LAWN TENNIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18172, 18 August 1922, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. Details have been received this week of the first round of the World's championships, held at Wimbledon, and the foil of E. L. Bartleet was eagerly sought for. It ■would apijpar that he competed only in the championship singles and combined. In the former he met T. Bevan during the first round, and wob beaten in a four-Set match. Bevan was in turn defeated in the next round by Davson, the match running into five sets. In the combined Bertieet was ; partnered by Miss D. Fenwick. probably «l*o a New Zealand player, drawing a bye in the first round. This pair was beaten in the second round by those distinguished players, Roper Barrett and Mrs. Beamish, the score being 7—6, 6—2. In fairness to Bartleet, it should bo explained thai in & letter received by thsi last mail he stated that although competing in the Wimbledon tournament he was short of practice, having devtrted most of his time to sight-seeing. He expects to, return no the Dominion about Decamber. Davis Cup matches are reaching an interesting stage, and. the . first stages of the match, France versus Australasia, left the matter in doubt, but the- concluding singles settled matters comfortably for our neighbours. The manner in which Gerald Patterson ift. allowing himself to be interviewed while a contest is in progress is open to criticism. It savours of the, methods' of the English cricketers, who contributed to the newspapers during "their last tour, of Australia ano. were condemned for so doing. Interviews to the press to be cabled abroad seems certainly to be taking risks, especially when ailments are described which subseorient play Droves to be exaggerated, for O'Hara Wood to beat Gobert. 3—6, 6—2, 6—L 6—4, and Patterson to beat Cocbet, 6—2. 2—6. 6—4. 6—2, indicates that both the Australians must have been in form wrfth all their physical weaknesses wiell forgotten. Australia, although willing - to cut adtrift from New Zealand, is loath to part with the designation " Australasia*" claiming that as their territory covers islands outside their Continent they are within their rights in entering their team -as " Australasia." New, Zealand has now sent to the United States a claim to be accepted as ft separate nation. and will probably object to Australia's use of the term embracing Australia and this Dominion. •■•; ' .: British Isles 7. Australia. From the Field] is taken the following description of the match between tihe .representatives of the British Isles scad Australia. Major Kingscote and Gerald Patterson, respectively:—- " In his attempt to .check Patterson's advance Kingscote made a soldier's stand of sterling merit. These two had last.met in Sydney in January, 1920, when Kingscote iust failed to win a set, and, sine* the Australian nad improved and the Englishman had enjoyed a little match practice -.this year, the former's chances were favoured. How nearly Kingscote achieved what would have been the greatest victory of his career may be gathered from the fact that after he had won the long and stubbornly-con-tested third set, and with it the, lead, he seemed by his methods and persistency to have reduced Patterson's strongest weapon, his service, to tractable proportions, and. at the same time to have disclosed the limitations of his base-line resources. "It required the greatest patience and alertness, combined with enterprise,, on Kingscote's part to arrive at this propitious stage. After winning Patterson's first service .of all, he did not win another until, by winning it, he got to 6—3 in the second set; and then, as if to hall-mark the treasure, he won it to love, gaining oi»e double-fault, but nuking two irorgeous passes off the fastest balls. In this game, in attempting to smash a lob/ Patterson permitted his racquet to leave his hand, cross the net, nnd finish its unruly flight over the baseline of his opponent's court—an interlude the like of which we have never seen ifl a first-class match before. In the ninth game Kinsscote was 'vantage four times before ho finally captured the set with a masterly lob. Kingscote at His Best. "The third set, which was a little delusive in its influence on subsequent play, saw Kingscote at his best and Patterson very much below his recent Australian level. The loss of two service games, placed Patterson 2— i down, and at this stage the judicious slicing of his opponent, both off the ground and on the volley, was imposing a strain on the Australian's backhand that was not supported. Indeed, the whole of Patterson's equipment became woefully un steady, and if we had not remembered that he recently beat R, V. Thomas in Australia after the latter waa two sets ap and five— iove, we should at this moment have predicted Kingscote's victory. But Patterson made a courageous effort to save the third set, oven when his opponent was £ —3 in it. In squaring at 6—5 he wag helped by a double-fault from Kingscote in the tenth game, but he played.well and staunchly in bringing back Kingscote to deuce 5 four times in the next game. However, be doublefaulted at the fifth deuce and Kingscote got, his nriceless 6—5 lead. " In the next game, after going to 40—16, Kingscote missed two easy shoto for the set, but he atoned for these blunders by a perfect toss, a winner all the way. In the fourth set Kingscote obviously reacted after his great effort, and the Australian went easily to before the issue was really joined again: but in the fifth game he reopened his insidious attack on Patterson's backhand, meeting with marked auocess and winning the next two games. Pattereon, however, was gradually improving at the back of the court, and showing a greater ability to. pass Kingscote if the latter came up on anything short,, if low. Some of the Australian's drives in the next two games, if not« easily produced, were very fine. He wa,s within a point of the set in the ninth game, but the set went to a tenth. Patterson taking this to love and finishing with a net-rord. " The crisis of the match was in this eet. and not. in the. fifth. Although Patterson opened it by losing his service, he seen went to 2-r-l ahdf then to S—2. Kingscot* squared at 3—3 and was twice 'vantage :n the next game, but Patterson went out at 6—3 .bv the security of hia base-line defence and his capacity to pass his mon from the backhand Corner when the situation locked ugly for him. So that in the end Patterson found a counter for Kingscote's vjiry effective methods just 8» Kingi'cote himself Jift" found a counter to a service whioh at fir** threatened to overwhelm him. proved that PattersonV service, ** ** *«v£* value, is hot necessarily of supreme ■:-J**£jjt and that the player who, can. »2*fci-i§tei develop an attack of hh ..•access, if not actually wain-*»■"*'**