TENNIS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 9 August 1924, Page 12

TENNIS.

The Chinese have made no showing against Australia in the Davis Gup preliminaries, and Patterson and W.ood have had the holloAvest of victories. It is a tribute to the players from China that they ha.A r e shoAA'n the enterprise and determination to get players to meet the redoubtable Aussies. With a team of Soccer players in N©av Zealand this year and in Australia last year—and no mean adversaries, but quick, clever and determined in their play—the men of the Far East are much alive in sport. Lock Wei is the captain of the Chinese team, and his colleagues are Paul KAyong and O. H. Haung. Lock Wei hails from Shanghai, and he played formerly with the university team and at Cambridge University. Ng Sge KAvong is champion of Hongkong. On their recent form the Australians should have little difficulty in eliminating China, and they will then play Mexico at Baltimore on August 7, 8 and 9. The cablegrams have informed us that Canada has—not without difficulty—eliminated Cuba, and noAV meets Japan in the second round. The third round will probably witness the meeting of Australia and Japan, <md if the Australians are again successful in this match-they will meet the AA'inner of the European, zone to decide Avhich nation shall enter the challenge round against the holders, the United States.

“J’en ai puarante-deux,” the classical reply ,of the famous Frenchman who was asked in how many ways he could deliver the service at tennis is more thaiu-a mot superbe of the kind of which his countrymen have an inexhaustible supply at command; the writers point out that he must have knoAvn of an equal number of services that he did not possess. In the statement and the comment on it, taken - together, may be found one explanation of the prestige enjoyed by tennis—-its variety. There is so much to be learned at the game that the man of 70 who has spent his days as a tennis player may find himself making a match of it with an active Youngster.

In this sumptuous history of the game the writers often recur to this variety, either expressly or by imp]ica>tion. in tracing its development in response to elaboration of implements or to acquired experience. They have included Avith due acknoAvledgment—whatever information they could glean from predecessors who have laboured in the same congenial field, and have set themselves to make their own work final. It may be divided into two parts. One part is statistical and expository; it contains the history of the game; the history of its literature; an enumeration and description of tenniseourts in all parts of the world into Avhich civilisation has introduced the game, and records of matches and lists of players—both exhaustive' Not content with courts in England, America, France, and Italy, Mr. Noel presents a diagram of a perfect court, which, like our houses, exists at present only in imagination. He is so thorough that he stipulates that the “false” dedans shall be furnished ivith tennis prints, and, to judge from the numerous pictures and photographs with which the two volumes are illustrated, the Academician privileged to make the choice AA’ill have no lack of material from Avhich to select. Those given enable the reader to grasp the appearance of courts, aneiept and modern, in England and elsewhere, and to familiarise himself respectfully with the lineaments of those who have done themselves honour Avith a tennis racket. The other part of the books deals with the laAvs and technique of the game, the characteristics of the players Avho by their prowess have achieved immortality, . and the details of famous matches. The records and comments go to show that the right way triumphs; and as, in the last 50 years, the game has been taken up with enthusiasm in America, Avhere novelty is prized above tradition, Ave must assume that the foundations AA'ere well and truly laid. I hey were laid in the dark backward and abysm of time. The authors incline to number Nausicas among the players if so, we may be sure that the championship crossed the seas to Ithaca; there Avould have been no beating Ulysses at a game demanding so much strength and so much subtlety. B.v E. B. Noel and J. O M. Clark. Oxford UniA-ersitv Press. Tavo vols.