TENNIS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10958, 26 December 1911, Page 4

TENNIS.

(Per Press Association.) . Christchurcr, December 23. ■ Thn New Zealand: Lawn Tennis Cham-; pionslrips opened on Lancaster : Jark; this morning in dull but fairly favorable weather. A strong easterly blowing ffbwn the courts did not interfere with the play, but the .wind got chilly and uncomfortable. Brookes and Heath (Australia) were scratched for the singles. In the afternoon the star fea.tu're was the appearance of Beals Wright and Maurice M'Laughlm (■imerica) against H. M. Butterworth and.F.S. Wilding (Cliristclnireh). EeS '~~ MEN'S SINGLES. —First Round. — H W. Brown beat W. Goss, 3—6, 6—4, 6—2, B—6. R. D. Hai-man beat A. E. Davey 6—0,; 6—1,. 6—3. F. M. B. Fisher beat C. 0. Cox, 6—l, 6—l, 7—5. L. Bonnington beat Butterwoith, 7—5, 6—2, 6—2. , —Second Round. — G. Olliver beat R. Wertheim, 6 —l, 6—3, 6—2, R. D. Harman beat F. P. Wilson, 6—3, 6—2, 7—5. MEN'S DOUBLES. —-First Round.— Beals Wright and M. E. M'Lough■lin beat H. M. Butterworth and F. S. AVilding, 6—2, 7—5. 6—l. H. Rice and R, Heath beat R. D. Harman and G. M. Butterworth. 6—o. 6—2, 6—3. COMBINED DOUBLES. -r-First Round. — A. W. Dunlop and Miss Wellwood besvV R. Wertlieim and Miss Cotton. 6W4, 6—3. —Second Round. — O'Hara Wood and Miss Stewart beat G. Ollivier and Miss Miles, 6—o, 6—l. LADIES' SINGLES. Round. — Miss M. Butterworth beat Miss Moleswarth, C—l, 6—3. —Second Round.— Miss P. A. Stewart beat Miss E. A. Bloxam. 6—(), 6—l. Miss H. M. Cotton beat Miss Doris .Weilwood, 3—6, 6—2, 6—3. LADIES' DOUBLES. —Second Round. — Misses Stewart and Wellwood beat Misses Miles and Bloxam, o—2,0 —2, 4—3, 7 —5. LANCASTER PARK. (Per Press Association.) Cbristchurch, December 24. During the.past-two or three mouths extensive improvements liayo been .effected at Lancaster Park, and yesterday afternoon the Park was formally reopened by the Mayor (Mr J. J. Dougall), who. said the regeneration of Lan-caster-Park was an event of which Christejuirch people might feel proud. The Park had been open lor over 30 years and during that time there had been played there some of the closest contests yet'recorded in the history of New Zealand sports. At one time Lancaster Park was quite notorious for close finishes to cricket mutches, for it was. a common thing for a team to win by a narrow margin of a few runs. In other sports also Lancaster Park had given the public many treats. He well remembered the first English football match played in 1888, which provided one of the finest contests be had ever seen, the second spell being an eyeopener as far as the Englishmen's play was concerned. Since, then, however, the. New Zealand players had shown that they could play as fine football as could befound anywhere/ He hoped to see the day when New Zealand would occupy a similar position in the. cricket world, and when a team of New Zealand cricketers would tour Australia, South Africa, and England, and do as wall as the footballers had.—(Hear, hear.) The existence and improvement of Lancaster, Park was due entirely to individual .effort, and not the result of an appeal to.the Government or any other body. Nowadays, the people were inclined to appeal to the Government instead of trying to do a thing themselves. It was at first proposed that the City Council should take over, ;the Park,, but the negotiations fell through, and the Board of Control went on with the matter, themselves, and he felt sure that tbey had carried out the work of improvement very much better 'than the Council would have done. The present position of the.Park.showed there was a certain amount of public spirit in Cliristclnireh, and he would like to see that spirit made more manifest than it had been in the .past.—(Hear, Lancaster Park was now tlie?finest sports ground in New Zealand, and well up to the best in Australasia. He ielt : sure that nothing would give the Canterbury ipeople greater pleasure than to have the .ptago-cricket team., present to assist in opening the new ground.—(Hear, hear.) The long series, of coutcsts between the two provinces had been such as to gender a very fine spirit. He; trusted that in the future Lancaster Park, might j see many years of-prosperity, and might be the means of inculcating in young men a love of clean sport and fair play. : —(Applause.. . .-'..■