Tennis Victory For Wearers Of The Fern Leaf

NZ Truth, Issue 1103, 20 January 1927, Page 12

Tennis Victory For Wearers Of The Fern Leaf

. ' -„ (By "The Ball Boy.") ' „ The test matches hetween the New South Wales visiting- team and a New Zealand representative team' were completed on the Thorndon Club Tennis Courts on Saturday. ■>

THE matches' commenced on Friday morning with the courts distinctly ' on the slow side. New Zealand romped home, easy winners of the test with a total of 18 to 3. It was 'expected that., New Zealandwould win, but it came as a surprise that the victory was such a complete one. Easily the best and mort interesting match played on the first day was the single between G. Olliver (N.Z.) and N. Peach (N.S.W.) the match went to three sets, and was finally won by Peach, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. 7 - Olliver did not appear to me to have as much condition as Peach and consequently lost -a number of valuable points which a little more speed would have obviated. Peach, on the contrary, looked the picture of physical well-being,/ and playing beautiful tennis well deserved his. victory. Greater accuracy and more powerful hitting gave Andrews '(the N.Z. champion): a win over Dr. North (N.S.W!) m three sets. The first set was evenly contested and went to Dr. North aJt 8-6. .-•;.: Andrews gained many points* with some excellently timed and we.l-plaeed lobs over the head of the. advancing North. In the final set North- began to tire and became a prey to Andrew's snappy volleying. Wilson accounted for McCausland m two -"straight sets, 9-7, 6-4,- a very creditable performance, for' the NewSouth Welshman is a difficult proposition.' ■-'■■''- ' J ■: . j . D. France pulled a somewhat unin- | teresting match out of the fire by de- 1 feating J. Fitzgerald (N.SIW.) m three !

sets 3-6, 6-4, 6t4. How he did it is somewhat of a mystery, for by all the laws of the game Fitzgerald looked an easy winner. The»N.Z. doubles champions, Sturt and Knott, both won their singles. Sturt, defeated F. Peach quite easily 6-1, 6-4, and .Knott accounted for Brewster (N.S.W.) m three sets 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. Knott was far more aggressive than his opponent whon> he kept on the defensive most of the time. Of the doublesplayed on the first day, Knott and Sturt were the, only N.Z. pair to suffer- defeat and that at the hands of the Peach brothers 1-6,3-6. They did, however, later on m the day, prove victorious over Fitzgerald and Brewster who had previously been beaten by the N.Z. pair, Andrews and France. On the second day N.Z. proved victorious m the six singles matches played and only lost one double out of the five. Again Knott and Sturt were put down, this time by North and McCausland, but only • after three sets 6_4 f 2-6, 3-6. The single between 01---liyier and North was -a very "interestintTgame and full of first-class tennis. Onivier went out to win and .'did so by superior tactics but he had to fight all. tlie way. The score read 5-7, 6-2,. 6-2 m Ollivier's favor. TT. Andrews defeated N. --''Peach. D. G; France ''defeated McCausland' and Wilson defeated Fitzgerald. All. these matches went to , three sets and- were productive of some very fine tennis. ;-, Knott and Sturt, though losing their doubles again won their singles and. so proved themselves a very useful asset to the New Zealand side. 7 '.-' '• -V v ; ===== j. . . .