Lawn Tennis Notes.

Free Lance, Volume VIII, Issue 399, 22 February 1908, Page 14

Lawn Tennis Notes.

On, February Btb, Veen and Misses Morgan amd Murray appeared in. the Brougham Hall Club's senaor ten., and, as that was the date of their Cup fixture with Wellington, tho ciicunisfcances looked "dicky," but careful investigation elicited the fact that the trio's presence in the team was quite accidental. The Lance writer is an easy-going individual, albeit a stickler for principle, of whioh there is an, enrtire absence in all things appertanndng to tenaiis. Anyway clubs, from the mod-el institution. (Newtowji) downwards, have frequently been promised some "useful hints" ifthey happened to transgress in the direction of shady tactics, therefore no apologies are necessary for the following remarks — The three players mentioned, along with Peter Clarke, formed part amd parcel of Brougham Hill's team in. last week's Shield match against Newtown, and, as they appeared in the original selection published in Friday's "Post," on this occasion there can be no legitimate excuse for such straight-out "pointing," and their selection can only be regarded as a deliberate piece of lmpertineaice. Veen, Clarke, and Miss Murray's undoubted claims for inclusion in the Cup team have been advocated more than once in this paper, but the management did not require enlightenment — the trao were simply "not class enough." Strange to say, though, when it suits the club's convenience these same players have greatness thrust upon them by inclusion in the Shield combination, if you please ' Any admiration caused by the Cup team's plucky struggle against superior opposition, equal cunning, and Dong odds in., the Wellington 1 match is now reduced to a minus quantity because of this latest indiscretion in competely isolating the Cup representatives. This is a serious question, and if the Association does 1 not wish to see the miter-club competitions utterly ruined by unscrupulous and unjustifiable "doctoring," they should take nn<stant and drastic measures to. prevent a repetition of such an unwholesome exhibition of slackness in club management. The following team v. as originally chosen for the lnterpiovincial match ftgainst Canterbury, to be played at Christchurch next Saturday : Fisher, Peacock, Swanston, Cox, Laishley, H. M. Gore, Mrs. Hickson,, Misses Nunnelly, Ward, and Travers ; emergencies — Young, J. S. Wilson, and Misses "Williams and Van Staveren. The combination has evidently been selected on past merits, and as in other branches of athletics, so it is in lawn tennis. This picking of teams on a reputation basis is the curse of sport! What earthly right have Laishley, Gore, and Miss Nunmelly in Wellington's elect ? For instance Laishley has twice been defeated this season by the onetime brilliant Newtowner, Morris-, and the former is now a "light" of other days, besides having lost all keenness. Why advance the argument that he would put Morris out 9—39 — 3 every time were he in. form? He certainly has not put up a decent performance for ages, and what guarantee is there that he will rise to the occasion against the Southerners ? Absolutely none ! In selecting Gore and Miss Nunrnelly, the patriotic clubs which are assisting the Association, in every practical manner have been shamefully treated. The lady has turned up her nose at the inter-club matches, and prefers playing with the "select" at Thorndon on.. Saturday afternoons, in.ctead of doing battle for Brougham Hill. Besides being a back number. Gore also belongs to Thorndon. Yet both are receiving trips at the Association's expense, and for all they are doing For tennis in Wellington (from a_ playing and educational point of view) may just as well be im a glass case! If a club deliberately blocks the advancement of sport in any shape or form, as Thorndon, has done, why in the name of all that's just should its representatives participate in, outings promoted bv the governing body? Is it reasonable or fair to the many fine players who turn out week after we^k to do penance in the competitions? Satisfaction would have been expressed had G. Prouse, J. S. Wilson. and Miss Williams replaced the three i representatives named, with Morris and Miss Van Staveren as the respective first reserves. As there are bound to < be vacancies, it is hoped the merits of t the above players will be recognised. < • • | Aftertheir long spell of nine weeks Shield contestants are experiencing a ( difficulty in striking their old form. Few of them have done anything to 7 even equal their ante-Christmas ef- s forts, and the antics of various players s

of note suggested that the interval had been spent in a futile attempt to master the intricacies of Diabolo, and, having failed, racquet wielding was only taken up again as a last resort. No s doubt it is, too ! 3 However, specialisation and critic ism of the individualists will probably " be dealt with by my fellow scnbes, , "Huka " "Footfault/ 5 and 'Intterclub,'' whose special hobby js the gJori- * fication of Shieldites. Crowns must ' be nearly ready for many lvould-bes in semoi ranks, to say nothing of a couple ', of second-raters who never "duck" the limelight ! • • * [ The Holdsworth-Fleming v. Haw-kins-Cornell flutter, at Khandallah on i the Bth mst., was prodxictive of a ter- , rible amount of talk, the Petoneites especially displaying an eloquence wor- '. -Ehy of Tommy Wilford's parrot ' A couple of the local brigade can also use their j a wing-tackle to advantage! I The Oup is Wellington's if they caai only keep "Beno" on the chain, but his unfailing devotion to his mid-day ' duty on tlie Quay simply speJls disas- ■ ter. In another monHfi (date of final) he will be beyond all human aid ' In Memoriam. — Sacred to the mcmi ory of "Footfault." who departed from this vale of sorrow on the 11th of December last. R.I. P. (Return nf possible !) A tribute to his work \\as the rumouied proposal of the "Times" Syndicate to issue an "extra edition" on Wednesday mornings but for his sudden, demise. His descriptive faculties and the hreeziness of his criticisms will remain as things of joy for ever — the only bright oasis in an otherwise barren desert of tennis journalism m th<e 1907-08 season. "Oh, Alfred we have missed you ! ' ' In yiew of recent happenings, "Touchline" would gladly welcome a like fate, and if the weekly average of tennis atrocities (some of them bordering on positive, brilliance) does not greatly decrease, the office staff w ill go into mourning at an early date There does not appear to be much honour attached to securing a. place in Shield combinations now-a-days. In tact, the Brougham Hill Club are un.able to find enough players to fill the numerous vacancies, because the sport there has developed purely into a matter of business. Players in the next grade are absolutely debarred from promotion because of the club's consuming passion to aJinex the Oup. Can Arthur Fair, the budding K.C., evolve some scheme to end the continual strife of "pointing" and cutting your opponents' throats? Couldn't the selectors of the representative team (Messrs. Laishley, Redward, and Bee-re) have found three other Thorndon ladies besides Miss NunneSHy to make the Christchurch trip? It would then have been a Thorndon combination, lock, stock and barrel ! Jones generally manages to come in for honourable mention, in, the pinchpenny press, whenever some Cup contestant or other, of Racquet standard, has the misfortune to be defeated by him. But this writer is somewhat puzzled by the "Conspiracy of silence" existing with regard to the recent "floorings" received from Redward (6—l, 6—o) and Fleming (9—6). What a glorious literary feast for tennis followers had he won! There is just a possibility that his top-piece may now return to its normal size. Goodl Miss Clark, of the Newtown Grub, is causing a feeling of uneasiness im some of the Cup teams, and the ladies with the pretty records are dreading their singles with this formidable player. Miss Cock and Mrs. Pierard are being anxiously waited for! Time t>he Associataoii woke up and did some honest graft, instead of averaging three meetings per fortnight in mutilating the programme of the Brougham HiLl tournament! An arrangement with the City Council regarding the acquiring of the Botani-cal-road and Russell Terrace sites for new courts, is long over-due. Then, the question of forming sub-Associa-tions to' take over the management of the ever-inci easing number of country chibs is worthy of attention. The \\ hole thing is getting far too' cumbersome fotr the one body to look after, and the Provincial Association should make a move before those clubs swallow the cherry and secede. Anyway, ; what special benefit do Wanganui, Palmerston North, and Masterton derive from contributing the nimble guinea to the Association's coffers? The glass is falling rapidly! McLean, the burly Wellington ian, is * on the war-path, and Has adopted the simple life in all its phases. "Where t did you get that hat?" is the popular '' greeting which now replaces his friends' customary salutation. "How do. Mac?" Judging by the manner in which the Wellington Cup team was "packed," and the Brougham Hill Shield combination "doctored." in order to central-

lse full st length m the Titanic Gup struggle at Day's Bay, it is quite on the cards that both clubs will utilise the majority of their senior players if a final meeting eventuates. The Shield contest will them have concluded! The sequel to Brougham Hill's "bad break" is the inclusion of H. Y. Howe and J. T. Watkins in, their Shield ten to play Wellington to-morrow. This was the natural course to have followed throughout the season, instead of utilising playeis from the bottom of the ladder. The above action tends to increase rathe-i than diminish the invalidity of the whole question, and immediate amendment of the Shield rules (on the Rugby Union principle) is the best possible way out of an awkward dilemma. Petone had no difficulty in settling Newtown by 9 sets to 4, although they threw their first smgle away — a mere piece of bravado^ on Cornell's part in an effort to lower Sheppards colours. Luckily he struck a Tartar, his share, of games being limited to six. In order to assist an undesirable piecedent, Hawkins played second fiddle, and Murray had to be oonternt with on© game Powell has come on wonderfuUv and is playing more confidently in his match-tennis than previousilv. He was far too strong for Austin (9—2). Miss Clark continues to perform consistently, and, although Miss Penny is a player of much merit, the Newtowner won, comfortably (7 — 2), Miss Bennett turning the tables o-n Miss Red ward in like manner. For the second time, Khandallah dished Victoria College by the whole 13 sets (105 games to 48). The most noticeable features of the pioceedmgs were (1) Perfect weather conditions, although a trifle "heaty," owing to a fire in the half -acre Domain; (2) good fights put up by Eichelbaum and Tudhope, both in their singles and as a double ; (3) Fleming's indiscretion, in laying himself open to hero-worship by winnang a single as a variation,, (4) Mackay, Cockayne, and! Miss Richardson, fo.r the second Saturday in. succession won their two sets, and played so well that there are prospects of the team shaking Wellington! up ; (5) pleasing displays by Misses Newman and Atkinson, who showed no hesitation about hitting hard every time. They are the only two College ladies, excepting Miss Reeve, giving signs of any promise , (6) F. A. Wilson's splendid serving. This player has many fine strokes, but never does himself justice — too erratic by a long way; (7) Cockayne's agility and success at the net. In their return match against Karon on Saturday, Brougham Hill scored their biggest win, the margin being 12 — 1. The first men's single was the only set to go to the suburban players. Smythe had his revenge on Howe to the tune of 9—6.9 — 6. The winner made no mistake about his game on Saturday, never letting the Brougham Hill man get even. Watkins and Marriner won easily from Downes and A. G. Henderson; respectively. The latter has certainly played better temnis. Maddox and Falconer had a dingdong go for a while, but the latter's condition failed him towards the last. Though the two ladies' singles went tO Brougham Hill, both were very interesting. Miss Gavin put up an. excellent game against Miss Archer, the score (7—5) just' about indicating _ the comparative merits of the two ladies. Howe and Watkins had their revenge on. Smythe and Hendersoai (score 9—4). The Karori pair led at b— 3, but thereafter failed to annex another game. The only set that was very close was the second combined (Roberts and Miss Arthur v. Beere and Miss Benr nett, which was won. by Brougham Hill (7 — 6,. Roberts played in place of Sampson.