6, 6-4. Fulton and Buddy have had a very successful season. At the New Zealand championships they readied the last eight in the doubles, Knott and Sturt, the-New Zealand title holders, defeating them, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. At Timarn they won the doubles championship, and now they have added tho Otago title to their list of victories. E. G. Boddy was disapponting in his singles matches. After, defeating Seay recently in Christchurch, great things were expected of him. He played a fair game to defeat Rhodes-Williams, 15-13, in the thrd set, but then went nut very tamely to .Macpherson, 6-2, 6Further comment on the tournament will be made next week, when the ladies’ matches and the handicap events will be dealt with.