LAWN TENNIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17145, 26 April 1919, Page 12

LAWN TENNIS.

SOUTH AUCKLAND TOURNAMENT, i The South Auckland tennis tournament, held at Te Aroha during Easter, proved an undoubted success. Pine weather prevailed except on Monday morning, and play on this da; started a little late. The courts were in very good condition! considering the lateness of the season. A fen suggestions regarding ' an improvement to the courts, especially for ' a tournament, ma; bo helpful. In the first ' place the present tournament was probably l the largest ever held in Te Aroha. The : entries were certainly greater (hah list year, and with only four grass courts completing all the matches in three days would be' an utter impossibility. The Te Ardba Club should eater for this increasingly popular tournament, and at least two more courts should be ! provided so that the tournament 'can be finished up to time. If it is impos- ' siblo to lay down n couple of extra courts the I croquet section would no doubt allow a couple of topnis court: to be marked out on the croquet courts and Hied during tho tournament. This would in no way injure the croquet courts, and in a number of i clubs it is done during a tournament. Ani other small matter would be to mart the centre of the service line its to divide the 'service sides for the server. Perhaps one of the courts is a litt'e too close to the embankment, and it may provo costly to improve or alter it, but in smy case it i 9 quite good for single p'av. Very few courts in Auckland are as satisfactory at this time of year as the Te Aroha courts, 60 competitors must have been agreeab'y enrnrised. Tho visiting competitors were entertained at a dan& by the To Aroha Wm. The mw\a was of nigh order and the floor acd simper excellent. Mr. P. J. Phleoi. on behalf of , tho visitors, thanked tho ladies, for their : kindness in ttiiertabtog the visiting comi potitors. NOTES AND COMMENTS. The prophecy thrown out boldly in the'daily paper, says an English journal, fiat any American invader of the first clans is an ■ I " almost certain winner" at Winibladon th»j ' Juno betrays a not unfamiliar ignorance 01 the factors, both past and present, governing ■ the championship. The war may not .have--1 1 exercised our national modesty; neither has '. it -impaired other racial traits, and one of 'these is very sure and dour capacity to j fend off foreign claimants- lor the title. _ None < has as yet succeeded in winning the singles. Indeed, if, quito .justifiably, we regard the I Indeed, if, quite justifiably, regard the late Anthony Wilding, .despite his Now Zealand birth, as an English competitor, onfy one oversea player, the present holder, has been crowned champion in forty years. Tho fact is not necessarily one for pride;, it ia rather a record, which, examined at all intimately, is a tribute to tne English temperament where long matches in toe English climate aro concerned. Tiie home defender hod all the luck in that respect. William Litrned, seven times champion of the United ' States, never gave of his best on this side. Maurice McLoughlin, notwithstanding his . successful passage through tho All comers' I Singles, did not serve at Wimbledon with I thything like the accuracy and that 1 ho exhibited in New York against "Norman ' Brookes; and the same disparity in fottn has i charoctiscd nearly every American visitor. I Almost; us sensitive to environment as ' the 1 Frenchman, and, drawing generously on .his nervous energy, the American player, iti resistible as he may be.fcr games together,. , is _ not, relative to the Englishman or the Irishman, a " long-match " player. There Bro several exceptions, of course— W. 3. Clothier |is one that comes to mind. But as a rule, 1 and even on American courts under favourj able conditions, his standard Of p'ay ovnr: I five sets will fluctuate enormously Some I of these variations, these alternating periods of good and bad play, may be the natural I and inevitable outcome of distinctice style, ! others the result of tactics or physical reser- | vatiops: but the majority can be traced >\> temperament and the effect of national conditions or national mentality. Nor have a 1 four-year war and a five-year break in inter- I , national competitions changed this cardinal factor. What the future probably will show —if. as we are promised, social conditions in this country aro Americanised—is a greater inconsistency of play on the part of the Englishman. That contingency, if it comes, need not necessarily trouble us, for though we raoy cease to preserve championships by the soundnoss ol our de.'enco and tho unim- ' paired efficiency of our play in the nth set, 1 wo shall doubtless add to the attractiveness of our strokes, to their variety, and possibly to :hoir attacking quality Certainly we art) likely to increase the number of our volleycrs I and, as a sequel, tno number of our first- ; class doubles pairs. And that is a prime 1 consideration if the doubles championship is I to be won again by a pureiy English partnerI ship. It was stated in the Field a (eW weeks i ago that the United States National Associa- ' tion lied decided not to challenge for the Davis Clip this year. The view ol the cap's donors, says an English paper, that the European house should be put straight before the international championship was resumed was more than appreciated in this country; it coincided with the attitude of organisers here. But, before the regulation time for j entries closed, the situation had changed. , France and Belgium bad both Bent in challenges. The two countries most Jisturbed I internally by the war (if we except Russia sod Servia, which have not hitherto chal:snged (or the Davis Cup) were tho first to ; register the advent of peace and the first to celebrate it by exhibiting the survival of their sportsmen. It would appear that the British i Association, having regard to the disturbed conditions, should have followed America's example and postponed their re-entry until i ID2O, and Mr. Churchill's statement in the Rouse of Commons last Monday ratheT strengthens tlis feeling. But there is something to be said for supporting the enterprising action of Francs and Belgium, who '. have young demobilised soldiers anxious to i forget the horrors of a cruel war. Whether i all or any of the three countries will be in a position to take up their challenges rei mains to be seen. To do so with secondrla»s. or only moderately first-class, teams ' would be inimical to the game. Wo imagine at the moment France has the best available pair, and if the preliminary rounds are played on bard courts, as they are bound to be sooner or later, this pair would probably win. The position of the ho'der—Australasia is not affected. She retains the cup if there is no contest; she is likely to retain it if there is. The suggestion that Australasia might agree to play the challenge round in Europe to suit the convenience of France i or ourselves does not conform with Australian ( sentiment or what wo know of it, Australasia won the cup in 1914 after a long and exacting , tour in America. In tho interval her sons i have helped to win a world war. Nothing could be more natural than for her publ.io to cherish a keen desire to wlcorae some o\f ', her Allies in a Melbourne or Sydney court; . Nor have a four-year war and, a five-year , i brack in international competitions changed \'< this cardinal factor. Whsj the future pro- '' bably will show—if, as we are promised, i social conditions In this country are- Ameri- ' canised—is a greater inconsistency of play on i I the part of the Englishman. That contingenyo, if it comes, need not necessarily ! trouble us; for though we may cease to proI serve championships by the soundness of our I defence, and the unimpaired efflfincy of our ! play in the fifth set,we shall doubtless add to the attractiveness of our strokes, to their I variety, and possibly to their attacking I quality. Certainly we are likely to increase i the number of our volleyers and, as a squel, the number of our first-class doubles pairs. '■ And that is a prime consideration if the donbola championship is to be* woe 'Again by i a purely English partnership.