LAWN TENNIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18764, 18 January 1923, Page 10

LAWN TENNIS

BX SUABB. The inter-club matches will be resumed on Saturday when,the B grade.competition will be continued. The draw is as follows:—St. Andrews No. 1 v. Roslyn, No. 1, Moana v. Taieri, Cosy Doll v. St. Kilda, Anderson’s Bay v. Kaituna, Green Island v. Roslyn No. 2, St. Andrews No. 2 v. Wakari, Cavershora v. St. Clair, and Balmacewon ,v. St. Kilda No. 2. The C grade matches will be recommenced on January 27 and the A grade gomes on February i°. The official programmes in connection with the Otago Lawn Tennis Association’s annual tournament have always been available at 6d per copy. Purchasers should consider themselves fortunate in the light of the fact that programmes for the Southland Association’s recent tournament were published at Is 6d a copy. There is every indication that the mixed doubles tournament on February 3 will prove a popular event. Entries close on January 29. The Otago Lawn Tennis Association at its meeting this week drew up a draft programme for the Easter tournament, and this is being forwarded to the New Zealand Association for its approval. In the light-of the experience of recent years an endeavour is being made to shorten the tournament by the adoption of the points system, instead of the more orthodox method of owing and receiving odds. This change will of course apply only to the handicap events, and the game will bo 40 points in the case of the ladies’ matches and 50 in the men’s singles and doubles and the mixed doubles. With a view to saving further time the men’s handicap singles will now be played as one event, and pending the approval of the New Zealand Association those players who enter for the Men’s Championship Singles will not Ix 3 permitted to outer for tho handicap events It is considered that this will result in a more even grading of tho players than in the past, and no doubt tho proposed changes as a whole will be readily accepted by intending competitors. Among the efforts being made by tho executive of tho association to improve the standard of tho game in Dunedin is a proposal to establish an official ranking list on similar lines to those already in existence in Christchurch and Wellington. Tho idea has much to commend it, one of its outstanding merits being the creation of a healthy spirit of rivalry for positions on the provincial ladder. The general practice adopted is for the Match Committee of the association to fix the ranking in the first instance and after that to make any alterations which are necessitated by a successful challenge. Rules are at present being formulated for an official list of singles players, but it seems to me that the principle might with equal advantage be extended to include the doubles players. I have frequently thought that the importance of doubles play is not sufficiently realised in this citv, and the institution of a doubles ranking list would undoubtedly encourage more pairing on the part of players and lead to some very fine games. Inlerprovincial matches are looming up in the near future, and the association is already taking steps to ensure that Otago will be represented by as strong a side as possible. Tho match against Southland will be played at Invercargill on February 24, and a letter has been forwarded to the Canterbury Association suggesting that this fixture should take place in Dunedin on March 3. In view of these engagements the following players have been chosen for practice by the Match Committee, tho names being given in alphabetical order :■ — Men—Black, Regg. R. S. Brown. S. N. Brown, Clark, Cleghorn, Duthie, Guy, M’Doucrall. H. Sumpter, Trogear, Wilkie, and Wilkinson. Ladies—Miss Ballantyne, Miss Dotting, Miss Black, Miss Eastherfiold, Mrs Evans. .Miss M'Adam, Miss M'Larcn, Miss Pattison, Miss Sparrow, and Miss Smith.

The invitation tournament to be held in Christchurch during the week-end at which tlic New South Wales ladies and representative ladies from various ports of New Zealand will compo.to is on excellent idea and it is certain to arouse a great deal of interest. Our visitors have had a sort of triumphal march throughout the dominion up to tho present,, but at the same tiipc there are several ladies in New Zealand who have extended most of them and who may yet obtain some ■ individual victories. Miss Macfarlano, of Auckland, was within measurable distance of defeating Miss Lance in Wellington, tho other day, and Mrs Scott-Watsou also made a good showing. Otago will be jevresented at tho tournament by Miss M'Laren, who has been gaining experience in the north, and by Miss Ada Sparrow—both members of the Moaha Club. Miss Edio will represent Southland. Tho North Island contingent comprises Misses Macfarlano, Plowo, Fenwick, and Snow-Clark. It is ,tb .be . regretted that Miss Knight, of Auckland, has so far not been picked for any of the matches against tho visitors, as she showed very fine form at Hastings, more . particularly in the Hawke’s Bay championship, in which she defeated both Mrs Hodges and Miss Howe, and ran Miss Macfarlano to three sets, the last going to 13—11. The match, New South Wales ladies v. Auckland, is to be played on January 24 and 25. Should Miss Knight be selected tho Auckland team promises to bo stronger than that chosen to represent Now Zealand. As tho Auckland championships are scheduled for January 26. 27, and 29, the ladies from the other side will bo competing, and an , excellent tournament should result.

Two important aspects of future New Zealand championship tournaments which are at present coming in for a good deal of discussion are the problem of limiting tho entries and tho question of centralising tho tournaments. Mr D. Murray Kean (secretary of tho New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association) states that in his oninion the ideal would be to have 32 entrants for the championship. A system of allotting each association a certain number of entries, he said, might be tried. Some associations never sent competitors, and this would introduce obstacles, but no doubt these would bo surmounted. Visitors to New Zealand would bo on a different footing. If they were representatives-of other countries they would naturally bo admitted to the championships. If they wore chance visitors their claims would have to be decided in some other manner. Mr Kean suggested that the English system of having two grades in the open contests might bo adopted. This would give tho less prominent players the necessary match practice against strangers, and yet enable tho events to be finished in good time and without undue strain to the best players. On the question of centralisation, Mr Kean was emphatic that rhe advantages of the change would entirely outweigh its disadvantages—especially if a centre were selected for each island, and the tournament was held at the two places alternately. Enlarging upon this aspect of the matter, a writer in the Christchurch Press states that until New Zealand has a Wimbledon, or at most two Wimbledons, its championship tournaments will have the al fresco charm of picnics, but they will scarcely be an efficient means for the evolution of champions. If each year the tournament was at tho same place, a school of good umpires and ball-boys would be quickly evolved; there would bo no interference of tho public with the games; catering would bo efficient and complete. It is to be feared that New Zealanders are somewhat too parochial ever to consent to the allocation of the championships to one centre. But that appears to be the direction in which true progress lies. Only when we have a huge stadium and perfect courts can wc hope to attract to our shores the best players of other lands seeking the honour of the New Zealand championships. Only then can wo hope to send from our shores a team of players fit to battle with other riations for tho lawn tennis championship of tho world. Dr J. T. Laurenson, after losing tho Now Zealand singles championship at Hastings on New Year’s Day. paid a tribute to his conqueror, G. Ollivior, of Christchurch. “My friend Geoff ployed great tennis,’’ said Dr Laurenson. “He got his line shots all tho tune, and I don’t htinlc that I got a decent backhand all the match. I had no kick somehow, and hod thought my condition was better than it was.’’ Dr Laurenson declared that he will not go in for lawn tennis championship honours any more if ho stays in the back-blocks. Ollivier said ho felt confident throughout the game. His opponent had fought strenuously, but had not reached proper form.