TENNIS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 6 March 1926, Page 13

TENNIS

'Despite the very unfavourable weather during part of the season, it has been a very interesting year so far m Hawera and in Taranaki. There have been many matches and the great tournament to locus interest on the game. And to-day is the match between the elect of South and North. It should lie a very interesting and exciting contest. DAVIS CIUP CONTEST. There will be a feeling of genuine regret all over the tennis world that Australia will not send a. team to contest the Davis Chip for 1926. Since the war, though they have had players who appeared to- be capable of being world champions, they seem to have failed to show them their best when opposed to the great American players, it is, however, a handicap to have to send a. team so far and a very great expense. On present appearances the French team will be likely to give the Americans the greatest struggle of their career. Their success in the covered court championship has increased their prestige, already standing very high, and made their chances in the Davis Oup contests much brighter. Their meeting with America, assuming that they survive in the European zone, will be watched with tremendous interest all over the world. AMONG THE MAORIS. A HIGH IDEAL.

Outdoor games have always appealed to the Maori mind, and the names oi young representatives of*the native race stand well in the forefront of the records of most games played in the -Dominion. The names ol Ellison, Gage, Nepal,’Paewai, the Warbrick Bros., and many others, readily occur to the mind iff Rugby annals, as do others in kindred sports. Tennis, until the last lew years, lias not /claimed so much attention, but even so- there are a number of Maori players who have shewn a marked ability in the game of tennis. In addition, much, effort has been used to foster the game among them,, and tennis courts may be seen at most pas and interest in the game has increased by leaps and bounds. "Prominent members of the’Maori race —men like Hon. A. T. Ngata, Sir Maui Pom are, Dr. Buck, and Air. loin oa n a (H.'B.) —-are making great effort* to foster a love of the game and have, with this in view, endeavoured to use the game and the striving for supremacy] to appeal to- all that is best, in the nature'of the people. They have looked upon tennis as a part of education, not merely a physical exercise but a pursuit that should, looked at in its proper light, serve to make the Maoris strive for something higher and better and be a means of putting into their lives an uplifting force that will be for the great benefit of the whole race. This year the locale of the New Zealand Alaori tournament was fixed for Rotorua, practically the home and headquarters of the people, and this will be‘ another means oi appealing to their imagination and should serve to stress the ideals which the leaders are striving to implant in the minds of the young people of the race. With this iii view, the general control is in the hands of the Arawa tribe, who will arrange for the billeting and entertainment of the competitors while they are at the tournament. This wil 1 be a great assistance to many competitors from a. distance, who would perhaps be unable to be present. The number competing in tbe last two 'years, at Wanganui and Dannevirke, has risen from a hundred to double that number and is expected ns year to reach nearly three hundred. It is, too, worth noting that the organisation of the scheme was due largely due to the efforts of that fine player, Tukere, of Wanganui, a brilliant exponent of the game, whose play gave such, delight to spectators' at the Hawera tournament at Christmas. He i«s imbued with the ideals of the other leaders and to try to forward a realisation of these ideals. The opportunity will be taken to have discussions on various matters ol the utmost importance to the future of the race. A point stressed, too, with ail the players is that they are urged to remember that there is much more in the competitions than only tennis, and that they must be prepared to realise Die true ennobling instinct that is necessarv if the game is to be played in its best style and all the best possible secured from participation in such contests. The leaders .hope to teach them that manners are necessary and that these “manners are not idle, but the fruit of a loyal nature and a noble mind.” That is one of the lessons stressed by the men who are responsible for the control of the tournament From the various districts of the North Island—Hawke’s Bay, Wanganui East Cbastt, Waikato, North Auckland, Wellington, and Taranaki —will come teams of players to take part in the various events. . , On 1 Thursday of this week the Alaori pi avers of South Taranaki assembled m Hawera for practice, preliminary to the selection of the representatives to make the journey to Ebtorua. at Easter.

PHYSICAL FITNESS. THE G-ATVIE OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO. As the years go t>.y events that happened some time ago are apt to become hazy, even to some of those who may have witnessed them. Interesting past history is provided in the story of how ■ New ' Zealand defeated New South Wales on .17th September, 1904, at Sydney. Tt has been said that “Laishley was tiring when the ball hit the rope over the top of the net and broke it. This was Laishley’s, and' incident oily New Zealand's, salvation, for in the ton minutes or so which elapsed before the net was fixed again Laisliley got his second win and won the match. Had it not been for that aeci: dent, said one who saw the match, New Zealand would, not have won the odd mateli. ” This is not. quite correct, and the real facts of the ease can. be borne out by the late Fred Laishley’s team mates, two of whom are in Wellington. The writer, as it happens, was secretary of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association at the time, and can also vouch for the following facts. The order of the New Zealand team was Parker, Peacock, Cox, Laishley, Swanston and C. Gore; Laishley being the fourth man, and not the sixth. Laishley defeated Wright 11—9. 5—7, (i—l. Tiie. latter defeated Cox, our third player, 9 —4, o—2.0 —2. The Sydney press complimented the New Zealand team on its success, and. said! that the New Zealanders deserved; their win, as they worked hard and. went to considerable trouble to get into good condition. The team trained hard, before leaving New Zealand, and trained harder when in. Australia. At the end of the first day’s play New Zealand led' by .1 matches, 10 sets, 94 games, .to 2 matches, S sets, 90 games. The following day New South Wales evened up the scores after some, exciting play, and the ultimate result was left to Laishley . and Wright to fight out.

Laishley had' to defeat liis opponent to give New Zealand the victory by one match. There was no player on either side in better training or more fit than genial Fred Laisliley. He was the best trained and fittest man on the ground, and it was his fitness, plus his jduck, that pulled the match out of the fire. Laishley took the first -set 11—9, but WTight evened the score with a 7—5 win. When set-all was called the excitement was great, but when "4—l, Wright leads,” was hoisted, the victory for New South Wales was loudly proclaimed. At this stage it was ciear to keen observers that Wright was in distress whilst Laishley was still full of fight. Several stoppages were made to allow Wright to receive attention from his followers, but despite every effort he gradually became more distressed. Although both players seemed to have been playing their utmost, Laishley came away with a final effort, and possibly never before on a Sydney ground had such hard and accurate driving been seen. The New Zealand player’s superior condition (that was when Wright led 4—l in the third set) asserted itself, and he had Wright running from side to side until the latter was completely exhausted. Laishley ran Wright to a standstill, and took five games in rapid succession, which gave New Zealand the set, 6—4. New Zealand thus won by 11 games, 25 sets, 249 games, to 10 matches, 27 sets, 269 games. The brief stoppages were a relief and a benefit to the distressed Wright, and might easily have lost Laishley the match. Fred Laishley was one of the finest sports who ever hit a ball, and when playing for country, province or club was always as fit as training could make him.

Messrs Peacock and Swanston are still active players in the leading flights. The late F. Laishley was in his very early years in Hawera, where his father was manager of the Union Bank, while the late Charles Gore was an old Wellington College boy, and one of Wellington’s best, tennis players, as well as a cricketer.