TENNIS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 302, 5 December 1931, Page 3

TENNIS

INDOOR COURTS ARE BEST FOUNDATION OF FRANCE’S SUPREMACY. COST TOO GREAT DRAWBACK. An English writer, H. R. McDonald, says:— It ii curious to reflect that comparatively few of the many thousands who play lawn tennis have even played the game under the best conditions. There are only about a dozen laces in England where it can be played under perfect conditions—one the centre court at Wimbledon and on the wooden floors of a few covered courts scattered about the country. Unfortunately, there are only four centres—two in London, one at Llandudno, and one at Liverpool—where the public, by joining such clubs as Queen’s and the Covered Court Club, can obtain regular play on wood under cover. All the other wooden courts are owned privately by rich patrons of the game who entertain their friends at tennis parties. Some of these private covered courts at Sandown, Trent Park, Sutton Place and Sulhamstead would make ordinary players of the game gasp at their magnificence and yearn for just one chance on such a glorious surface where neither grit nor bump can mar the bound of the ball, nor anv wind disturb its flight. No man who has ever played lawn tennis on a wooden floor under cover is afterwards content with the outdoor game, quite apart from the battle with the elements. Surface That Made France. To be independent of the weather, an advantage enjoyed by very few players of games, is in itself a wonderful thing, and cheap at almost any price. Moreover there is no surface hke wood for improving one’s play or assist in correct stroke production. It is wood that has made France the predominant country at lawn tennis, and it is wood that has given most of the Continental stars their beautiful execution and grace of action. Was there ever a more pleasing player to watch than Andre Gobert, the great French played, who had no peer on wood, but who could not win the chcampionsihip at Wimbledon? The man who plays all his tennis or most of his tennis on wood is always a very formidable problem for anyone, no matter how good, to tackle. It was on wood at Queens just after the war that Gerald Patterson, the grim Australian, who twice won the English title, met with the only defeat of his career from an English player. Epic Matches. His conqueror in the covered courts championship, P. M. Davson, was a wonderful player on the famous East Court with its terrifically fast surface. A short time before the match P..M. Davson, an architect who specialises in covered courts, had relaid the floor of the court on which he played Patterson, and as someone said after the match was over, "he ought to know where the splinters are.” It was on this same court at Queen’s that H. L. Doherty, one of the immortals, sustained the only defeat that came his way during long years of preeminnee. Once again the conqueror, M. J. G. Ritchie, was a man who knew the floor like a brother and every board by name. Doherty was also a member of Queens and played a lot there, but in those days Ritchie only came off his favourite fast court for meals. Davis Cup Under Cover? Ritchio has related since how the late H. S. Mahony, the most brilliant of Ireland’s tennis sons, on the eve of the match gave him a recipe to beat Doherty, adding: "But I should go to bed early, for you will have to run twenty miles if you arc to win to-mor-row.’ Quite recently, too, there was that wonderful match on the East court between Jean Borotra and “Bill” Tilden, when the International Club of France met the British I.C. Finer driving has never been seen, a revelation of the speed and intensity of the modern game. And Borotra won in two terrific advantage sets. It is the recollection of such epic matches that makes one wonder why the rules of the Davis Cup cannot be altered so that at least some of the ties in this great world competition can be played under cover. Cost about £5OOO. Many of the continental nations England plays' are well acquainted with wooden floors, on whichthey learn and play the game; yet they are asked to play vital ties on wet grass or indifferent rubble. As the wooden floor is such a fine thing for lawn tennis, why cannot the rank and file test their skill upon it? For the simple reason that covered courts are expensive affairs, costing about £5OOO to build. No public covered cqurt l even as a municipal enterprise, is likely to be a paying proposition unless there were hard courts and squash courts to back it up Various attempts at various times have been made to turn swimming baths, airplane sheds and halls into covered tennis courts, but the low roofs and the indifferent lighting either by day or night have been against such experiments.