LAWN TENNIS TEST

Evening Star, Issue 20428, 8 March 1930, Page 10

LAWN TENNIS TEST

AUSTRALIA V. NEW ZEALAND DECISIVE WIN FOR VISITORS [Peu Unites Press Association.] '• CHRISTCHURCH, March 7. Tho lawn tennis test match between New Zealand and Australia was commenced at tho Wilding Park courts; to-day. The weather was -cool and; overcast, with a light easterly breeze; The Australians won all tho matchesbut one, and generally were superior s iii courtcraft. They could command and control their speed better, and they made fewer mistakes. The teams were as follows; New Zealand.—E. L. Bartleet, C. Angas, D. G. France, N. R. C. Wilson. Australia. —F. Kahns, C. Sproule, C. J. Donohoe, W. E. Teague. The following are the results, the names of the Australians being given first;—

SINGLES. Teague lost to Wilson 6-8, 1-6, 4-6, Kalms beat Franco 6-3, 8-6, 6-1. Spronle beat Angas 6-1, 6-2, 8-6. Donolioe beat Bartleet. —6-3, 6-2,4-6, 7-9, 8-6. DOUBLES.

Kalms-and Teague beat Angas and France 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5. Spronle and Donohoe , beat Bartleet and Wilson 3-6, 6-4, 10-8, 6-2..

THE PLAY DESCRIBED

NEW ZEALANDERS DISAPPOINTING. [Special to the * Stab.’] CHRISTCHURCH, March 7. New Zealand’s showing in the first day of the lawn tennis test was a sad disappointment, only Wilson revealing consistent and match-winning ■ form. The conditions were good, but the courts, which were flooded a week ago, proved heavy and fatally against last play early in the day. FRANCE AND KELMS. Don France and Kalms,suffered particularly from, this, and were not to be recognised as the same players who, staged the fast and spectacular encounter in Wellington a week ago. Both opened carefully, playing cautious match tennis, and it was a server’s battle until 2 all, when hrance began taking the net and employing forcing tactics, raining aced shots on Kalms’s court. He had a bad patch at 3 all, when he served two double faults to let Kalms into the lead again. Double faulting, France lost another service game and the set, and was obviously not warmed up. Kalms trailed 0-2 in the second set, but moved up even with consistent and heavy chops, which forced France into errors. Careful placements by France were enough to give him a golden chance when he led 4-2 and 40-30, but he lost that chance and the three set points which he held at 5-4, being passed when rushing the net behind his service ball. The final chance went to Franco when he was 6-o. and oU-U on service after some great hitting, but again ho lapsed into outs, and the set went to Australia. Kalms raised his chance bv solid hitting, and took the set with a grand forehand drive down the lino that had France hopelessly passed. , The final set was a procession to Kahns, for he lost only the fourth game. It was only at the .end or the set that France realised that he was hitting, too late, and began to hit out more freely than he had done, but it was too late, and Kalms s gr#at, set vice took him through to victory. SPROULE AND ANGAS. Sproule had Angas sorely puzzled for two sets, but after they were over the New Zealand singles champion showed more vim and will to win than he had done previously. Sproule began play-

irig even better than he had done previously, and his length, placement, and desperate attack left Angas hopelessly trailing in the first two sets, Even in the point score Angas was usually fighting hopelessly in an effort to equalise, and Sproule was playing remorselessly, his foehand chop shooting off the court at a great pace and sooner or later forcing Angas into errors. Angas was unable to get to the net and hold it, for the superlative accuracy of Sproule’s passing shots scared him away. The best and deepest of shots were flicked back past him In the third set Angas was all_ out, and, sparring for the opening, slipped into the net at great,speed, repeatedly bringing off kills, and for four games ho played like a winner, but only found that Sproule met- him with greater venom, and that speed as vyell asfplace-V ■'ment was. added to the Australian's driving. ‘ Sproule rail through game after game to 4 all, where Angas with a fine streak of hitting took a love game, and was 5-4 and 3U-0 in a game which the visitor won after a desperate battle, .with Angas striving hard at the game point which four times faced him. Angas was now all out and hitting harder than ever, and he ran to 7-6 and 30-40 on Sproule’s service. The New Zealander lost that chance to brilliant play, and never had another. WILSON AND TEAGUE. New Zealand’s only win was provided by Wilson, who won his single in rapid time.'* Wilson met Teague, who was shaping better than previously and hitting balls on both sides of the racket -with great'force and certainty. .Wilson was slow to stroke himself in on the slow court, which did not suit him, and he dropped the service three times, once after having been 40-15, to let Teague lead 5-2. From that moment there was a transformed Wilson, for he rained hurricane drives on all parts of Teague’s court and rushed the net to bring off deadly volleys. Teague was able to prevail against this attack only by sustained brilliance, and of that he was not capable, though often, he moved the gallery by spectacular recoveries and passing shots. Wilson went almost straight to set point, and in the second set he outclassed Teague, hitting him off the court. There was. a break in the third set, when Wilson was down 2-3, andstruggled through a long ‘game on service, all because he netted a simple pne at 40-30; but the Wellington man just edged out in a long and bitter contest to be 3-all, and though he was down again 3-4 in, a game thrown away on careless shots, he took the match decisively in the next three caraes, using a judicious lob to send Teague scu+tling away from the net and. bring up the match point to tun point. BARTLEET AND DONOHOE. Bartleet proved an utter failure, for one thing which New Zealand had counted on was that the two lower string men would bo better than the Australians. Before Bartleet had played a game, it was apparent that he was not fit, and his match against Donohoe was apparently hopeless, and' a gallant struggle by a man who was not in the fettle to give of his best. Donohoe took the first two sets without even being extended, and when Bartleet won the third set through Donohoe cracking momentarily, there began a long and painful struggle which saw Bartleet throw away chance after chance, and finally get there only by sheer pluck rather than by stroke excellence. His game was only a shadow of itself. His backhand was painfully weak, and ho often, ran round it. His forehand lacked length and sting, and usually seemed laboured, and his passing shots were missing for most of ,the match. Leading 4-2, and four times holding the odd game after 4 all, Bartleet just managed to scramble out at 9-7, after five deuces, and then commenced to throw away chances in the next set, where he led 2-1 and 15-40, and 2-3, 40-16, and lost both games. Fighting up to 5 all, Bartleet held two match points at 5-6, but saw Donohoe cleanly ace a volley find the second time raise deuce with a net cord shot which just trickled over. . After that Donohoe began taking the net consistently, and volleyed with deadly accuracy. It was a tragedy for New Zealand, for it converted Bart? leet into a passenger in his double against Sproule and Donohoe after the first set. THE DOUBLES. . A\jilsbn was-playingi inspired 'tennis, andi for'.t|io opening set the New Zea-

landers were far too forceful and clever for their opponents, but Bartleet grew weaker and weaker, and Wilson was left with more court to cover. The Australians found Wilson’s cross-court backhand so deadly that they’ employed a tandem . formation when ha. was receiving the’service, in ..order to cut it off, and by this change ofj tactics won the second set, but Wilson, now. dominating the play, carried Bartelet with him to a 3-0 and 4-2 lead in the ! third set, despite the altered* tactics |of their opponents. Here • Bartleet I faltered and finally failed, and Wilson, ■ had to do all the work. He raised 5-4 on a great love game on the seri vice, 6-5 by hitting three winners, and! 7-6 ton powerful servicing, but he could not protect his partner from two fit .and dangerous men, and the set went to Australia, 10-8. ; There was a consultation about tb» light, as Kalins (the Australian captain) wished to stop, but Bartleet voted to continue, and the final set was Australia’s easily. When they did go woll together,; France and Angas played forcefully enough to make Kahns and Teague look .out of their class, but those patches were all too rare. They extended over most of the first set and a • good deal of the fourth, which went to 5-2 in New Zealand’s favour, but saw the next three games easily won by the visitors, who were bustling Angas, and forcing him into- errors. France finally double-faulted’'for 5-6, and their cup was full, for Kalms’s service was to follow, and he won it to 15. But for that the match would haye gone; the t full distance, but on form it was doubtful if New. Zealand could have won. Lobbing usually bustled the home pair, though often played brilliantly in killing everything ho could reach. ;