LAWN TENNIS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 523, 4 December 1912, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS.

THE DAVIS CUP. GREAT BRITAIN SCORES. It is pleasant at this time when so much is said about the decadence of sport in the Old Country to find that it ia to the representations of the Homeland that Australasia has to yield the tennis supremacy, after a contest the closeness ofwhich is shown better bv the games—B6 to 85 —than the points—3 to 2. While the reault was a surprise, as no one expected that Brookes would turn out to be one of the weak points in the scheme, the masterly play of the Britisher, Parke, who comes from good old Erin, is undoubtedly the reason for the defeat of the colonials. It was in 1907 that Mr N. E. Bruokes (Victoria) and Mr A. F. Wilding (New Zealand), who captured the Davis Cup from Messrs Roper Barret and A. W. Gore, the English holders, at Wimbledon that year. The conditions of the contest for thf> Cup provide that the games to decide its possession shall be played in the country where the holders reside, and since 1907 those who have challenged for it have been compelled* tec oiae overseas either to Australia or New Zealand. Up to the present these visi.ts, which have been confined to American team, have been fruitHaas, Brookes and Wilding, and later, Brookes, Dunlop and Heath defeating the challengers. This year an English team of challengers, Messrs Dixon, Lowe, Beamish and Parke, journeyed nearly 16,u00 miles to regain the trophy. The sensational start of the Britishers in the. Singles, when both of the colonials went down, increased the interest in the Doubles, which—going to the Australians—attracted a crowd of ten thousand to the finals on Saturday. Then Brookes' recovery of form for his last match revived the hopes of the friends of the holders of the Davis Cup, the hope of a repetition of Wilding's sensational feat in 1910 being revived. But it Was not to be. Heath made a gallant fight against the wonderful Parke, but failed to get nearer than an "almost" in hia last two sets. The feeling roused by the last match may be guaged by the action of the English captain, who, amidst great enthusiasm, sprang into the court and embraced and kissed his confrere Parke, undoubtedly the hero of the contest. TE KUITI v. HAMILTON. On Saturday last the Kuiti Club played the first match of the season against the Hamilton club. There was a strong wind which militated against good play but in spite of this, impediment some close,.arid exciting matches eventuated. The new courts stood the large number of. games played very fairly and with more play and rolling there is little doubt that they will soon carry a good surface. The visitors were entertained by the local club to lunch at Kelvin.House and the lady members of the club provided afternoon tea. The matches resulted as follows, Te Kuiti being mentioned first in each case:— Ladies' Singles. Miss Jordan 7, Miss Wilkinson 5; Mr 3 Matthew 2, Miss Carruth 7; Miss Graham 7, Mrs Scott-Watson 5; Miss Ellison '3, Miss Cook 7. Men's Singles.—Wallace 5, Fabling 9; Kelso 9, "James 1; McCarthy 9, Farrer4; Harton 9, Cavanagh 1; Matthew 9, Sare 5; Semmens 4, Sanson 9. Ladies' Doubles. —Miss. Jordan and Miss Graham 9, Miss Wilkinson and Miss Carruth 3; Mrs Matthew and Miss Ellison 1, Mrs Watson and Miss Cook 9. Men's Doubles. Kelso and McCarthy 9, Fabling and James 8: Wallace and Harton 9, Farrer and Cavanagh 7; Matthew and Semmens 6, Sare and Sanson 9. Combined —Kelso and Miss Jordan 7, Fabling and Miss Wilkinson 9; Wallace and Mrs Matthew 4, James and Miss Carruth; McCarthy and Miss Graham 6, Farrer and Mrs Watson 9; Harton and Miss Ellison 6, Cavanagh and Miss Cook 9. Totals. —Matches: Hamilton 11, Te Kuiti 10. Games: Hamilton 125, Te Kuiti 121.