LAWN TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 20089, 1 February 1929, Page 13

LAWN TENNIS

[By Rkcotoikf..] HONOURS LIST. 1. Miss M'Namara (Anderson’s Bay) won her matches against St. Andrew’s, 6-0, 6-1, 7-1. 2. Sincock (Roslyn) won against Caversham, 9-1, 9-3, 7-5. 3. Wingfield (St. Kilda), three wins against North-east Valley 1., 9-1, 9-0, 7-3. 4. Brabant (Kaituna) scored at 9-3, 9-5, and 7-1 against Moaua. Other players who won _ all their games include York and Miss Barton (St. Kilda), Miss Christie (Moana), Brooks (Kaituna), Griiusdale__ and Smith (St. Andrew’s), Oliver, Nisbet, and Miss Cable (Cosy Dell). The closest B grade match on Saturday was that between St. Andrew’s 11. and St. Clair, the St. Andrew’s players securing a win by nine sots to seven, being only two games ahead. Moana, who played a. drawn gam© with St. Kilda earlier in the season, wont down to Kaituna by nine sets to seven. Both the men s and the ladies’ events were evenly divided, the score standing at six sets all, with Moana six games to the good, when the mixed, doubles commenced. By annexing three of. these Kaituna won the match. This result apparently leaves Cosy Dell leading in the first section, with Roslyn and St. Kilda second. The Roslyn players were run close in their match against Caversham, the hill representatives prevailing by eighty-three games to eighty-one, with sets equal. Roslyn annexed all tiie men’s events, gaining a lead of no less than thirty games. The Caversham ladies in turn evened things by winning all their events, scoring _ thirty-six games to twelve. The wins of the Caversham ladies were even more decisive than those scored by the Roslyn men, but the men’s events, being best of seventeen games, as against best of thirteen for the ladies’ matches, gave Roslyn the advantage. Each team annexed two of the mixed doubles, Caversham. making up four games, but being still two behind at the end of the day. THE CANTERBURY CHAMPIONSHIPS The annual tournament completed this week at Christchurch gave C. Aligns his first provincial singles title. Last year he reached the final only to go out to J. A. Seay by two sets to one Seay was not a competitor this year, and Angus made no race of it in the final, 'overwhelming T. \V. Patterson, 6-0, 6-2. It is to be hoped that Angas can find time to travel south with the representative team to play Otago towards the end of this month. Angas gained his second title when lie and E. G. Boddy annexed the doubles. The following account of the semi-final and final is taken _from_ a Christchurch exchange; Effective smashing and volleying won for C. migas and E. G. Boddy a place in tho final round of the men’s doubles, tho pair defeating Goss and Browning in the semi-final. Boddy was the outstanding player of the match, and ho and Angas were an altogether different pair from the two who could just scrape home from a mediocre team on Saturday. Their form was much more mi-

prossivo, and although Goss and .Browning were not playing as well as they did in defeating Glanvillo and Sheppard, tho winners showed that they were capable of much greater things than their early form had indicated. Browning was in fine form, thrusting down the centre with beautiful shots on his backhand. Goss was unable to exploit liis effective lobbing tactics, the wind, making this'•operation difficult. Both Aligns and Boddy served well, and their opponents were kept continually on tho defensive. Showing far better doubles ability than did their opponents, and dominating play from tho aliiniportavit net position, C. Aligns and E. G., Boddy annexed the 1929 men’s doubles title by defeating B. B. and A. B. .Loughnan in tho final round, 8-0, 6-1. The tennis was good only in patches, there being far too many errors in the game—the Longhnans being the worse offenders in this respect. Boddy was tho outstanding figure, and, long considered one of New Zealand’s best doubles players when on his game, he excelled himself in smashing and volleying with the case and grace of an | artist. Angus, too, could be trusted to put safely away anything at all short at the net. Bede Loughnan served splendidly; but a large number of his smashes were wild and ill-directed. His brother'put in some line work in cutting off drives at the net, but be. too, ! was not as sure in his overhead work ■ ns were the opposing pair. Angas and Boddy broke through their opponents’ service in the first set, to lead 3-1, but the score was even at 3-3. Angas and Boddy again had the odd game, but Bede Loughnan, with some devastating smashes, one of which bounced (/cr tho back fence, equalised. There were some tine volleying rallies in the next game, which Angas clinched to lead, 3-4. At 5- Bede drew applause by returning two terrific smashes at close quarters. The games were even at 6-0, some tine overhead work giving the Longhnans the twelfth game. Angas and Boddy then ran out 8-6. From the outset in the second session it was apparent that the Longhnans were a beaten team, but nevertheless they Sought hard for the points, Bede, unleashing some terrific drives in attempts,to pierce Ins opponents’ defence. The Longhnans could score only one game, however, against their opponents’ powcrlul attack, and the set, match, and champjonsliip went to Angas and Boddy. The surprise of the tournament was undoubtedly the defeat of r l. A . Fattefson and'Miss Speirs, holders ol the mixed doubles title lor the last the years, at the hands of R. Browning and Miss Gould. . Browning _ is nell down the ranking list, while Miss Gould is somewhere about tenth—a tact that makes their win all tho more creditable. Long practice together has made Patterson and Miss Speirs one of the most formidable combinations in the province. Browning played throughout like a man inspired, and showed volleying and smashing powers_ easily surpassing anything yet seen in the tournament. His service carried plenty of sting, and his forehand and backhand, in a series of rapier-liko thrusts, continually lound gaps in the opposing defence. Miss Gould ably supported her partner, and in the exchanges with Miss Speirs she was by no means at a disadvantage. Tier drives were last and well directed, and her service could not be treated with impunity by her opponents. Patterson played a very heady game, but Miss Speirs . made manv mistakes at critical times in the third set. Some of her volleying was superb. It was not until they had lost tho first set—mainly on errors —that Browning and his partner began to show their brilliant form, but once in his stride Browning could not miss a thing overhead, and in a very exciting finish the pair won out, 2-6, 0-4, 6-4. The last game saw Miss Speirs periectly volleying terrific drives, and Browning twice smashed out at match point. The game finished, however, on Miss Speirs hitting over tho back line. A remark published in a northern exchange concerning the relative merits of the Otago and South Canterbury representative teams is interesting. The matter under discussion was the annual Canterbury-South Canterbury fixlure, b gum© thut is usunlly plajecl during the trip south to play Otago. “ As the South Canterbury team is now stronger than the Otago representative side, more time should be given to the Timaru fixture” (or words to that effect), says the exchange. This extra time is not at the expense of the Otago match, but nevertheless wc wish to protest against this statement. Certainly South Canterbury defeated Otago last season at Timaru by 13 sets to 9, but the Otago team was minus the services of the first six ladies on the ranking list. One recalls that Otago defeated a strong Canterbury team a season or two ago at Dunedin, but no rash statements concerning the relative merits of the provinces were thereupon made in this part of the world. One to say that were Otago and South Canterbury to meet at full strength, the result would be a fairly comfortable win for Otago. . Surprises have been numerous in tho Australian tennis championships, held at Adelaide. First It. 0. Moon (Queensland) defeated H. W. Austin (England); then Schlesinger defeated Jack Crawford, the Australian champion, and later H. Hopmau Schlesinger, a Victorian, was a member of the 1924 Australian Davis Cup team. J. C. Gregory (England) beat R. Schlesinger (Victoria) in tbo final, 6-_. 6- 5-7, 6-4. In the doubles final J. Crawford and H. Hopmau beat E. Moon and R. 0. Cummings, 6-1, 6-8, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Miss Daphne Akhnrst won the ladies’ singles, and with Miss Bickcrton won the doubles final.

E. G. BODDY. Otago tennis circles welcome back to Dunedin this week E. G. Boddy, fresh from his doubles success with Angas in the Canterbury championships. He has been transferred back to his home town after eighteen months in Christchurch. Prior to his departure for the north ho was a member of tho Roslyn and Otago Clubs, and will no doubt rejoin the latter. By his latest doubles success ho now has the satisfaction of having won the Otago, North Otago. South Canterbury, and Canterbury doubles titles in the last two years, a performance that stamps him as one of the leading doubles players of the dominion. He has only competed at the New Zealand championships on one occasion, he and Eulton taking Knott and Sturt, the then holders of the doubles title, to five sets before admitting defeat. He should be a decided asset to Otago lawn tenuis, especially in view of the provincial matches coming ’ on: m the near future.