EXHIBITION LAWN TENNIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22099, 1 November 1933, Page 9

EXHIBITION LAWN TENNIS

ENGLISHMEN AT WANGANUI LEE DEFEATS MALFROY (Per Units® Press Association.) WANGANUI, October 31. Exhibition lawn tennis matches were played here to-day, the Vpartidpants being Perry, Lee and Wilde (England) and Malfroy (New Zealand). Play was of a high order, dazzling at times in its pace and accuracy, and lifted the spectators to an appreciation of lawn tennis of an international standard. There were times when play in the Singles was not quite in keeping with what was expected, but the Doubles match was of an exceptionally high order. , It was tennis of a type never .before seen in Wanganui. The- results' were as follows: Lee beat Malfroy 7 —5, C—4. Perry beat Wilde 2 —6, G—3, 6—2. Lee and Malfroy beat Perry and Wilde 2—6, 6—2, ’6—7,‘ 6—3, 6—4. All the Singles were played mainly from the base line. Malfroy led in the first set against Lee 3 —2. The New Zealander kept playing to the Englishman’s backhand and Lee defended well against a strong, attacking service. Malfroy led again 4—3. Lee and he then each won their service games and the Englishman had the lead at o—6, winning the last game and set 7 —5. In the second set Lee led at 5 —4, and with the last game at 30—15 the Englishman used his service effectively to win 6—4. Malfroy had difficulty in placing his drives in court, nearly always sending them beyond the base line or missing the side lines.

Perry and Wilde played an interest- ' ing game. Perry had difficulty in keep-, ing his footing, and opened poorly, Wilde keeping him guessing with brilliant sideline drives. Wilde won the first set fairly, easily. In the second set the seventh and ninth games went to deuce, but Perry had gradually worked up to v form and won comfortably. The Doubles match was really a triumph for Malfroy, The New Zealander still displayed a tendency to find the court too small for his driving, but his service was deadly, despite the fact that he almost invariably .missed with the first ball. Lee opened poorly, but as he came to form he gave Malfroy the support required to win. Perry was brilliant at times, but there were shots which he missed badly at others. Several games went to deuce and zig-zagged before the deciding point could be obtained. The matches left the impression that Perry and Lee could both do better and that Malfroy is in the first flight of the game.