LAWN TENNIS NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 244, 12 September 1935, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS NOTES

Steelman won the Sheffield and Hallamshire singles, beating Malfroy in the final 11 —13, 7 —5, 6 —2, thus confirming his present superiority, for he beat Malfroy in the Paddington tournament and in the Irish championship. With Malfroy he won the doubles, and in spite of their poor showing in the Davis Cup doubles, when Stedman was right out of form, they are one of the best pairs in the game to-day. Malfroy and Mile. Jedrzejowska beat Stodman and Miss Chuter, the pair who won the Irish championship, in the final 6 —2, o—4.0 —4. This Polish lady is right in the front rank nowadays. Stedman won the Northern (Manchester) doubles with Yamagishi, the winner of the singles, but lost in the quarter-finals to 1). N. Joneai, the hard-hitting American giant. He seems to have developed a great doubles game and keeps winning with several different partners. An unprecedented result was reached in the Scottish junior championships, the winners of the singles being twin brother and 6ister, whose mother. Mrs ltobin Welsh, was one of the best players that Scotland has produced. There are several instances of twin champions, but they have always been of the same sex. The most noted were the Renshaws, Baddeleys and Allens, the two former pairs winning singles and doubles at Wimbledon, while the Allens, who only appeared at Wimbledon twice, on one occasion reached the final of the All-Comers’ doubles. They won numerous doubles all over England. Britain has at last found a doubles partner of Davis Cup class for Hughes in the Army champion C. D. D. Tuckev. In the Davis Cup final they beat the famous American pair, twice Wimbledon and once U.S.A. champions. This was no fluke, for they had previously beaten them at Queen’s Club, but had lost to them in the semi-final at Wimbledon.

Tuckey was the outstanding player in the match, his service and smashing being the feature of the game. He won 11 out of his 12 service games, scoring 24 aces by service and 56 points in all. His second service is little less severe than his first, but he only gave away two double faults. Van Ryn was easily the next best scoring 16 aces by service, 42 points in all and double-faulting three times. By common consent the best doubles player of the year is Quist the South Australian who was in New Zealand last year. This is the more remarkable from the fact that he is greatly handicapped by his shortness of stature.

At the late annual general meeting of the N.Z.L.T.A. the “intermediate” championships for players under 21 were abolished on the motion of the Manawatu Association. The reason for their establishment given by the management committee of the N.Z.L.T.A. was that young players emerging from the junior ranks, in which under 18 is the age qualification get beaten by more experienced players and become “discouraged” and so do not persevere. The records in all sports, however, show that players of 18 can hold -their own with the very best. Last season a 15 year old boy called Bromwich won two big tournaments in N.S.W., at one of which Sproule, who was finalist for the N.Z. championship less than two years ago, was a competitor. Another Australian bov McGrath, at 16 beat Vines and at 17 beat Perry, each of whom was world’s champion at the time. More recently the American boy, Don Budge, playing at Wimbledon, beat Boussus (France’s No. 1) and Austin (Britain’s No. 2) and was only beaten in the final by von Gramm (second best amateur in the world) by three sets to one, but he reversed this result in the Davis Gup match with a similar score. There are instances in many countries. The opinions of ten ex-champions of New Zealand which were read at the meeting were all against these “intermediate” events, they unanimously considering that if a young player cannot take a beating, and lots of them, in the proper sportsmanlike spirit without being discouraged, then the game is well rid of him. On a ballot being taken the motion was carried by a majority of 5879 votes, and the N.Z. Plate for those beaten in the first and second rounds of the championship will take its place, this being the proper event for the young players who, according to the Management Committee of the N.Z.L.T.A. are likely to be discouraged. The intermediate events at the championship tournament last season proved a farce. That for youths was won by the Wellington “champion of champions,” who obviously was in no need of protection from more experienced players, while the winner in the girls’ event was only sixteen, so that if it had been retained she might well have had a practical walk-over for the next four years.