TENNIS CHAMPIONS

Evening Star, Issue 21316, 21 January 1933, Page 5

TENNIS CHAMPIONS

NEW ZEALAND TOURNAMENT YESTERDAY'S PLAY [Pm United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, January 20. The New Zealand lawn tennis championships were continued to-day in fine weather, marred by a northerly wind. By 2 o’clock it had dropped, and the conditions were ideal. The result of today’s play in the men’s singles is that the games in the semi-finals will be: H. H. Barnett v. C. E. Malfroy and C. Angas v. E. D. Andrews. The semifinalists in the ladies’ singles are Miss Dulcie Nicholls v. Miss Doris Howe and Mrs H. M. Dykes v. Miss Marjorie Macfarlane. The final of the boys’ was won by N. F. N. Bedford and N. A. Morrison. The Barnett-Stedman match occupied nearly three hours, and was spectacular to a degree, in that Stedman drove brilliantly throughout, compelling Barnett to run fast and unceasingly along the base line, making remarkable recoveries in almost every rally. Stedman threw aside defence and belted to the corner within inches of the back line. Barnett gave no ball up as lost, and used the lob well. Ho varied his length and pace, backhand and forehand, admirably. His backhand also carried a heavy slice. Losing the first two sets through Barnett’s better handling of the wind, Stedman belted through the next two, but Barnett was not to be denied, and compelled Stedman to keep on forcing the issue and to make mistakes. He fought almost throughout from the backline. It was a fight between dissimilar stvles.

D. G. France played the first two sets well below form against Malfroy, missing easy winners in the net and over the sideline. Malfroy appeared more confident, and was his usual accurate and quick-moving self, his volleying being outstanding. France assumed command of tho net in the third set, and outplayed Malfroy with angled rallies. He had a great chance to take the fourth set, but netted the rallies in his over-eagerness. He saved match point several times on his service, as also did Malfroy, but lost game point when Malfroy dug up the ball desperately for a lob which completely beat him. At the close France was beginning to como on to his best form. Sturt, who has been playing well below form, opposed Angas in a very poor game, in which the shots seldom went past the service line, and Angas was immeasurably superior at the net. Andrews made no race of it with Rhodes-Williams in a base-line game, despite the Canterbury player’s beautiful stroking. Andrews’s speed and varied game and placements made his victory easy. As usual, through tho tourney Miss Beryl Knight played a good first set against Miss Dulciq Nichols, meeting the latter’s hard driving with brilliant volleying. Losing the first set, she ceased to try'. She served two double faults in the last game of the first set. The match between Miss Doris Howe and Miss Melva Wake was also made a Nunneley Casket match. Keeping a good length to the corners with her cut drive, Miss Howe outplayed Miss Wake to lead 5-1. She slackened in length and pace, and Miss Wake had her turn to ace her time after time to both corners to lead 6-5. Miss Howe eventually' won the set, 10-8, and in the second set Miss Wake offered no real opposition. Miss Howe maintained a persistent pressure to Miss Wake’s backhand. Mrs H. M. Dykes outplayed Miss Rudkin in a hard base-line driving game. The Canterbury player lost accuracy after the first three games, mainly netting. Tho best doubles match of the day was when Andrews and Lowry losing the first two sets to Angas and Sturt, each at 7-5, won the next three by brilliant exploitation of the lob and concentrating on Sturt, who was the unsteadiest of the four. Andrews lobbed and drove outstandingly', and Lowry was bettor overhead. Angas was accurate in volleying, but did not have the pace to win by mere volleying. Ho lobbed well in the first two sets. Results:—

MEN’S SINGLES. —Fourth Round.— H. H. Barnett (Canterbury) beat A. C. Stedman (Auckland), 6-2, 6-3, 1-6, 5-7, 9-7. LADIES’ SINGLES. —Third Round.— Mrs H. M. Dykes (Wellington) beat Miss Edna Rudkin (Canterbury), 6-3, G-i. . Miss Marjorie Macfarlane (Auckland) beat Mrs Whatley (Wellington), 6-2, 6-0. MEN’S DOUBLES. —Second Round.— A. L. and D. G. France beat K. G. Salmond and D. I. Robertson, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2. 'C. E. Malfroy and I. A. Seay beat R. R. Lees and E. Fouhy, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. —Third Round.— E. D. Andrews and J. N. Lowry beat C. Angas and N. G. Sturt, 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. MIXED DOUBLES. —Second Round.— T. Rhodea-Williams and Miss T. Poole beat D. C. Coombc and Miss B. Knight, 6-3, 6-4. D. G. Franco and Mrs France beat K. G. Salmond and Miss M. Rutherford, 6-2, 6-2. C. E. Malfroy and Miss AT. Macfarlano beat A. C. Stedman and Miss Ml. Wake, 6-3, 6-4. —Third Round.— N. R. C. Wilson and Airs N. Al'Nair Thomson beat G. A. Pearce and Miss N. Fleming, 7-5, 7-5. JUNIOR BOYS’ SINGLES. —Semi-final.— J. W. Gunn beat R. T. Wilson, 6-3, 6-0. N. F. N. Bedford beat E; F. Page, 5- 6-3, 6-0. JUNIOR GIRLS’ SINGLES. —Semi-final.— Jessie Burns boat Dorothy Dickey, 6- 6-3. Jov Bishop beat Aileen Smith, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. BOYS’ DOUBLES. —Final.— N. F. N. Bedford and N. A. Morrison beat R. T. Wilson and M. F. Lees, 6-1, 6-2. INTERMEDIATE OPEN SINGLES. —Semi-final.—-W. G. Robertson beat M. Ferkiiis, 6-2, 6-2. WELLINGTON RETAINS WILDING SHIELD. Wellington retained the Wilding Shield when N. R. C. Wilson beat R.

W. Robinson 6-1, 6-2, and Ferkins and Wilson beat Robinson and RhodcsWilliams 6-2, 6-4. Rhodes-Williams beat Ferkins in the singles, 7-5, 6-3. NUNNELEY CASKET. Miss D. Howe’s defeat of Miss M. Wake 10-8, 6-1, and Airs D. G. France’s defeat of Aliss T. Poole 6-2, 6-2, and Airs Dykes’s and Aliss Howe’s defeat of Misses Wake and Nicholls '7-5, 5-7, 6-2, makes Wellington’s retention of the Nunncley Casket against Canterbury practically certain. Canterbury will have to win all the remaining rubbers without the loss of a set and without the loss of more than five games.