TENNIS TITLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23702, 9 January 1939, Page 2

TENNIS TITLES

DOMINION TOURNAMENT EDWARDS BEATS BARNETT BEDFORD AND GUNN WIN DOUBLES (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Jan. 7. When the forty-ninth New Zealand lawn tennis championships were concluded at Wilding Park this afternoon a completly new set of title-holders received the trophies. E. A. Roussell and R. McL. Ferkir.s, of Wellington, holders of the Men’s Doubles’ title went under in four sets to N. F. Bedford and J. W. Gunn, of Auckland, while Miss M. Hardcastle, of Queensland, won the Women’s Singles title in straight sets. The weather was ideal, and the stadium stands were not large enught to accommodate the spectators. Edwards Plays Solidly

Three sets were all that Edwards, the Wellington champion, required to win the Men’s Singles final against Barnett. This was Barnett’s third final, for on previous occasions he had been unsuccessful against A. C. Stedman and C. Angas. It was Edwards’s first final. As he has done right through this tournament, he played like a veteran and was on top practically all the way. He was deadly overhead, and both his backhand and forehand drives worked perfectly, as was expected.

Miss Hardcastle’s Easy Win

Miss Hardcastle won the Women’s Singles Championship, and won it with comnarative ease. Her compatriot, Miss Thelma Rice, made a gallant fight in both sets,.but many of her opponent’s shots down the lines found her well out of range. Miss Hardcastle had both speed and control with her shots, and although Miss Rice scored now and then with a beautiful forehand drive to the corners or down the lines, she was beaten by a player whose courtcraft and range of shots were better than her own.

The first two games of the match went to Miss Rice, whose drives were raking the corners, but then the tall Queensland girl reeled off six games in a row for the set. Miss Hardcastle was equally sound on both backhand and forehand, and she gave a lesson to New Zealand girls by the manner in which she swung her drives from corner to corner and then finished off the rally with a pretty passing shot or raking drive along the inside line. Final of Men’s Doubles Roussell and Ferkins lost their Men’s Doubles title, which they have held for two years, when they went down to Bedford and Gunn in a hard four-set .natch The issue was in doubt until the Auckland pair broke through Ferkin’s service in the ninth game of the fourth set, and when Bedford served out.in the next game to 15 the match was over. For the Wellington pair it was a game of missed opportunities. They held a lead of 5—4 and 40—15 on Ferkins’s service in the first set, but the opposing pair saved two set points and Went on to win the set at 7—5. There were more holes in Roussell’s and Ferkins’s defence than usual, and every now and again Bedford would beat them with a beautiful passing shot down the centre. Both members of the winning team lobbed exceptionally well, a department in which they equalled their opponents. Gunn’* smashing was viciously accurate, and on one occasion he killed, a high lob that would have landed just inside the baseline, Bedford was equally severe overhead on occasions, but his first service did not have the speed of his partner’s. Roussell and Ferkins seemed to go to pieces after they lost the first set, and the second set was more or less a walk-over for the Aucklanders. The third session went to the Wellington team after a hard fight. They were combining better, and Roussell gained several points by intercepting at the net. The other two refused to be flurried, however, and on the run of the play they deserved to win. Changing Fortunes The Mixed Doubles produced another of the remarkable reversals of fortune for which the tourna-' ment has been notable. Angas and Miss Poole won the first set with the utmost ease, Angas volleying and smashing brilliantly, and Miss Poole playing faultlessly on the back line. The opposition of Sturt and Miss Hardcastle stiffened in the second set. They eliminated the volleying and driving errors which had previously marred their game, and they forced Angas back from the net with well-tossed lobs. The Canterbury pair missed a great chance in the fifth game when at 2-all Sturt was down o—4o on his service, and subsequently had two advantages against him. The games went with the service in this set until Angas lost his to give the other pair a 5—3 lead. Sturt lost his eventually, but he and Miss Hardcastle captured Miss Poole’s in the next game after some great volleying. In the third set the Canterbury players again missed chances for an early lead, Miss Hardcastle winning her service from o—4o. Sturt was now smashing well, and Miss Hardcastle was keeping both Angas and Miss Poole on the defensive with her severe drives to the back of the court. Fine volleying by Miss Poole assisted Angas to hold his own service for 2—4, but Sturt and Miss Hardcastle, who were now playing almost faultlessly, took the final games without difficulty. Wilding Memorial Cup

The winner of the Wilding Memorial Cup, which goes to the province securing thp most points for championships, will not be known until after the New Zealand Junior Tournament to be held at Wanganui this month, as one point is awarded for each of the junior titles In the senior championships three points are allotted for each of the Singles events and two for each of the Doubles. Wellington thus ties with Auckland with three points each, Canterbury having two. Results:—

MEN’S SINGLES Final N. V. Edwards (Wellington) beat H. A. Barnett (Canterbury) 6—4, 6_l, 6—l. WOMEN’S SINGLES Final Miss M. Hardcastle (Australia) beat Miss T. Rice (Australia) 6—2, 6—2. MEN’S DOUBLES Final J. W. Gunn and N. F. Bedford (Wellington) beat E. A. Roussell and R. McL. Ferkins (Wellington) 7—5, 6—l, 2—6, 6—4. Mixed Doubles Final N. G. Sturt and Miss M. Hardcastle (Queensland) beat C. Angas and Miss I. Poole (Canterbury) I—6, 6—4. 6—2. j MIXED DOUBLES Final E. A. Roussell (Wellington) beat R. McL. Ferkins (Wellington) 6—3, 6—o.