LAWN TENNIS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 26, 30 December 1925, Page 6

LAWN TENNIS.

PROGRESS OF CHAMPIONSHIPS. FINALS AND SEMI-FINALS REACHED. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Dec. 29. Tho New' Zealand lawn tennis championships were continued in fine weather before a large attendance. Tho morning was sunny, but a cool easterly blew in the afternoon, with promise of fine, cool weather for tho remaining two days. LEADING PLAYERS. The men’s singles were remarkably interesting; four players are left in. J. C. Peacock will play D. France in one semi-final, while Geoffrey Ollivier will meet L. France, of Wellington, in the other half. The final will be played on Thursday. In the ladies’ singles, Miss Knight (Auckland) will play Miss Spoil's (Canterbury) in the top half, and Miss Marjorie MacFarlane (Auckland) will play Mrs Scott in the other semi-final, the final being played on Thursday. In the men’s doubles, the semi-finals were also reached. Ollivier and Seay will play Haege and Parker, while Peacock and Wilson will play the France brothers. Tho final in the ladies’ doubles will be between Misses Travers and Tracy (Wellington), and Mrs Scott and Miss Speirs (Canterbury). The mixed doubles have not reached the semi-final stage and are the most open event on the programme. They will be continued far enough to leave the final for Thursday. At present Miss Speirs and D. France are in one semi-final and will play the winners of Miss Travers and Haege versus Miss Ballantyno and Smyth. In the other half, the semi-finalists will be found in matches between Miss Marjorie MacFarlane and Lowry versus Miss Marion MacFarlane and Hill, and Miss Tracy and Wilson versus Mrs Scott and Pearse. > STANDARD OF PLAY COMPARED. Events so far have gone off in remarkably good time without a hitch or unpleasantness, and although the standard of play is not quite up to that of some previous years, tho events are remarkably open, except that Miss Speirs is playing better than ever, which gives good judges cause to favour her chances of winning tli© triple event. DEFEAT OF SEAY. A big foature of the day’s play was J. C. Peacock’s defeat of Seay in a grim match, in which Seay was eight times within a point of losing the match in the fourth set which he won, only to go down in a memorable filth set. Seay got the first set 6 —3, but Peacock played himself in beautifully and keeping Seay on the move for most of his drives just made him uncertain in his length. Indeed, Seay never got a good length because ho was afraid to hit, and this fact enabled Peacock, by better court craft, to work his way into the net with almost sickening regularity, from a Canterbury point of view. Once in, his volleying precision was uncanny. There were 62 games in tho match, which lasted three hours. The third set went to Peacock, 10— 8, after Seay had the odd game at 6 —5 and 7— 6. In the fourth set Peacock led 5 —4 ami 40—15, 6—5 and 40—15, 7—6 and 40—30, and also advantage. Seay’s recovery of this set was the. sensation of the day and kept many spectators late for lunch. After a rub down the men took the court again and Seay’s chances were favoured as Peacock showed signs of cramp in his hand. Peacock, however, led 4—2, blit he gave liis hand a bad jar taking a backhand volley without a shift of grip and Seay helped him to massage it. He netted the next and his lead was reduced to 4—3, Seay, serving. With greo/t volleying Peacock took tho eighth game off Seay’s service. Seay, like Peacock, suffered cramp in the hand and netted the first off Seacock’s serve. Seay’si hand was massaged, and on resuming he got a brilliant shot down the side line. Peacock went to 40—30 and won tho match point through Seay driving out. OLLIVIER v. BARTLEET. The court was hardly cleared before Ollivier and Bartleet were the centre of attraction. A favourable start seemed to put life into Ollivier and the succeeding play was the cream of the tournament. Ollivier undoubtedly

dominated the game and his long, sweeping drives, shooting down a foot inside the corners, .kept Bartleet racing. The Aucklander’s returns, however, were perfect net-skinners and but for uncanny anticipation of the. champion, and his varied stroke equipment for all sorts of. emergencies, Bartleet would have forged ahead. As it was after losing the first set ho forced an advantage set out of Ollivier, although he never had the lead except for winning the first set by two games. The pace had Ollivier in a lather and he took it easier in tho third set only to find that Bartleet had such a run on that he could not stop him, though he tried desperately to avert a love set. Ollivier regained his composure after winning tho first two games of the fourth set and Bartleet only got the third and fourth.. FRANCE IMPREGNABLE. Besides these two singles the L. France-Parker match was tame and whatever hopes might have been aroused by Parker’s defeat of Smyth were soon dissipated. France was simply impregnable and in the last set did not lose a game. D. France, however, lost the first set against Wallace, and this fact is not reassuring to his friends, unless he is gradually playing himself in. . .. , In tho ladies’ singles, a good line to form was fov.nd in tho fact that whereas Miss Marjorie MacFarlane took 7 — 5, 6—3 to beat Miss Ballantyne, Miss Speirs teat Miss Tracy 6—3, 6—2, never letting; up 011 forceful drives on both hands. Miss Tracy was marvellously nimble and safe, but could not withstand tho pounding. In the men’s doubles, there were no outstanding games except that of the young Aucklanders, Jackson and Turner, who fought a grim final set against the redoubtable Wellington pair, Peacock and Wilson, giving quite an object lesson in the art of hard driving and smashing. JUVENILE CONTESTS. The boys’ play has been very good and the final will bo one of the best events of the tournament. Lucas, who has a very clean backhand drive and smashes vigorously, is seventeen. Malfroy, who defeated Browne in tho semifinal, was very sound and won 6 — 2, 6—4. This was more significant in that Browne had beaten the younger Ferkins. Malfroy, who is also a Wellington player, plays a sound all-round game, but volleys too short, and his opponents often effect a recovery. Additional details of play are as follow: . Men’s singles.—Fifth round: Ollivier beat Bartleet, 6—2, 7—5, o—6, 6 2; A. L- France beat Parker, 6 —2, 6—4, 6 —o; D. Franco beat Wallace, 26, 6 —2, 6 —3, 6 —3; Peacock beat Seay, 3— 6, 6 —2, 10—8, B—lo, 6 —3. Ladies’ singles.—Fourth round : Miss Speirs beat Miss Tracy, 6 —3, 6 —2. Men’s doubles: Peacock and Wilson beat Jackson and Turner, 6 —o, 6 —3, 9 —7; France and Franco beat Griffiths and Johns, 6 —2, 6 —2, 3— 6, 6 0; Ollivier and Seay beat Patterson and Tait, 6 —2, 7—5, 6 —l; Haege and Parker beat Page and Knott, 2— 6, 9 —7, 6—4, 7—5. Ladies’ doubles.—Semi-final: Miss Tracy and Miss Travers beat Miss Knight and Miss Nicholls, 6 —l, 6 —3. Mixed doubles.—Third round : Miss Marion Macfarlane and Hill beat Miss Bowron and France, 2— 6, 6 —3, 6 —l; Miss Travers and Haege beat Miss Ferrier and Sheppard, 6 —l, 6 —4; Miss Marjorie Macfarlane and Lowry beat Miss Buchanan and Goss, B—6,8 — 6, 6 —2; Miss Ballantyne and Smyth beat Mrs Reeves and Louglman, B—6,8 — 6, 6 —2. Fourth round.—Miss Speirs and France beat Miss Saunders and Somerville, 6 —4, 6 —4. Boys’ and girls’ singles—Semi-final: Malfroy beat Browne, 6 —2, 6 —o; Lucas beat McDonald, 3— 6, 6 —2, 6 2; Dulcie Nicholls beat Norah Haggitt, 6 — l, 6 — o.