LAWN TENNIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18456, 18 January 1922, Page 9

LAWN TENNIS

Bt -Smash. The present position of the local B and C Grade competitions is as follows_ B Grade. Section I.—Moana is leading. B Grade, Section 2.—Cosy Dell is leading. C Grade, Section I.—Cosy Dell is leading. C Grade, Section 2.—'Waimana. St. Clair, and S. Andrew’s are all equal. North-East Valley is unable to obtain a team for Saturday to fulfil its engagement •with the Kaituna Club, and the mutch will, therefore, go to the latter club by default. In the final of the Handicap Mixed Doubles of the Invercargill tournament, played last Wednesday, Gnmour and Miss Scott {Kaituna}, who were giving away lb in five out of six games, defeated Dpbie and Miss Lowe 9—-7. Miss Scott troubled her opponents by her consistent lobbing and steadiness from the back line. This enabled ■Gilmaur to take up a net position with confidence, and he killed short balls with accuracy. For a time Miss_ Lowe from the back lino hold her own against_ Miss Scott s lobs and drove down the side line or across court with great regularity, winning runny points by well-placed drives that enabled her and her partner to take the lead at 7—5. Mias Scott then changed her game, and drove with plenty of spin down the side lines, and she and her partner maintained their lead of two games to the end. It is worthy of note that Miss Scott, whose play was much admired in Invercargill, reached the semi-final of the Ladies’ Championship Singles, was runner-up in the, Handicap Singles and with E. M. Gilmour won the Mixed Doubles. Lawn tennis clubs frequently _ experience difficulty in securing a good lasting mixture with which to paint the lines on their courts. The following composition, the recipe for which has been supplied to me by Mr \. F. Gibson, caretaker of the Caroline Bay courts, has been found most serviceable in many parts of Canterbury£lb of starch mixed with a little cold water, and then thickened with boiling water. When hot mix in jib of clean mutton fat, stir until melted, and then add whiting before the ■starch cools. Mix tho whole with sour milk until it is about the thickness of cream. It takes about 101 b of whiting for four courts. At the close of the first Anthony Wilding Shield match, played in Christchurch the other day between Canterbury and Auckland, Mr W. N. Seay (president of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association) stated that these matches would mark a new era in the history of the game in New Zealand inasmuch as the meeting of our best players would tend to improve the standard of play very considerably. Mr F. Wilding, sen., expressed his gratitude to the association tor the beautiful and appropriate memorial of his son Anthony. Speaking very feelingly, he told of Anthony Wilding’s love of his country. In his mind living, playing, and working for his country was the ideal of conduct. With Mrs 11 Wilding, ho appreciated deeply the kind thought of the association. The Wellington Lawn Tennis Association has now challenged Canterbury for the shield, and a great deal of interest will attach to tho match, as it will have <u bearing on the final selection of the New Zealand team to tour New South Wales. The Canterbury v. Otago match will be played at Christchurch on February 11, but it will not be a challenge for the Wilding Memorial Shield. A cablegram published last Saturday ctated that the American Lawn Tennis Association was preparing for the most active Davis Cup campaign in the history of the trophy, and that all the countries which competed last year were expected to participate again this year. They do things on a largo scale in America, and the foregoing promise will no doubt result in a memorable realisation which will enhance materially the international importance of the Davis Cup contest. Last year 12 nations, representing all the continents in the world, entered teams, these nations being as follow: —America,' England, Australasia, Canada, France. Japan, India, Denmark, , Belgium, Argentina, Spain, the Philippines, and Czechoslovakia; but the Philippines, Belgium, and Argentina defaulted. This year Australasia expects to bo represented by a stronger team, and South Africa some months ago announced her intention of again taking the field. England, also, is certain to be represented, although Mr Wallis Myers stated recently that the Old Country might require four or five years to develop a successful Davis Cup challenging team. Mr A. D. Crawford, of Miramar, who spent six months in England recently, stated that he saw a good deal of the big tennis at Wimbledon, where he was a fellow guest (at an hotel) with Mdlle Lenglen, the volatile French lady champion, who struck him as being rather hysterical in disposition. Mr Crawford became interested in a new form of hard 1 court, six of which had been laid down at St. Andrews, Scotland, and had already been considered by those capable of judging to bo tho finest kind of hard court in existence. So struck was Mr Crawford with those courts that he obtained particulars of their construction. First the foundation was well drained, then from t six to eight inches of cinders wore laid , down and rolled flat. On top of the cinders was laid from to 2 inches of “blaze” in different grades, the coarsest next to the cinders and tho finest on top. This “blaze,” which was red in colour, was refuse or residue of oil shale (after the extraction of the oil) burst and ground into fine sand. The surface of the court had the consistency of fine, firm sand, but when watered and rolled (with a long, queer little roller), it made the livest and firmest surface imaginable. Mr Crawford was not sure whether “blaze” could be procured in New Zealand at all, but judging by' the opinions expressed by good' players at St. Andrews, it was the best form of hard tennis court yet devised. By accepting posts as instructors at the Eoohampton Club, Mrs Larcombo and A. E. Beamish have closed their careers as amateurs. Both have a distinguished record (says tho Field). As Miss Ethel Thompson, the lady who will shortly become a professional reversed the usual practice and learnt the game as a voUeyer, coached- by her mother. By this close-quarter method her versatility was developed, and the firmness of her smashing and delicacy on the backhand, so characteristic of her own game and absent from the equipment of most of her contemporaries. Nurtured in the tractable years, Mrs Larcombo combined with variety of stroke and rareness of aim a tactical ability of the highest order. On taking up his post at Roehampton Beamish will relinquish the position of assistant secretary to the Lawn Tennis Association, which ho has held for the past few months. His resignation will deprive the headquarters of tho English Lawn Tennis Association of on official whose knowledge of courts and conditions in other lands, as well as his own, must hove been valuable; but the association will doubtless anticipate with confidence the fruits of his new and timely enterprise. In M. Borotra. France undoubtedly , pose,p i Ssca a young player of distinctive ability. About as tall,as M. Laumentz, M. Borotra, who is 23 years of ago, is very strongly built, active, and supple. His first service 3S straight but deep!; his second, like that of Decurgis, is relatively weak. His drive is plain without top spin or undercut, and there is nothing specially fast or difficult about either his forehand or backhand. But his volleying is exceptionally good. Like his drives, his volley.- axe “straight”; ho relies mainly on placing and length. Overhead he is deadly accurate without any groat speed. This year he has been beaten only by Cochet, of Lyons, another young rench player, with a very consisent back court game. Borotra has twice beaten Alonso, once in Spain and once in Portugal and has defeated Samazeuilh, the present French champion, in France. His victory over Cohort, while fully deserved, was qualified by the rheumatism of hie victim To sum up, Borotra, with his athletic and fighting qualities, is a notable recruit for France. Only an improved service especially a second service, and a little more speed in his ground strokes are required to make him a great player.