TENNIS AT WIMBLEDON

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 226, 24 August 1932, Page 2

TENNIS AT WIMBLEDON

• : THE AND REWS-SH lEL DS MATCH. ' _ M hen ‘:vo sets up on F. X. Shields.! : the American Davis Cup player in thetennis championships at Wimbledon , recently, F. D. Andrews. the ox-Paim-I erstoman. slipped on nurr.her one court and sprained his anHe could only limp about ror some time, but subsequently rallied and only just lost a ■ terrific five-set battle. ' Tho incident . war. a forcible reminder for Shields of his own misfortune last year when a similar accident on tr.e centre court robbed him of the championship. Writing of this match, in the Lon- ! don Illustrated Sporting and Drama- : tic News. Mr A. Wallis Myers, one of the foremost authorities on lawn ' tennis, says: Rarely has the centre : court staged a struggle so long, so tortuous and so entertaining, as that . nn which frank Shields met "Buster’’ . Andrews. It lasted two hours and : three-quarters and embraced 67 games. 1 of which pearly one-half were devoted ,to trie dispute of one set. Both men were cut out for the warrior’s rob. although their personality was ouite dissimilar. A ‘ Rupert "of debate, .■shields brought to tne arena not or.iy an engaging figure, but strokes of 1 dynamic power delivered with an easy; grace. Stolid and phlegmatic by comparison. a son of Xew Zealand (where, by the way. he hopes to return this coming winter, there to recapture the Dominion title;. Andrews earned his points calmly and stoically. by solid and unspectacular play. He is a born match-piayer, because he loses hirn.se 1 1 in the game and i.s never out to tickle the fancy or the crowd. The doughtier the enemy, the more resolutely will he 'strive. I rec-ail his first match with A us- • tin at Delhi in .January. 1!>31. They were up at Cambridge together and had frequently competed in the same tournament; fate had hitherto kept; them apart. Austin’s more classical I style had gained him a long lead. He! appeared so certain to win that I lert the ground to change for a doubles: match. Halr-an-hour passed and the two Blues had not come to the dress-! ing room. I haiied a tonga and went 1 back—to find the struggle at games—. all in the second set. Eventually, by! hoisting a stream of teasing lobs. Andrews won. He had forced Austin to spend too much: the reserves were with Xew Zealand. The winner, unlike Austin, did not possess the touch j of the artist; on that day mind pre-; vailed over matter. They rnet again at Bombay, and very nearly the same, thing happened. It was cruelly hot j and the court was of burnt sand— ! not of turf, as at Delhi. Austin was on the brink of an easy triumph ; Andrews held on like the fighter he is; he caught and passed his man.; But this time Austin did not yield: he was actually the less distressed, after a great finish. When Andrews injured his ankle j he appeared to have victory within his grasp. Shields insisted that firstaid should be rendered, waiting ten minutes for his opponent to come' back. He could have claimed the match according to the strict letter of the law at Wimbledon. Frank, Shields is not that kind of man. I