SENSATIONAL “SNARL" IN SPORT

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 237, 7 October 1938, Page 11

SENSATIONAL “SNARL" IN SPORT

FOOTFAULTS IN DAVIS CUP DECISION AGAINST QUIST SPOILED GAME • BRILLIANT J. BROMWICH . The Davis Cup matches blew up in • one of the worst snarls international t sport has ever known. And it all , came from calling a delayed technicali ity which will travel further around ! the world than the shots of the em- , battled farmers of Lexington in one ; of the first of our international par- ; ties, writes Grantham Rice, in the Auckland Star. The United States beat Australia • three matches to two, but the United States lost far more than it will ever gain from winning any sporting contest. For there can be no glory in winning on the calling of a delayed | technicality against a team that has : travelled 15,000 miles to give the best it had. The main figure in the United States defence was not Don Budge nor Bobby Riggs. The feature entry was Harold Lebair, one of the footfault judges, who threw a two-ply pall

and a Maxim silencer upon the crowd, Australia, Budge and Quist combined, by suddenly calling footfault against Quist at the two vital points of the first set when Quist was outplaying Budge by a narrow margin with a good chance to get the jump game. An Old Habit, Quist has one way of serving, which ! is technically wrong as it include a touch of the kangaroo hop back of the line. But if he was foot-faulting or hopping at the two crucial points of that first match, he was foot-faulting ' in every game of every match he played. If Quist w _,s to be called to account ■ in these two main moments, he should have been called on Saturday against Riggs, on Sunday in the doubles and in his first service against Don Budge. \ Where Foot-fault Judge Lebair , made his big mistake was in waiting for two main dramatic moments to apply his drastic penalties, penalties that killed all interest and drove Quist to serving from deep right field with his game completely wrecked. In fact, Mr. Lebair, an entirely honest and conscientious citizen, might just as well have dropped two bombs on the show and blow up everybody, including the stands. Quist Leads 3 to 1. When Budge and Quist came up on the court on the final day, the U.S.A. Quist match was to be the last line of Australia's defence. Quist got the jump on Budge at three games to one before the redhead rallied to pull up even. Budge was leading five games ■ft four, without any protest from judge. Then, with Quist leadnext game by a big margin, was called against Only a short while fault was called at moment in the play on the most exeilmatches played about as hair--1,10 cemetery. < ve called cm needed to * l l nii a y 1 sslll - ■ O I ] , 1! o iii t : .fat k 1 9 ~y*' Vy** * :in j u !i;r " iis t. i gHBgHBHBHKSwBBHML O ' j