LAWN TENNIS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5731, 28 October 1905, Page 15

LAWN TENNIS.

(By “Foot Fault.’’) The Shield Committee of the Wellington Association has decided that interclub competitions (Shield, Cup, and Pennant matches) shall' begin on November 11th. Fixtures will bo. published short! r. It is honed that there will be good entries for the country club’s- competition. To encourage this branch of the sport the Wellington Association has furnished a three guinea challenge cup. to be competed for by country clubs only. In ,addition the. wipner of this cup is to play the winner of the City

Shield competition for the right of possessing the Shield. Tina Now Zealand championship meeting is to ee held on tho Wellington College Ground from Thursday, December I*B, to Monday, January 1. Twelve courts are to he used. Tho programme includes tho usual five championship and five* handicap events. The inter-provincial championship is to bo awarded on points won in championship events. Provision has been made for a luncheon adjournment. Entries for handicap events close with the secretary, Mr G, N. Goldie. 90. Elizabeth street. Wellington, on December 9th, and for championship events a week later. Mr Goldie informs me that lie has sent programmes to practically every club in the colony and also to the Associations of Australian States. Ho is confident of receiving as many as five hundred entries. At all events the fact that Wellington lias for many years been the leading province in tennis gives good ground far believing . that rhe coming tournament will bo tho biggest yet held iu tho colony. . The mombcis ci' the Wellington Association evidently had the interests of tho New Zealand tournament very much at heart l:»t Tuesday evening. Recognising that the dead loci: between themselves and the New Zealand Assocation would take half the success from tho championship mooting, they decided to practically reverse their previous decision in regard to tho Brougham Hill-Tliorndcn appeal and to carry out tho wishes of the Now Zealand Association. Tho procedure of tho latter body has been shown to have been unfair and contrary to its own nries and by upholding that procedure tho Wellington Association has helped to establish a pernicious precedent. But it would bo hard to blame tho nine mc/libers who voted in this direction. Xho establishment of an unfair precedent is likely to do a great deal of harm; hut (ho cculnuauce of the quarrel with the New Zealand Association was certain to have spoiled tho success of the championship meeting. It may bo possible for the Wellington Association to get (he rules regarding appeals altered or to obtain an official interpretation' so as to make n recurrence of the recent injustice impossible. Interviewed at Brisbane recently Mr Dunlop npoke thus of the experiences of the Australasian tennis team, of which he was captain, during its visit to England:—The conditions under, which they had to play were entirely different from those in Australia, and for two months and a half the players had to use spikes owing to the softness of the ground, a tiling they were net accustomed to. Sneaking of the teams which visited England during the tournament, he thought BenLvwright was tho host of the American combination, and his opinion has since been confirmed by the latter on his return home carrying off tlio American championship. Dunlop speaks highly of the American champion lady, who, lie says, carried everything before her in England. Ho is of opinion that the present English champion, Doherty, is the best player in the world, and rightly holds his title. Throughout .tho tournament Brooks, of Australia, played good tennis, but at times was pushed by Americans.