LAWN TENNIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13722, 11 April 1908, Page 10

LAWN TENNIS .

TENNIS FIXTURES. ■' ■ ' April 17, 18, 20—Gisborae Open Championship '. and Handicap Tournament, at Gisborne. ) April 18- and 20—Hamilton Club's Open .Championship and Handicap Toumai : merit, at Hamilton. . April 13 and 21— Inter-University Championi ships, at Duhedia. I April 17. IS. Brougham Hill Open Cham-'' i piou-Lup and Handicap Tournament, at Brougham Hill Court;-. Wellington. April 17, 18, 20—Otago Cnarupionahips and Handicap Tournament, a.l Uanedin. April 17. 18, Canterbury Championships and Hant'ii.ao Tournament, at Linwood,; Ciiristchurck. - ■ ] The schools championship tournament was ! concluded last Saturday morning. Following are the results : — Boys' Singles: Final—Duffy beat R. Newel!, 6——4. Tins was a very interesting • match, both lads displaying capital form. Boys' Singles: Gorrie and Prater beat Sumner and Hall, 6—5, — 5. Good combination on the part of the winners was the outstanding feature of this match. Girls' Singles: Mi.-* Tompkins beat Miss Parry, 6—5. 6—4-. These players .were much stronger than the other competitor*, and both possess a good knowledge of the game. l'he members of the Brougham Hill Ciub. j Wellington, are making big preparations lor ' their tournament at Easter. Fisher, Peai cock, Cox, and other crack Wellington playi ers will be competitors, and Dickie and Wallace, the -New Zealand champions, will journey down from the Waverley district to compete. J. P. Grossman heal W. A. Brown. 6-4. —4, 64, 61, in the final of the Eden and Epsom Club championship. Grossman's easy win came as a surprise. Brown has played very consistently throughout the season, and it was thought, with the heavy ground in his favour, that he would annex the title, but on Saturday he made rather a tame stand against the runner-up for the Auckland championship. The match does; ; not call for"' much comment, except to say that Grossman always held his opponent safe, and, considering the heavy state of the turf, gave a creditable exhibition. There were only three entries for the Eden and Epsom Club's ladies' championship singles, and the final will bo played off by Miss D. Udy and Miss Gwon Gorrie. The handicap singles event was won by Miss I. Walker? There were five entries for this event, and a similar number of pairs entered for the ladies' doubles, which was won by Misses I. Walker and M. Blades. Barnard and Miss Muriel Hesketh and Henry Hesketh and Miss 15. Brown will con test the final for the combined doubles. W. A. Brown and Hiss annexed the men's handicap doubles, and the final of the men's handicap singles - res,s between Henry Hesketh and S. Ruddock. This afternoon at the Eden and Epsom courts the bachelor- of the club will entertain tin! other members, and progressive ten. nis will be played. The club will probably close down for the season after Easter. Tin" final for the, ladies' championship singles of the Parneil Club, between Mrs. ' Freeman and Miss Parsons, provided a long | and interesting game. Mrs. Freeman even- | tually won, through steady play, by 4—6, \ 7_5, 8-6. ; Dr. Keith and S. Upton have played their ■ way into the final of the West, End Club i championship. The match was to have been I played this afternon, but, as Upton is engag- j ed in a golf competition it will probably i take place during next week. The Auck- i land champion is an enthusiastic golfer, and i has not had. a game of tennis since he, de- : foaled Grossman. Therefore, with heavy I courts and want of form, the contest will i be robbed of a lot of interest. j It is a great: pity that the Match Commit- ! tees of the different clubs do not push their j matches on more quickly in the best part of the- season. In all cases the finals will be played off on heavy courts, and it is not by any moans a satisfactory test. The final of the Parneil Club's singles championship, which has been hanging fire ! for some time, was played last Thursday ! afternoon, when E. B. Simpson defeated W. j Mowbray, 6—l, 6—4-, 6— The winner was in great trim, his driving and excellent plac- j ing being altogether too much for his op- j ponent. Mowbray was not at his best; he did not get. over the, ground with his aceus- I touted agility; he also failed to deal successfully with Simpson's excellent lobs. These two players contested the Parneil final last j season, when a great struggle took place, j Simpson eventually winning. Mowbray lues i had a lot of good practice this season, and j has put up some good performances. Simp- ; son's easy win was, therefore, quite unex- j peeled. ! The return tennis mateh between the Cam- ! bridge and To Awamutu Clubs took place on ] the Te Awamutu lawn on Wednesday last. ! The Cambridge players won by seven games i to five. The following are the particulars: — Miss Cox (Cambridge) beat. Miss B. McGovern, 7—4. Miss Clark (Cambridge) was defeated by Miss L. Bond, 75. Miss N. Bond (Te Awamutu) beat Miss Jeffries, 7—2. Miss Willis (Cambridge) beat Mrs. North, 7—4. Mr. R. Cox (Cambridge) was defeated by Mr. Baddley, 9—2. Mr. Stone (Cambridge) beat Mr. J. McGovern, 9—5. Mr. G. Court (Cambridge) defeated Mr. Galbraith, 9—3. Mr. A. Cox (Cambridge) was I defeated by Mr. P. B. French, 9—6. Miss I Cox and Miss Clark (Cambridge) beat Miss | McGovern and Mrs; North, 7—3. Miss \ | Jeffries and Miss Willis (Cambridge) were j \ defeated by the Misses Bond, 7—5. Messrs ■ : Stone and Court (Cambridge) beat Messrs. j j Baddley and McGovern, 9—7. Messrs. A. ! and 11. Cox (Cambridge) beat Messrs. Gal- ' i oraitii and French, 9—5. ; The first of the Riviera international lawn I tennis tournaments was begun this week ! (writes our London correspondent on Febru- i j ary 28) at Monte Carlo in bright sunshine. I A high wind, however, at" times troubled the j players. Among those taking part much 1 . interest centres in the brothers Doherty, i who, after a year's absence from the courts, ; are making Monte Carlo the scene of their i re-entry into the game. 11. F. Doherty, , whose ill-health was the cause of his temporary retirement, is now as well as he has ever been, and du.-ing the past few weeks he has been prominent at golf at Cannes, winning, among other trophies, the GordonBennett cup. In addition to the brothers Doherty, the I lists at Monte Carlo contain several other i well known British players, including A. F. I Wilding, who has just won the San Remo j cup, and who is the present South of France champion. He will partner M. J. G. Ritchie, the holder of the Monte Carlo cup. It is mentioned that, the New Zealand tennis , enthusiast, who has been wintering in the heart of Hungary, has come back to tincourts after six months' rest with a great appetite for Work, and all tiaces of the stateness apparent in his game at the end of last summer having gone. During practice at the end of last week Wilding managed to damage his right hand, but in spite of this he has begun the week well, and has been giving a very good exhibition of tennis. Ritchie is showing superlative , form, and is evidently as good as ever. \I , In round 1 of the gentlemen's open singles" (championship of Monte Carlo), A. F. Wilding had a bye. In round 2 he disposed of • W. Andrews in a tino game, the scores being, 6— 60, 6— Andrews is the Cambridge Blue. Writing of Wilding's play in this contest a local correspondent expresses the opinion that "all his, strokes have not yet come-back, and 1 saw little of the old "devil" in his service. Nevertheless, he can still, as always, give Ritchie a lesson in the husbandry of stamina. In the semifinal round, Ritchie (the present holder of the Monte Carlo cup, valued at £120), will have to play Wilding, who has closed a fivemonths sojourn in the heart of Hungary, by an intrepid and not unexciting motor-cycle journey from Venice to Monte Carlo. The New Zealander proved the victor in round 3, which was played on Wednesday.! His opponent was M. F. BoeiUng. and the scores were. 6—o, 6—2, 6—o. "Yesterday Ritchie qualified to meet Wilding in the semi-final of the singles. In the first round of the open mixed doubles (championship of Monte Carlo) A. F. Wilding and Mdlle. de Madarasz beat E. S. .Wills and Nulcombe Quicke, 6—l, 6—2, the victory was an easy one. In the first round of the gentlemen's open doubles (championship of Monte Carlo). Bit. chie and Wilding were victorious against F. Boelling and E. S. Wills, the scores being 6--*!, 6-2.