THE DAVIS CUP.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 14, 29 December 1911, Page 3

THE DAVIS CUP .

\ THE Multi.L>'S best I’LAYEK. it ! Writing i,.t tEr- Davis t'.o, <- or; i e -t lin the ■■Sydney H'-rtni. ” Dr. Poide- ' eiq. s: de't inat ion ;in the :iic«'l;ate future v. be de-irs.».-d l>y the nit’.teh cciriniienciiig <>:i ,■ I" relay next, lor which Annr (in- <}..•:!!< ngit-g iiati-.m. I a - V A. I.ani-d ichaaijiicri «.f th- 1 nii-d . States,i, 11* ais \l •mi t. ami Aianrt-'c E. WT.tmghlin ; whilst i:i defence XGrill." » I'., Ih ixckes. H<kl Hr sit 11. A. W. I>iu;i-.;. and H<.;y Ri» e have ; ttn I <.„r<r 'I. \ , X« f. ftlti f ret id .'■ zv> t r.. hietit a] io |he match I. sell. r.i:t I -.ill ;i: ~ interesting io J >/hr-'.’ers of tin" game, will !,<■ tieM til; iri< nt ~f th,. niti.-h-discusM-d quest ion as to which is ll»- Leiler play<T. Norman P.rimkr s or Wni am Larned, fur v ,tt: ail due 'teference to I he AH-England champion. A:ith<.ny I". M tiding, tin st- two championre'l entirely <>f Australia ami America recognised leaders i-f tin--'tine to-iiay. They hare met before ;-.n<i in a Davis Cup contest. It w- - !!«>.■». at (,>i:><-n'- (Tub. Larned • a in three straight rets with a , score of It l-J. 6 <>. f. 3. That )-«>-

-tilt would set in cum-lnsiie i maigh. ■were it not for the fact, that, tit timt time Brookes, though well -ip the ladder of excellence, did m,t reach the tupim-; rung till tw.i years later. It has (<> Le written of fLarnrd. however, that his game Las igresitly unproved .''imf" then. True !h«» l.iiii already won the Nat tonal | Championship of America in Unit and )!n»2 (defeating the late R. F. ; Doherty in the challenge roumh. but. owing to the marked im-onsis-itoney in Ids form, lie was tinable t > hold it. With his ganre at that time , it w.ns ■‘neck or nothing,” lie won or he Inst on his <wn good or poor play. In his matches the "rests’' wi>r? usual y short, and were ended by a brilliant pa-s <-r short, sharp volley that bro-.-g!lit the crowd to its feet in a burst of applause. As I saw him in l!>i.>s he was a brilliant player hitting Lard all the time, ami gett{ing great pace on the ball with very i little effort. He was willing to take the net iiion at e - .cry opport iity. and was espc-cially qr: k hi fol■lev. mu up Lis good length drivi«. and when there he cither wo:i the point «.r Io:.!, it in n.:> ext raordinary -hurt space of time. But he was fi'oiiic; he had Lis oT" days,. ILt'itbi r played wonderfully well or very poorly; hi' play was never ; modi r-re. Of i-ourse he i-'tri'ied the wd with him. alway s keepitsg it. ■;i a state of cxeii < meat from the ~ ilr-t point to th'- last ; it was impos- ’ <:'o!e to watch I d witl:<-:it L ■ , i -niiiing « ntl'.'.isiastic. That, was the I.: :n<(i who. right on Lis, game.' bril Brookes in I!Hm; it is a mode foil Larned wh<> will endeavour to ■Lt -■> again next, week. At the sacrifice. perhaps, of some of his brilliancy. Ids form has gaim d in •readiness and reliability, to that vit bout interruption he has won ami defended the championship of, America tor the last five yrars. At ; u-. pi > i mii i:.. .iiw-nii e. but with laudable courage and enthusi.uni. he has come t > New Z( al.iml to do liis best to win for Ids countr’ 'rhe title of "champion nation” an i f w himself that of the world s cham- i

pi<•:• -1i i{ l . THE HOPE OF AUSTRALIA. His rival. Norman rlrookes, is a player of quite a diffcri nt school, delicacy of touvli. finite, and si rati ev fii>.l pt«>in:tienl places in hi* ariint::i< nt. He dors everything on tlic f >iirt so quietly and uinli.-.rusivelc, and with the nil asurr-d accuracy of an nrti*t:c draftsman sure of i imsclf ami his ability, ti-at 11 <• ex.eil-nee of his play stands a risk of p unappreciated l>y all save th" praetic.'ll obs>rvir. He is a 1I 't-iaii. a de< ;• and dwiaant think' • « i r> <- coii’ t. t moniiinent of iiiq*< >; J,,■)!>,l it y at.ii <let i-rmiv.a: ioc. !,.(■'■ s i-.b:i*t in ;!•: ire that the A:.-ti t i. hi 1 Imiinfl to lie. by mi murli. at a ilt-an vgnt-tge if this strtnumis encounter runs a protract r d i-oirrse. It. would be idle and the mi rest --itrit to ‘iiggcst the probable victor wh< n 11 «•;. mi'ct. Past p< ?f--i it:an<c favours Larned : reer nt form prove;; nothing. One t hing, i;>>w« v< r. sc< ms quite certain, viz., thit no match I.as l.< e-i f :;sight with gri ;liter <>r mo;-<’ widespread inti'Ti st for many tears, and none v.i.o-.e r< -ii'lt carries suds «.igi;ifican<-e. ", HO V. ILL MIX THE (UP *

Apart from ail « .-r. may mean 'hf'w inning -r losing <>f tin- cup. A< yet. the team- are not filially Oiosen. in all proba’oility. Reals Wright will hr Ip l.armd in the singl's. whilst Rod lit ath plays •'second string" to Br> k> In the doubles a good di more doubt exists as to tie p’. ■ :ng' ; proliatily Wright and M< L<a;eh lin will play for America, a; I Broi kes with i)tini«>p for Australasia. Ou paper is locks as though America must win at ’east three out of the five contest*. It. is no disparagetm t.t t«> Hiatt: to s.-.y that he lias yet t' prove his right, to bit reck'Pitd in the same class v> ith Larned and Wright in tip' singles. Hire is hi* chance, however, and if he accepts it, so niuc’n the better for Australas : a. Bt-ook-s !.•>* bten I'tatei! in Davis (‘up e nt< st* Ly bi.th Larned and Beal* M rluht ttwice). though, by very small margins, in favour > f Wright, in the two latttr caser. tu l lie scores ‘■lew : 1- 5 7. 12 10. 6- I, at Queen's (Tub tn I!«:.*>; a: < 3 tl, 7 >i 2. 12 H>. at Mr ' bourne, in llm*. Now :s Id's <-ham*e. to i. t-"> reverse those re-udts. and if evi'c a man meant to do his very nt■>n"t in pn'p-irat: a form'd acbfi ietmn; «•' an <tlt'll man i> Norc""li’ f'r<'cite.-, th:* time. May v:rt■ ■: y s*■ -1 w■■' h ’be dtsir v : r c.