LAWN TENNIS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6052, 9 November 1906, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS

(By “Foot-fault.”) Thorntlon Club opened its courts for play last Saturday. This club dispenses with a formal opening. The Muritai Club’s now courts trill bo opened on tho 17th. It, is expected by officials of tho Wellington Association that the Day’s Bay grounds will bo in excellent condition for the opening Cup and. Pennant matches on tho 17th. Mr G. A. Hurley, chairman of tho grounds committee examined the turf a few dayo ago, and came bo the conclusion that there would be nine good court# ready for the first day’s_ play. Since then .bo Ferry Company has had two men working on the ground, watering, roll.ng and weeding. The proof of tho ■pudding is in the eating. i tho Day’s Bay ground proves sat- . ffactory, tho next Wellington Provincial Tournament will bo held there. ,t appears to bo decided that tho tour- * nament will again take place at Easter. Tho recommendation of tho secretary that it should be. held at midsamiuer was not acted upon. Last year the Association appeared to be unanimously in Favour of a midsummer tournament, but the question appears .to have escaped notice this season. Even though the tournament might attract fewer entries if it. were, timed near the New Zealand meeting, alt but tho very optimistic will agree that Wellington weather is. so unreliable that it is best to choose the season whan it is at least less unreliable than at other times. Country club competitions have been allowed to lapse for a collide of yearn. Now the Wellington Association is making an effort to revive them, and tho effort promises to succeed. Last year an offer ivas made to the country people ns an extra, inducement to enter for the • competition ; this was a Cup, to bo held by the winner, in addition to tho Wellington Seuioi Shield, for which the winner wa« to play .off with the winner of thfl city' competition. This inducement wara not enough ; so' this season the Wellington Association appointed a special secretary to organise country contests. Mr G. A. Hurley undertook tho duty, and he has worked hard to get entries for the dissociation Cup, as the country competition is - called. So far five clubs have entered —Mnstcrton. Palmomton, Fielding, , Foxton. and. Otaki. The two Wanganui Clubs' Wanganui and Mahoe, are doubtful. At the time of writing no renlios had been received from Pahifitua, Eketahuna, Carterton, FeatherSton, Martinborough, Levin, and Hbroivhenua. The .Now Zealand Association received an invitation to ©liter a team for tho Map? Buck-ley competition to be held in Melbourne from tbo 21st to tho 24th of this month. The management commit toe deolinod the invitation, on the ground, it appears, that tho engagement would clash with the New Zealand and Australasian Tournament at Christinas. Leading ’players were not given an opportunity to say whether they could or would join a loatu to go to Australia, and the possibility of winning tho Mars Buckley trophy appears to have been entirely ignored. But the New Zealand Association cannot bo blamed for taking care of fts own tournament. Its attitude on tho Mars Buckley and other questions gives one confidence that tho Christchurch meeting will bn a really great success. It should be an absolutely brilliant success if the

Association is as enthusiastic in organising it as it is solicitous to prohibit any counter attraction.

Probably a large number of tho competitors at the Christchurch meeting will also attend the Taranaki Tournament which is to follow- very soon after

Practically all the test tennis players of the present day are non-smokers. An I 'lnveterate Smoker” compiled for “Lawn Tennis” a small list of the world’s leading playene and classified them them: Non-Smokers—H. L. "Donerty, R. F. Doherty. Beals Wright. Holcombe Ward, Smith. Riseley. Ritchie. W’ilcling. Boucher. F. R. Aden, C. G. Allen, Decugis, Simon;], Poidcvin. Pavn, Ti. Killyjvd. Smokers—O. W, Eillyard, Gore, lloper Barrett, Little,

Cazalet, .’laves. Hough, ‘‘The east team of non-smokers,” adds tlio writer. “could easily defeat the best team of smokers; and. apart from any question of relative merit-, tlicre is noc. a single smoker in the lawn tennis world who will not confess to his own conscience that lie would bo a better player were ho less addicted to tho weed. Personally, I <lhoidd be lout at a tournament without a pipe. Friend of all friends, it mitigates defeat, militates against ill-mannered rejoicing after .success, converts a cheerless pavillion into a haven of rest, breaks down convention, and is a never-failing comforter in wet weather. Nevertheless, I am convinced that flinching, especially in the intei vals between matches, injures the wind and handicaps the, eye. One may b- so married to tho habit than tho effect is not sensibly felt and tho delusion cherished that no appreciable harm is committed. But tho lis’i above is tho most convincing revealor of the truth.” •if. L. Doherty i.s (dill tho beet lawn tennis plaver in the world,'’ remarked o, writer after the championship mcctjic of this year. ‘The way lie beat Riscley was quite wonderful. Imagine , little man of about five feet six, delicately formed—-the sort of a man you would offer a scat in a crowded 'lnis—playing against a perfect figure of an athlete, tall, strongly built, with fhe right proportions of bodily and nervous energy. And yee Rieeley was nito outplayed, almost outclassed; it all tho difference between p;-enutis .’.ml. cleverness. There is something almost uncanny in H. L. Dohertys / in a Single; his power of anticipa- ■ n scenic miraculous; ho is tho wizard of tho tennis court.”

Tlio same writer’s comments on tho victory of Riseloy and Smith against tho Dohertv brothers in the challenge round of the Doubles Championship appear to have sense. “Idle Doubles fvmvl,” ho wrote, “between K. I. and 11. L. Dohertv and F. L. Riuoley and S. H. Smith showed that a rery strong attack is more- effective than a very strong defence. The Dohertys have a perfect defence, but their attack lacks audacity; they rely on finesse and subtlety, which sometimes have to go down before supremo audacity. And of this Smith and Riseloy are masters. Thoir very combination ip audacious. You feel they have no right to play on the centre court at Wimbledon. ' Their mixed combination would cause merriment even at a garden party. It is against all the canons of the game. And yet. so supreme is its audacity, it succeeds. There is Smith on the back line making hard low drives, and Rtscley at the net, jumping and twiatirig, and covering most of the court. And this combineticu against two brotheis t\ no a-o masters of tho art and science, and everthing except the audacity ot the game.” Miss I>. K. Douglass, who won back the English Ladies’ Championship iron, the American, Miss May Sutton, this year, has not lost .a single set m open Singles during the season.