TENNIS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 275, 3 November 1933, Page 3

TENNIS

ENGLISH PLAYERS IN ACTION BRILLIANT PLAY IN DOUBLES MALFROY UNIMPRESSIVE By Telegraph—Press Association. NEW PLYMOUTH, Nov. 2. Exhibition tennis matches were played at New Plymouth by the British touring team —Perry, Lee and Wilde — and the New Zealander Malfroy. The weather was perfect, but tho courts were very dead after heavy rain the previous day, which affected the standard of tennis. Nevertheless, brilliant tennis was seen at times, particularly in tho doubles. Tho attendance was 800. Results: — Wilde beat Malfroy, G —3, 6 —4. Perry beat Lee, 6 —4, 4—6, 6—l. Perry aud Wilde beat Lee and Malfroy, I—6, 6—l, 6—4, 6—4.

The opening singles between Wilde and Malfroy was rather disappointing to those who hoped to see Malfroy display some of the form that enabled him to beat Perry at Dunedin. Wilde began very accurately, while the New Zealander was very much off his game. Malfroy grew more and more careless as the game progressed, and threw games away. Had he tried, it is doubtful whether he would have been able to pick up the leeway against an opponent who was maintaining an exact length with fast drives that just skimmed tho net or sending over angle shots almost impossible to reach. Three sets had to be played before Perry could dispose of Lee in tho other singles match, which provided a much better exhibition. Perry did not attempt to take the net, where he is at his strongest, but allowed Lee to come up more often than he would have had the match been more serious. Lee made rather more errors in the first set than his opponent, being unable to strike a length and frequently driving out. Perry picked up Lee’s volleys from the net wonderfully and often passed him. Lee continued to take the net in the second set, which ho won with forceful tennis, sound both on backhand and forehand. In the third set Perry was definitely in the ascendant from the beginning. Lee made a great attempt to save the match in the eighth game, but Perry showed his great class with magnificent recoveries that turned defence into attack. Wilde was the hero of tho doubles match. Though he was off colour in the second set, which he and Malfroy won rather easily, he shone brilliantly throughout the rest of the match and, with Perry, made no mistake about the next three sets His volleys were deadly and accurately placed, but it was in overhead shots that he was most spectacular. Perry was quietly efficient always and scarcely ever let go tho opportunity of taking advantage of an opening. Malfroy again appeared to be out of his class and off form. lie was brilliant at times but more often made errors. Lee played his best game of the afternoon in the doubles, but it was due to his stinging drives across the court, which paralysed tho opposition, that he and Malfroy won the first set. Without sufficient support and against such steady tennis as Perry and Wilde played after that he could do little to stop defeat, though he played splendidly.