LAWN TENNIS NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 40, 15 January 1935, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS NOTES

The inconsistency in Perry’s form is quite unprecedented in the annals of tennis. When he beat Stefani 6 —o, 6 —o, C —o he appeared to have recovered his brilliancy, for Stefani, whom the critics place from sixth to tenth in the world’s ranking, has never experienced such a defeat before. He and Perry had previously met on three occasions, victory each time going to the Italian, though in the French championships Perry slipped up and dislocated two small bones in liis foot when lie seemed likely to win. He was in bed for a week and arrived in England unable to put his foot to the ground. He visited a bone-setter, who put the bones in their places, but at the time it was doubtful whether he would be able to play at Wimbledon. After his brilliant play against Stefani and McGrath, and Crawford’s moderate form against players of less note, it seemed likely that Perry would add another to his many victories where those two have met. But apparently he is reallv stale and could not force the pace. There is not much between the two. When Crawford has won lie has only got home by two games in the last set and lias only liad a majority of two games in each match, fortunately the last two games. Although there were few outstanding players in the late Manawatu tournament, the play was on the whole quite as interesting as usual and everything went very smoothly. Of the local players D. I. Robertson showed up best and was the only one to take a set from the ultimate winner. Charters, who last season heat Andrews for tile North Island championship is right out of form and is only about tenth in the Wellington ranking. In the women’s singles Miss Nicholls, No. 1 in the New Zealand ranking, and Miss D. Howe, No. 8, had an easy passage to the final, none of their opponents winning more than four games in two sets. The final was one of the best seen oil the Linton Street courts, both ladies driving hard and low, and though Miss Nicholls won with a good deal in hand she had to work hard for her points.

S. Hooper, the young player who had won the AYellington junior championship the previous week did very well. He took the first set from Charters and won the handicap from the 3-6 mark in good style. He and his elder brother put up a good fight in the doubles against the ultimate winners, Lampe and Cox, being only "beaten 7 —5, 6 —3, the same score as that of the runners-up, Coombe and Pearce, who last year won this event. Since then at Dannevirke the brothers Hooper contested the final of the boys’ singles, Wyndham beating Stafford 9 —7 in the third set., but the latter got his own back in the final of the handicap when, giving ten points in sixty-five, lie won by three. The new fashion of shorts for tennis was not much in evidence at the Manawatu tournament only two of the visiting men wearing them, and none of the visiting ladies. The latter for

the rpost part wore skirts of reasonable length, just covering the knees and giving perfect freedom of action. The local ladies mostly appeared in long skirts, in some cases reaching almost to the ankles, which are neither graceful nor conducive to activity. One visiting lady appeared in a pleated divided skirt, which, with an extra inch or two of length so as to cover the knees, seems to be the ideal costume for the game. The victory of Lampe, the Wanganui player, in the doubles was very popular. He lias played in this annual tournament every year since before some of the other players . were born, and, though beaten year after year in the singles by such players as Andrews, Malfroy, Stedman and D. G. France, alwavs turns up smiling and shows himself a good loser, that is to say a good sportsman.