Can Great Britain Regain Tennis Supremacy?

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6808, 11 January 1929, Page 4

Can Great Britain Regain Tennis Supremacy?

DAVIS CUP LONG ABROAD Many Champions In The Making The visit to New Zealand of Great Britain’s four young tennis “hopes,” H. W. Austin, J. 0. Gregory, I. G. Collins, and E. Higgs, has revived interest in the age-old question: When is Britain going to regain the Davis Cup, which she has not held since 1912? Will Austin and Gregory after their world tour have experience and strength enough to conquer the best that France and America can offer? ' In the following article, written for the “Manchester Guardian,” the critic, E. J. Sampson, discusses most interestingly Great Britain’s prospects in national and international tennis. “Britain may soon —but not just yet” is his answer to the question.

Has the year 192 S produced an Engdish champion, a player to restore us to the proud position in the game we once held? he asks. The answer has to be a sorrowful negative;. the champion man, as also the champion woman, does not recognise “God Save the King” as his or her national anthem. At first it looked as though P. D. B. Spence was to be the season’s “And,” for he defeated Cochet in the semi-final of the British hard-court championship meeting at Bournemouth last April. But in the final Lacoste had not the least difficulty in winning in straight sets, and thus putting “Pat” Spence in the proper perspective. Later in the season Lvcett, Colonel Mayes, and Kingsley also beat him. At Wimbledon we had but one representative in the last sixteen, and that was H. W. Austin, beaten in. the next round by Lacoste, but not until all five sets had been played. 'At the present tinie “Bunny” Austin is. away on tour with Higgß, Gregory and I. G. Collins, and it is pretty generally agreed that if he returns “fifth set fit” here at long last is the player who may put us where the Dohertys left us. Austin has all .the qualifications of a real champion-; he is 23. of small and compact build, such as Cochet is or H'. L. Doherty was, and is the possessor of a true “all court” game, sound ground strokes being backed up by

W. H. Powell, the former Cambridge captain, if he is where he was. has certainly not advanced upon his form of last year. J. S. 01 iff, 19 years old, and the winner of the (Manchester) Northern, has also figured in the final at other meetings, and is a player of the very highest promise. He possesses such touch and timing as to secure the maximum of speed with the minimum of effort, but here again is a disappointing player, for at the Cumberland (Hampstead) meeting he was beaten easily by H. G. N. Cooper, of the Oxford University team.

E. R. Avory, of the Cambridge team, is another player of great promise. He is only 19, and he is now uniting good volleying with destructive driving. At Eastbourne Avory beat. M. Sleem, the All-India international, in straight sets, and thus disposed of the legend that the Indian was virtually unbeatable. Here, in England, we have many young players of great merit, and, incidentally, we enjoy a higher average of skill than any other country, but the possession of a world-beater is not a mere matter of calculation. Were it at the command of the greatest and richest nation, then it would be hopeless to argue with America, but such is not the case, as can he so very ably contended by France. Once. arrived as the greatest player that individual would seem assured of a lengthy sway. Lawn tennis history . supports this contention, for Tilden reigned for seven years, and for how many is the domination of Lacoste or Cochet to last? Of the women, as of the men, there has been much promise but little fulfilment. Betty Nuthall began well by beating Mrs Watson, at Felixstowe, but since then her record has not been exactly inspiring. She has been beaten by Mrs’ Mitchell (formerly Peggy Saunders), and has latterly not been playing in singles events, being busy with her new overhead service, which is by way of becoming a. real asset. It must not be forgotten that Miss Nuthall (though a lawn tennis “star,” authoress, and kinema' actress) is only 17 and may yet fulfil the great hopes once entertained of her,. Eileen Bennett has also faded from the forefront, doubtless the penalty of too much play, and only last week she was beaten bv Miss Chamberlain at Hampstead. Miss E. Harvey is not as good as she was, and Joan Fry is in similar case, a fact she would seem to realise, for her name does not figure so frequently in singles. Miss Ryan (though strictly speaking a Californian) is another player no

sound volleying and the ability to “kill” an overhead ball by proper angling rather than by mere brutal ball bouncing. At Eastbourne, when America beat Great Britain, Austin beat both G. M, Lott and J. F. Hennessy, the present holders of the American doubles championship. ' J. C. Gregory, but a year older than Austin, and who two years ago was looked upon as another “hope,” may so benefit by his world tour as to fulfil our former anticipation, but, frankly, the last two seasons he has not made the promised progress—largely as a result of inability to get the right sort of practice—but here, undoubtedly.. is a possible champion, with the ability to crush opposition by sheer'power of stroke. E. D. Andrews, the New Zealand International and Cambridge, University “Blue,” focussed all attention when he beat F. T. Hunter at Wimbledon, but he has not shown himself a player of such' great merit as that performance might indicate. While a fine player, he is hardly a consistent one, as witness his defeat at Eastbourne in the third round by E. C. Peters. Charles Kingsley, the English international, Is not as good as "he was, his ground strokes lacking in seventy, and

longer so good in singles, though ii doubles yet the best of them all. Oi all our woifien, Mrs Watson is the one player whose lustre is undimmed, and licr famous forehand drive has given her one easv victory after another in the course of the season, so that of the home players one must place her first. If. however, wc possess no Helen Wills, Lili dc Alvarez, nor Cillv Aussexn, yet the standard of our women players far surpasses that of other nations, and, in addition, to the young and improving players next year we hope to see Mrs Godfree playing again.