LAWN TENNIS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 285, 30 October 1933, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS

VISITORS BEAT WELLINGTON. HEAVY WIND PREVAILS. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Oct. 29. Ilain delayed the play in exhibition tennis matches when Perry, Lee and AVilde (England), Malfroy and France (AVellington), and Turnbull and Quist (Australia) were taking part, and only the doubles were played. The court was on the heavy side and a bitterly cold and very strong north-westerly wind interfered - greatly with the standard of play. The Englishmen and Australians were superior in all departments to Malfroy and France. Perry made most of his openings by angled . shots, through which AVilde left tiro AVellingtonians standing. The visitors were also superior 'overhead. Turnbull and Quist outplayed Malfroy and France mainly by brilliant serving and smashing, while Quist was adept at lobbing. Perry and AA T ilde beat Malfroy and France. 3 —6, 6—2, 6 —l. Turnbull and Quist beat France and Malfroy, 4—6, 6—l, 6—3. Turnbull and Quist beat Lee and AVilde, 7—5. France and Malfroy started off against Perry and AVilde as though they would win quickly. Neither of the Englishmen could get into liis stride, netting the easiest of shots. Malfroy’s kicking service gave France at the net brilliant openings on weak returns, and he made few mistakes. The second and third sets were quite different tales. Perry moved rapidly about the court and covered effectively shots that in the first set had beaten him. He upset the AVellingtonians’ combination by drives and volleys at acute angles and gave AA 7 i!de every opportunity of displaying his volleying and smashing abilities, which are of a high order. Perry’s service, too, was well placed, and AVilde showed cleverness in anticipating the return and cutting it off. As the Englishman came on ■to their game, so the AVellingtouians fell away, France in particular being less reliable in ground strokes and in his service. AVilde showed cleverness in lobbing and forcing Malfroy and France into mistakes overhead. Brilliant rallies with all four close in were scarce. Malfroy and France won the first set against Turnbull and Quist mainly because Quist could not hold his service and was netting drives and rallies. Thereafter the Australians were not seriously challenged. Turnbull fre quently aced France with his fast service, placed to the forehand sideline, and Quist, who served with a heavy slice, forced France and Malfroy into making weak returns, which Turn bull, at the net, killed. Before the end of the third set, Malfroy and France showed signs of tiring. The Australians never let up, and when forced from the net resorted to lobbing, Quist being brilliant. Their smashing when Malfroy and France tried lobbing was brilliant. Quist played coolly all through, and his fleetness of foot enabled him to make many wonderful recoveries, which succeeded because of the element of surprise. Quist’s smash across the court was unreturnable, and he caught the AA r ellingtonians down the middle-line time and again with fast drives. Turnbull’s crosscourt drive from the backhand, which keeps low, beat the opposition almost every time it was played.

In the final set the wind rose almost to a gale, and lobs with it were taken yards out of court and those against it scarcely reached the net. Quist was exceedingly clever in picking up half-volleys and he always seemed to anticipate the direction of the return. His lobs had a fairly low trajectory, so that the bounce was well away from his opponent chasing the ball.

In the Lee-AVilde and Tiirnbnll-Quist encounter, AVilde wa.s tlie outstanding player by reason of his brilliant volleying and smashing. He was not so strong off the ground, however, or in service. Lee was the better at driving, but was not so reliable in volleying. His placed service gave AAhlde at the net golden opportunities to check weak returns. It was really Quist’s sliced service and cross-court smashing. as well as his short volleys and judicious lobs, which gave Australia the victory. AVilde was inferior to Lee in return of the service, nor did the Englishmen have as good an understanding as the Australians, who are considered- a combination of world class. All four players were palpably affected by the wind. Despite this, however, Turnbull and Quist missed very few smashes, but Turnbull netted many vollevs and short returns from easv positions. AVilde earned applause with sharply-angled drives from the backhand, which the Australians found absolutely impossible to counter. Rain stopped play after the first set of this' game. TABLE TENNIS. ENGLAND BEATS AVELLINGTON. Per Press Association. AVELLINGTON, Oct. 29. England beat AVellington in all five table tennis matches played oii Saturday night. The visitors, who included Perry, ex-champion of England, showed the local players a new style and quality of play. Results were as follow: AVilde beat H. D. Kennedy. 16 —21, 21—10, 21—12, 21—12. Perry beat C. F. AABlliams, 21 —16, 21—18, 21—19. Perry and AVilde beat E. Cheal and H. Pyle, 21—18, 21—14, 21—23, 23—21. AVilde beat Williams, 21 —14, 23 21. Perry beat Kennedy. 21 — : 13. 21 16. In a special match. Miss L. Sturrock (AVellington) beat Miss L. M. Hughes (Palmerston North) ' 31 —25, 31 24, and reversed the result when the two met in the match between AVellington and Manawatu.