TENNIS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 9 May 1925, Page 10

TENNIS

AT THE HAWKE’S BAY TOURNAMENT. E. D. ANDREWS. Undoubtedly the oustanding figure of the tournament was E. D. Andrews, the young Palmerston player who only a year or two ago, it seems. Was a schoolboy. Still a stripling in the very early twenties, he lias fulfilled all the promise of other days, when people called him quite truthfully a youthml prodigy. Essentially, at this stage of his development, a. singles player, Andrews is assimilating strokes and court craft that will probably equip him, in a few years, for. contests with the best New Zealand or Australia can produce. In his match with Lowry his driving to the corners and side lines was masterly, and liis overhead work sufficiently deadly in its precision. He is not the doubles artist that Lowry is, but what he lacks now he will doubtless acquire in the future.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. The steady improvement of such players a,s Andrews is encouraging in view of New Zealand’s entry into Davis Cup contests as a separate nation, and he is almost certain to be a member of the next Davis Clip team sent abroad.

The prospect of Maoriland’s participation in these great international struggles recalls that New Zealand has a fight to expect more from its tennis players than it is at present getting. This country is acquiring fame as a sporting quarter, and it behoves each spearate branch of sport to uphold the national reputation. The deeds of the All Blacks, on the Rugby field, and of the All Black eight, on Australian waters, only suggest that their success might stimulate other branches of snort to emulation. New Zealand has not in recent years fulfilled the promise its tennis gave when it produced the late Anthony Wilding. But if a rational selective progress is adopted, and encouragement given to the important 1 younger players, then soon there may be hopes for a not inconspicuous part for this country in the Davis Cup series. A SUGGESTIVE FACT. A second suggestive fact is that the only two nations who nowadays can put up a serious fight for the Davis Cup against the United States are Australia- and France, in both of which we believe the younger generation Concentrate on running games and eschew the* great walking game. As a result, whereas since the war—which was at one time regarded as a comprehensive ex p 1 a n ati o n —Engl and has produced very few first-rate tennis players, both France and Australia possess brilliant and even wonderful post-war players, only second to the American holders. Indeed, it is doubtful if the Australians are second, could they arrange to put their best team in the •fibld, viz., *Mr.- J. O Anderson, Mr, G., L. Patterson, Mr. O’Hara Wood, and Mr. J.' B. Hawkes, as there is some prospect of their doing this year. Wte should he amazed to learn that any of these great players concentrate their week-ends to “putting.”

TWO HUNDRED-HARD COURT NET TOURNEYS THIS SEASON.

The hard-court lawn, tennis season, for which no less than 191 ’tournaments have been officially sanctioned, opened recently at Ventnor. With six tournaments scheduled for March, the number increased rapidly each: month, until by July and August the "crest of the tennis tournament wave was reached with an average of almost two meetings daily—s 6 each month to be exact.

Statisticians calculate that by the end of the season, 'allowing a fair estimate of an average of 200 matches for each tournament, that approximately 40,000 separate matches will have been played, during which over 200,000 tennis balls will have been put into play. The claim is advanced on behalf of lawn tennis, that although thirty years ago saw it in its infancy, it is now one of the greatest ball games in the world and substantiate this claim by the statement that twenty-three nations entered for the Davis Cup games last year, and even this new record was broken when 1915 entries were filed. 1