Tennis Titles

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 5, 7 January 1937, Page 8

Tennis Titles

Wellington Winners COOMBE AND MISS NICHOLLS Per Press Association. TIMAKU, Jan. 6. Heavy rain fell continuously yesterday afternoon and it rained intermittently through the evening at Timaru. The weather cleared this morning for the finals of the New Zealand tennis championships, which were commenced this afternoon. The weather was overcast and warm. The courts were heavy but generally in good condition. The new title-holder 3 are: — Men’s singles: I>. C. Coombe (Wellington).

Women’s singles: Miss D. Nicholls (Wellington). Men’s doubles: E. A. Kousscll and E. McL. Ferkins (Welliugtou). Women’s doubles: Misses I. and T. L’oole (Canterbury). Mixed doubles: D. C. Coombe and Miss Nicholls (Wellington). Men’s Plate: N T . Edwards (Wellington). Women’s Plate: Miss I. Poole (Canterbury.) Wilding Memorial Shield for association gaining most wins: WellAgton Association. Apart from the women’s doubles and the Plate Wellington scooped the pool and on form revealed that their representatives* wins were fully deserved. Coombe had a meritorious win over Bedford, who several times had previously beaten the new singles chain pion. The most brilliant tennis in the whole tournament was the final of the men’s doubles in which Koussell and Ferkins rose to great heights, the lastnamed giving a really brilliant exhibition. His covering up was faultless, while at times when lie advanced to the net he held the fort alone. Miss Duleie Nicholls (Wellington) beat Miss Nessie BeveTley (Waikato; in the final of the women’s singles in straight sets, 6 —3, 6 —4. Miss Nicholls made good use of the heavy court, driving beautifully to the corners and down the lines and varying her spin drives with drop shots. The game was played mainly from the baseline and at a fast pace. Miss Beverley was driving well, but found the heavy court too much for her, and was unable to go to the net to make use of her excellent volley. She took off her shoes at the end of the first set and picked up four "■ames in a row in the second set to lead 4—ll, but Miss Nicholls, using much headwork and placing her drives well, won the title, C —4. Men's Singles. Dennis Coombe beat Noel Bedford in five sets in the final of the men’s singles. The first set was mainly a hard driving, cautious base-line encounter. Coombe drove excellently on the forehand, but was not always reliable from the backhand corner. Bedford made many beautiful top-spin drives to both corners and many good drop shots, but tiis margin of errors with fast-skimming drives was insufficient and he was just , connecting with the top of the net. Coombe had few chances of coming | to the net because of Bedford’s excellent passing drives. Coombe’s smashes when he did get there were very good, and he scored many service | aces. The games went with service to I 2-all, but Coombe drove ahead to win Coombe continued brilliant driving 1 far above his Wellington form in the second set and took a lead of 5 —2, but Bedford made a remarkable recovery, and making Coombe do a lot of running with excellent corner placements, he | equalised at 5 —5 and then with a net ) cord took the lead 6 —5 and with a . beautiful drop shot the set, 7 —5. ' Although long base-line rallies continued in the third set, Coombe attacki ed whenever possible from the net. Bedford made beautiful drives on the backhand passing Coombe frequently. Play was very fast until Bedford took the 1 lead at 4—3. Coombe served three successive double faults but aced to deuce | and smashed to the corner to even at 4-all. Coombe rushed the net with fine smashes and volleys, taking the set,

6—4. Bedford made an excellent recovery in the fourth set and with good placements to the corners and good drop shots took the set, G—2. In the final set Coombe was fighting every point and by superiority of net play and smashing took the set and the title, G—l. Other Matches. After dropping the first set Misses I. and T. Poole won the women's doubles title from Misses Wake and Bishop. Play at the start was very even, but Misses Bishop and Wake were combining to better advantage. The Poole sisters put more life into play in the second set which they took after a hard fight. Misses Bishop and Wake fell right away in the final set, winning cne game only. In the mixed doubles the two New Zealand singles champions, D. C. Coombe and Miss Nicholls were paired against E. Boussell (Wellington) and Miss 1. Poole. The latter pair were right off their game. They seemed unable to do anything right and were well beaten from the start. By taking this match Coombe and Miss Nicholls each won two titles. The final of the men’s doubles made up for the mediocre form in most of the other finals and was a fitting finale to the tournament. The net exchanges had the crowd on their toes and both pairs staged great recoveries. Seay was not up to his best form and Augas has played better, but nothing should be allowed to detract from the merit of the win of the Wellington pair. They fought for every point and though down three-onc in the final set revealed remarkable courage and teuacity to even at three-all and then tako the lead. While Koussell was severe overhead, *>u» wi n was lartrelv due to the brilliant

network of Ferkins who proved himself the best doubles player at the tournament. Besults: — Men’s singles final: D. C. Coombe beat N. F. Bedford, G —3, 5 —7, G —4, 2—G, G —l. Women’s singles final: Miss D. Nicholls beat Miss M. Beverley, G —3, G —4. Men’s doubles final: E. A. Koussell and B. McL. Ferkins beat C. Angas and L A. Seay, S —G, G —B, G —l, G—4. Women’s doubles final: Misses 1. and T. Poole beat Misses M. Wake and M. Bishop, 4—G, B—G,8 —G, G —l. Mixed doubles final: D. C. Coombe and Miss D. Nicholls beat E. A. Bousscll and Miss 1. Poole, G—3, 6 —3. New Zealand Plate. —Men’s semifinal: Iv. Dyer beat K. G. Pattinsou, (j y—7. Final: N. Edwards beat. K. Dyer, G—l, 6—l. Women’s Plate. —Final: Miss 1. Poole won by default from Miss Gould.

DENNIS COOMBE’S BECOBD. Dennis Coombe was born an the Manawatu and he is the third from this district to win the New Zealand singles championship, the others being E. D. Andrews and A. C. Stedman. Coombe comes of a tennis-playing family and his mother —she was Miss Bailey then—was one of the leading players in this district some 30 years ago. Mrs. Coombe had three sisters who were good tennis players and the quartette was more than a match for any other lour players in the Manawatu. D. C. Coombe went to school in Masterton and when he left school he joined up with the Fcilding Tennis Club. That was during the 1931-32 season. Ho played tojx for his club that year, but iu the inter-club match with Palmerston North, he was beaten by Brown, the ox>posing No. 1 player. In the Christie Cup match at Wanganui he accounted for Larnpe, I—G,1 —G, 6—l, G—2, and he was ranked No. 1 in the Mana watu that year. In the 1932-33 season he beat Bobcrtson and Brown iu inter-club matches, also Court, the North Island champion, the score being 3 —o, B—G, G—2, against Court. In the Manawatu open championship that year he was beaten by A. C. Stedman, O—G,0 —G, I—G. In the 1933-34 New Zealand championships he beat Perkins, 6—2, 4—G, 6—2, G—2. In the Christie Cup match against Wairarapa that year he was beaten by Hodder, Wairarapa’s top man, 2—6, 4—6. He had a bad run in inter-club matches that year, being beaten by Brown (Palmerston North), 2—6, 6—5, 7 —5, and by Bobertson (Palmerston North), I—G, G—o, I—G. In the Christie Cup match against Wanganui Wheeler beat him I—G, 5—7. Ueremia was another who beat him that year, the score being 4—9 in a one-set match. In the 1933-34 Manawatu open tournament he was beaten by Malfroy, I—G, 3—G.

His game was steadily improving, however, and in the Manawratu open final in 1934-35 ho beat Charters, 6 —3, 6 —4. In the New Zealand championships ho beat Knott, tho Australian, G—U, 3—6, 6 —l, 7—5, but in the semifinals he lost to Sturt, of Auckland, O—G, 4—6, 6—3, G—3, 4—6. In the 1935-36 New Zealand championships he beat D. G. France, reckoned to bo one of the best, if not the best player in New Zealand, G —3, 6—2, G—4. He also beat Angas, ranked No. 1 this year, G—4, G —2, 4—G, 7—9, 9 —7, but was beaten by Vivian McGrath, the Australian Davis Cup player, in the semi-final, McGrath winning G —2. G —2, G —l*