TENNIS CHAMPIONS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 November 1934, Page 4

TENNIS CHAMPIONS

MATCHES AT CHRISTCHURCH

AVOAIEN PLAYERS IMPRESS

Per Press Association

CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 9,

Approximately 2000 people assembled at AVilding Park to day to see the visiting English lawn tennis team engage in matches against one another and with leading Canterbury players. A large proportion of those visitors came mainly to see Aliss D. E. Round, tlm first ranked woman player in the world, for, while F. J. Perry, another member of the team, occupies a similar position in' men’s tennis, he has already played in Christchurch. None could have been disappointed in Miss Round, for she played tennis of a standard that has never before been produced by a woman player in the South Island. Results of the matches were as follows:

F. J. Perry (England), beat C. Angas (Canterbury), 7 —9, 6 —l, o—o.0 —0. G. P. Hughes (England), beat T. Rhodes AVilhams (Canterbury), 6 —l, 6—3.

Aliss D. E. Round (England), beat Miss N. M. Lyle (England), 4—6, 6—4, 6—2. F. J. Perry (England), and H. A. Barnett (Canterbury), beat G. P. Hughes (England), and H. Dymond (Canterbury), 6—l, I—6, 6 —2.

Aliss E. M. Deai-man and G. P. Hughes (England), beat Aliss D. E. Round (England), and T. Rhodes Avilliams (Canterbury), 6 —3, 10—8. G. P. Hughes, captain of the visiting team early in the day expressed a wish to have a “work-out” in singles, and he was accordingly matched against a leading local player, T. Rhodes AVilhams. In addition to this match and a brilliant singles between Aliss Round and Aliss N. M. Lyle—a match that produced the finest women’s tennis ever seen in Christchurch—spectators saw Perry lose a set to C. Angas in a contest in which the local man made the Englishman produce some really good if not his best tennis in order to win. There was also much brilliant play in the doubles, in which Perry and Hughes were partnered respectively by A. H. Barnett and H. Dymond. Canterbury representative players, and in the mixed doubles between Aliss E. AI. Denman and Hughes and Aliss Round and Rhodes AA’illiams. The speed and accuracy which Al:ss Round and Aliss Lyle maintained throughout their match were a revelation. Aliss Round may not have been at her best, particularly in the first set., which Aliss Lyle won 6—4, but she exhibited a repertoire of hardhit strokes and a fleetness of foot on the court that might have been the envy of many men. All her strokes are produced with a rhythm and grace that are the hall-mark of a champion. AVhen necessary, too, the}* are played to a rising ball—tactics that when successfully carried out give their user the advantage of that extra fraction of a second that makes the difference between taking advantage of an opening and missing it. Perhaps the most important lesson that the English women players have to teach the New Zealanders is the perfection of their footwork. Aliss Lyle, even more than Aliss Round, demonstrated that footwork is half the game. Tall and heavily built, Aliss Lyle nevertheless covers the court with great speed of foot, and she is always in position for her shots. The manner in which each woman returned shots from deep in the backhand corners was remarkable. Aliss Lyle displayed a beautiful forehand drive which, directed into Miss Round’s backhand corner, was a constant menace throughout the match.

If Miss Hound showed by her splendid driving and volleying that she is a worthy Wimbledon champion, Miss Lyle fully demonstrated that hopes placed in her by the English tennis authorities arc not misplaced. l’erry was the same dashing, debonair player who captured the imagination of New Zealand spectators last year. He gives the impression of boundless energy and physical resource. and it comes as no surprise to see him make an acrobatic leap at a ball far out of the court and send back a scorching shot that his °PP on ' cut has no hope of reaching. 1 eny made more mistakes to-day than ne could allow himself to make m championship play, and he attempted many shots that would not have been justified in a more serious match, ft very now and again, however, lie produced a forehand drive or smash of almost blinding speed, and Angas, his opponent, was fortunate if a short hall to Perry’s forehand did not escape punishment. Angas played in the first set as well as he has ever done in Christchurch, and although he won only one more game in the second and third sets, h chased Perry’s corner-finding shots heroically, and the champion paid him the compliment of maintaining an unrelenting attack for the remainder of the contest. Rhodes Williams played scarcely well enough against Hughes to make the Englishman reveal his wide repertoire of cut and sliced ground strokes and volleys. The Canterbury man was well below his best form, and was

quite unable to cope with Hughes S varied spin. The Englishman, has a wonderful variety of service—cannonball, American twist, and reverse twist, and it proved a potent weapon in the doubles matches.. Hughes is extremely quick about the court.

Hughes and lihodes .Williams were opposed to each other in the mixed doubles at the end of the afternoon. Miss Dearman made her only appearance of the day in partnership with Hughes and Miss Hound played with Rhodes Williams. Miss Dearman showed herself to be the possessor of a very complete stroke equipment, nut her shots did not carry the speed of Miss Round’s, and she had not the same facility’ for finding openings in rlie opposite court. Hughes could never take liberties in intercepting in driving exchanges between the two women. Rhodes Williams played much better than in the singles, and had some fine volleying exchanges with Hughes. Miss Round supported her fine driving with splendid volleying and smashing. Playing with Perry in the men's doubles match, Barnett, the young Canterbury player, showed his very best form. He took advantage of every opening that Perry’s thrustful ground strokes and volleys engineered for him, and he was little less active than Perry himself in covering the court. Dymond was seen to less advantage, and was obviously a little over-awed by the occasion, but he held his end up in a match against an obviously stronger pair.