LAWN TENNIS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19001, 25 October 1923, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS.

By Smash. 'flic opening round of B Grade matches was played on Saturday afternoon in fine weather, and (he keenness shown by 1 lie* members of the various teams indicates (he interest these games arouse. The holiday on Monday, although at times a (rifle windy, afforded pleasant playing conditions, and many matches were contested in town and country, the city courts in particular being fully occupied. Labour Day provides an excellent, opportunity for an interchange of matches between town and country, and contests of this kind must have a very beneficial effect on the game as a whole.

Entries for men’s singles and doubles and for ladies’ singles for the provincial ranking ladder, which becomes operative from November 1, must, be in the hands of the secretary by Saturday next.

The match between Kaituna and Balclutha, which was played at Kaituna on Labour Day, was in the nature of a holiday game, and was much enjoyed by noth sides, Balclntha was not represented by its full strength, and suffered the usual disadvantages of a travelling team playing on strange courts. Many of the matches wore very closely contested, no fewer than six of the games ending 9 —7. The visitors expressed themselves as delighted with meeting a town club, and were warmly appreciative of the hospitality extended to them, particularly by the ladies of Kaituna. Included in the Balclutha team which played Kaituna were two officials of the South Otago Sub-association—Mr Hunter, the president, and Mr Barnett, the secretary. In the course of conversation Mr Hunter expressed the hope that during the coming season the Otago Association would arrange a match against a team representative of the clubs forming the South Otago Association. It was desired that a strong team should be sent even although such a team would defeat the country players by a fair margin. He pointed out that if a strong team were sent the South Otago representatives would gain considerably in experience, and the public would have the opportunity of witnessing a higher class of tennis than could be expected from their own players. Another match played on Labour Day was a friendly r>amp between a visiting Kaituna team "and the Meadowbank Club, of Oamaru. An interesting day’s plav ended in favour of Kaituna by 10 sols to four. The outstanding feature’of the match was the defeat, of Miss Miller by Mjss Euslerfield—6 —3—in a game that was marked by very attractive tennis. Both ladies were driving freely and keeping an excellent length, and Miss Easterfield, who is an improving’ player, was finding the corners of he r opponent’s court with great accuracy. Ihe members of the Meadowbank Club did all in their power for the entertainment of the visitors, who thoroughly enjoyed the outing.

Other Town v. Country matches on Labour Day were those between Roslyn and Milton at Milton and between a Dunedin team and the Oamaru Club at Oamaru. Tn both cases victory rested with the city players, although many of the matches were very closely contested. Although the weather looked very unpromising on Saturday last, the rain held off and enabled the North-East Valley Chib to hold its annual Yankee tournament, for which a largo number of entries were received, Each pair had two lives and the games were very keenly contested. The well-judged handicapping of the committee produced some very close results. Of the 28 matches played to date 14 ended with scores ranging from 30-29 to 30—25, nine with scores from 30—25 to 30—20, and five with scores under 30—20. The draw for Ike semi-final is as follows;—A Turner and Miss Frame (one life) rec. 3 v. J. Eawlinson and Miss Hitchcock (one life) owe 10d. Leggett and Miss Bolting (two lives) owe 2, a bye. A small trophy will bo presented to each member of the winning pair.

Solutions are invited to the following riddle: —ln practice games recently Smyth (University) defeated Bray, 6—l. 6—5 Following on this in a match between Uosv Dell and University Wilkinson defeated Smyth, 9-6. Would Wilkinson- defeat 15 ray?

About a week ago Fulton and Wilkinson finished up two sets all in a friendly game against Guy and S. M’Dougall. Jensen defeated Roddy in straight sets in a practice game.

A. Alloo. tlie well-known cricketer, has i ejoined Moana, but ho does not coiiteinplatc giving nn cricket this season. Ino Oaninru tournament at Christmas promises to be well supnorted bv Dunedin p avers this year. Bgddy, C. M‘Dongall, Duthie, Jenson, I 1 nlltvi, Wilkinson, and many others will be competing. The two last-named are not going to Invercargill tins year to defend their doubles title Lawn tennis in Auckland will be in full swing by the first Saturday in November (says the Star), when the Association courts at Stanley street will be officially opened, as well as the Remuera and (be Mount Eden Club lawns. The Onehunaa and the Parnell Clubs are both opening on Saturday next. The Auckland chainpionsbips arc to be held towards the end of January. It is proposed this season to alter the method of playing A grade interclnb matches in Auckland. r lhe alteration bus not yet been decided on. but one of tho differences will probably be the playing of the ladies and the men’s matches on different Saturdays, and tlie allotting of a special day for some form of combined tournament.

Great interest is being taken in the matches which are to be played in 4uckland to-morrow by the members of tlie Australian Davis Cup team who are returning (o Sydney. Tlie chief attraction will of course be the plav of J. O. Anderson, wha defeated the nobler of the world’s championship, W. M. Johnston. Shimidzn. and Lacoste. Tlie matches will lie played on the Association’s courts in Stanley street and the Auckland team will probably in- £ L Bartlect, H. L. Robson, and L. \v. Griffiths.

New rules have been drafted by the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association for the control of ladder games for men and women-—singles and doubles. These rules give the committee of control wide powers and appear to provide for all contmgencies ' They would no doubt be found helpful by tho local association in formulating its ladder conditions. A copy is in the possession of the writer.

Night tennis is being taken up with enthusiasm throughout the suburbs of Sydney, and the Sydenham-Bankstown tournament, which was played last week attracted a record entry of 620. In the match between Opawa and Linwood last. Saturday Ollivior (Opawa) was defeated by Goss 9-8. Both men (sa.ya the Lyttelton Times) are masters of (he game, pad ever tactic known to them was used in the match. Play was exceedingly fast and it was a treat to see the way in which Goss kept the pace up. Ollivier took the first two games, and it looked as if he was going to win, but he had encountered solid opposition on the way. By speed and steadiness ho brought the score up to three ail. Both men were playing brilliant tennis, hut Goss was troubled by his opponent’s difficult angle shots, although the effect of these was somewhat countered by many lohs that the Opawa man nut out at tho base-line. The score climbed up to 7 all, and from there to 8 all. In the deciding game Goss took service, plis first serves were hof and Ollivior drove over the base-line. Goss lost the next stroke, hut the next two were his, and they gave him game and set.

TENNIS COURTS FOR 2000 PLAYERS. THE RIGHTS OF THE BODY. (By Dr Tmhy King, in the Dominion.) One is asked one’s opinion about this important matter, and I may explain at once I know nothing whatever as to the feasibility of the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association's enterprising project.. How ever, I have no hesitation whatever m saying that the proposal if practicable ought to receive every possible sympathy and support from the whole community, so fai as public health and child welfare are concerned. Without adequate daily or at least weekly stimulation of the whole body, through the skin and nervous system, no man or woman short of old age—ami especially no child or adolescent—can >ossibly keep in the best of spirts and maintain really good all-round health and bodily and mental efficiency. We all need the free play from time to time of cool, frcsli air and water on Die skin—naked or thinly clad for the time being—in order that the whole organism may he driven actively ami ,kopl in proper working order. There is only one way—Nature’s wav —to keep lit, enjoy life to the full, and fulfil one’s daily duly to oneself and one’s fellows—and that is by giving the body’ its primary rights.

THE RIGHTS OF THE BODY. When one speaks of the rights of the body almost everyone assumes that the maintenance of proper condition and health depend essentially on food and feeding, pure air for breathing, and a very moderate allowance of exercise. This they think can he got by merely “taking a constitutional. The eternal fact remains that most people won't take constitutionals as such, and detest the dull monotony of routine walking for the mere sake of exercise. .Tost of us are at our best when our' energies and powers arc kept from flagging by reasonable employment and work, alternating will) the pleasure of more spoil taneous and alluring activities, afforded, say, by. games and gardening —provided we are neither sports masters nor professional gardeners Matter-of-fact people say: “Then choose the useful thing—why waste time—take to gardening.’’ Hut gardening, as Mrs Earle shrewdly says m her “Pot-pourri from a Surrey Garden, is naturally a taste and enthusiasm of middle life, Children and young adults full of superfluous energy need something more exciting: gardening is good for them too, but they want something besides —the young need and crave for what is called recreation. Gardening may \fford enough, indeed the best and most enjoyable form of recreation for many of us, but not for them. Public authorities, charged with the safeguarding of public trusts, are naturally and rightly inclined to hesitate nofore assenting to extensive recreational schemes affecting public property until they are convinced of the soundness of what is proposed. However, there need bo little hesitation when it comes to any reasonable provision of due incentives and facilities in regard to forms of recreation which will take people into the open air and sunshine, and keep them there —getting the maximum of benefit (physical, mental, and moral) in the minimum of time. In, these respects nothing can compare with the effectiveness of children's playgrounds, public swimming baths (the chill off for eight months in the year), and tennis courts, open to all. RECREATION, REST, AND SLEEP. Some of your readers may remark; “But, why has he said nothing about the need for rest and sleep, or that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’?” Of course, cleanliness is an excellent thing, but the dirtiest body—foul and poisoned through and through—is the unstimnlatod, sluggish, inactive body which banks up poison in the blood. This is internal dirt and poison, and gives rise to the sallow, flabby akin, muddy complexion, and fishy, lack-lustre eyes of inertia and chronic constipation. This is much worse than surface' dirt; it depresses all its victims, makes them question whether life is worth living, and drives more people mad than all other causes put together. It is worth reflecting that otir mental hospitals alone cost us over £350,000 a year. Habitual swimming, tennis, and gardening would go a long way towards saving this, and freeingiibearly 1000 picked, healthy, capable men and women, in the prime of life, now employed as asylum nurses and attendants, for really useful activities and more pleasurable lives.

Recreation is not synonymous with mere enjoyment. Many pastimes and passing enjoyments, such as “going to the pictures” on Saturday afternoon, may be enjoyable, but (he effects on the rising generation are disastrous. This does not build up, recreate. re-charge the cells and batteries, of the parts of the body which, having done their work, and run down, need replenishing. That is..the function of- true- recrea-tion-one of our highest duties to ourselves and the community. As Romanes so admirably put. it: “Recreation is partial sleep, and sleep is universal recreation.” But the boy and girl at school, and the young people in shops, offices, and factories need much more rest and sleep- in -the -way-of recreation, and to keep their muscular tissues (weighing in the case of adults, say. £rwt. or nearly half the total weight of the body) in decent form—not to mention the brain and nervous system, and all the rest of our marvellous mechanism. Wo all need active, enjoyable outing and exercise, and nothing more significant can lie mentioned in this connection than the witting out of anaemia in women of late years, in direct proportion to community provisions made in the way of playgrounds, swimming baths, and tennis courts.

In the light of the above facts, the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association surely deserves the thanks of the whole community and the heartiest encouragement, support, and help in the carrying out of these farreaching proposals.

. THE MATCH PLAYER. Outlining the qualities that go towards the making of a great match player. W. T. Tilden placed first, and above at! else, the quality of courage. It is the quality that never allows a man to admit defeat until the last point has been played. No matter how great the strain or how desperate the. situation, the match-player must oossess the necessary courage to carry him through. The second quality demanded of a matchplayer is coolness under strain. This is the quality that allows the player to make his shots unruffled and unhurried. No matter what the score may be against a player, he is still master of himself, he has a chance. Coolness is. a certain guard against the enemy of good play-temper. It permits of quick thinking and complete grasping of the situation.

The third point in the make-up of a match pi aver is resource. Resource is ingenuity. It is cleverness. It is the seizing of the opportunity as it opens. It is coolness plus, and it is often the deciding factor at the end of a long, hard match. Resource may come from experience. Courage can be only a personal matter. The fourth point is grit. Grit and courage are different manifestations of the same thing—a quality known as “nerve.” Courage carries you through discouragement; grit causes you to triumph over an acute physical handicap. They are really the same thing, but they serve to distinguish between mental nerve and physical nerve. A match player must be able to stand physical pain, and still produce bis best game. And he must be able to do this thing without any explanation or excuse. This is not an easy thing to do. as tennis is a game that demands complete concentration. Pain or discomfort tends to distract one’s mind from the play. It is all too likely to cause one to think of himself. A match player must have’ more ' than these four qualities. He must have a fine stroke equipment, must possess a mental calibre of at least average intelligence and speed of foot. He must train,' work, and progress. Any player may have all these attributes, but unless he combines with ibein the four qualities of courage, coolness, resource, and grit, he cannot reach the select class.