LADIES’ TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 20996, 9 January 1932, Page 8

LADIES’ TENNIS

AUSTRALIAN TEAM AT WILDING PARK YESTERDAY’S PLAY [Per United Press Association.] CHRISTCHURCH, January 8. An Australian v. New Zealand final will bo seen at Wilding Park to-mor-row, when Miss N. Hall, a member of the visiting Australian team, will meet Mrs H. M. Dykes, the dominion champion, in the singles event of the invitation tournament. To-day Miss Hall beat Miss D. Nicholls, and Mrs Dykes beat Miss J. Hartigan, _ another Australian player, in the semi-final of the event. The semi-finals of the women’s doubles and mixed doubles events will be played to-morrow morning, and the finals during the afternoon. The great disappointment of yesterday’s play was the withdrawal of Mrs M. Molesworth, first player of the visiting team, from the doubles and mixed doubles, as the result of a strained arm. Mrs Molesworth was obviously not at her best when she was beaten on tho first day by Miss Hall, and, although she pluckily took the court in the doubles with Miss Hall against Misses B. Gould and M. Gibson yesterday, her arm caused her such distress that she had to have it bound up after the first set, and was unable to continue after four games of tho second had been played. Although she lost the first set to Miss Hartigan, Mrs Dykes did not look a loser at any stage of the match, and in the second and third sets she definitely established her superiority over the Australian Mrs Dykes offered no weakness for her opponent’s powerful forehand to find, the New Zealand champion handling tho fiercest drives coolly and accurately on either hand, returning speed with yet more speed, and skilfully working her opponent out of position for a winning drive or volley from the short court._ Miss Nicholls, in the semi-final against Miss Hall, was evidently greatly distressed by the heat in tne second set, and wont down decisively to tho fastmoving and persistent Australian player. Miss Nicholls obviously did not have the energy necessary to last out tho long rallies that Miss Hall revelled in, and in trying to score too quickly she fell into errors. Miss Hall again impressed by the all-round soundness of her piay, which was marked by no great speed, but by wonderful accuracy in all her strokes and by an ability to return the most difficult shots. Christchurch enthusiasts had almost despaired of seeing in action the Miss Nicholls who has earned such a high reputation in the North Island when she produced some wonderfully good tennis in the quarter final of the mixed event, and with T. Rhodes-WilHams defeated Miss Hartigan and D. F. Glanville in straight sets. This was one of the most brilliant exhibitions of the day, the winners setting up an attack that swept the Australian player and her partner off the court. Miss Nicholls served splendidly, and volleyed and smashed with power and precision, and had a large share in the making of the openings which Rhodes-Williams turned to good account with cleanly-placed volleys and’smashes. , .. Another Australian player was eliminated from the mixed doubles when Miss M. Wake and H. A. Barnett beat Miss U. Valkenburg and T. W. Patterson in a fine Miss Wake also played splendid tennis. Her hard and accurate driving and Barnett’s indefatigable retrieving proved too solid a proposition for the losers. The last Australian survivor in the event is Miss Hall, partnered by J. H. W. Sheppard, and this pair had a long and close struggle to reach the semifinal against Miss M. Andrew and P. G. Greenwood. The semi-finalists in the woinen’s doubles are Misses Gould and Gibson, Misses Andrew and Wake, and Mrs Dykes and Nicholls, and Misses Valkenburg and Hartigan. The retirement of Mrs Molesworth and Miss Hall detracts considerably from the interest in this event. The semifinal between Mrs Dykes and Miss Nicholls and the Australians, Misses Valkenburg and Hartigan, promises to bo one of the best matches of the tournament, for each pair played brilliant tennis in tho preliminary rounds. Results: — DOUBLES. FIRST ROUND. Misses U. Vallrenburg and J. Hartigan (Australia) heat Misses J. Morrison and I. Poole (Canterbury), 6-1, 6-0, SECOND ROUND. Misses B. Gould and M. Gibson (South Canterbury) beat Mrs M. Molesworth and Miss N. Hall (Australia), 3-6, 3-1 (retired). Mrs H. M. Dykes and Miss D. Nicholls (Wellington) beat Misses T. Poole and N. Dick (Canterbury), 6-0, 6-4. Misses Valkenburg and Hartigan beat Miss N. Lloyd (Australia) and Mrs W. A. Scott (South Canterbury), 6-3, 14-12, MIXED DOUBLES. THIRD ROUND. Mrs W. A. Scott and B. B. Loughnan heat Mrs M. Molesworth and C.

Mrs W. A. Scott and B. B. Loughnan beat Mrs M. Molesworth and C. Angas by default. Miss N. Hall and J. H. W. Sheppard beat Miss M. Andrew and P. G. Greenwood, 5-7, 8-6, 11-9. Miss D. Nicholls and T. Rhodes-Wd-liams beat Miss Hartigan and D. F. Glanville, 6-3, 7-5. Miss M. Wake and H. A. Barnett beat Miss TJ. Valkenburg and T. WPatterson, 13-11, 4-6, 6-4.

VISIT TO DUNEDIN.

One of the most important lawn tennis events of the year will be the visit to Dunedin of the New South Wales ladies’ team on Friday and Saturday next. The visitors are undoubtedly the finest four women players who have visited New Zealand, and they are in the first flight of the game. On Friday the Australians will play matches against the best Otago players, and on Saturday the New South Wales ladies will play exhibition matches amongst themselves, when the public should be treated to an outstanding display. The visiting team is composed of Mrs Molesworth, Misses Valkenburg, Hartigan, and Hall, with Miss Lloyd as manager and non-playing captain. The present Australian ranking of the players isMrs Molesworth No. • 3, Miss Valkenburg No. 6, Miss Hartigan No. 9. Miss Hall is_ the Australian junior champion for girls under twenty-one. Miss Hartigan will undoubtedly bo the draw of the team, and her present ranking gives no indication of her ability as a player, and if she had taken part in tins year’s Australian championships she was expected to bo ranked within the first three.