LAWN TENNIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1847, 15 April 1887, Page 27

LAWN TENNIS.

CARISBROOK v. CANTERBURY. Chbistchubch, April 9. The match between the Carisbrook and Canterbury Lawn Tennis Clubs came off on Cranmer Square ground to-day, and the Dunedin players were completely overmatched, winniug only two games — one ladies' single and | oue ladies' double. The excellent all round play of Miss Temple and Mr E. J. Ross was the principal feature od the Canterbury side. Mr Rose, of Dunedin, had to retire in the afternoon from the effects of an old sprain, and Mr Stilling took his place. The following are the scores : — • Combined Doubles.— Mis3 Lance and Mr E J Boss (Canterbury) heat Miss It Orbell and Mr J Webster ; scores, 6to 4 and 6to 2. Mi9S Temple and Mr F Wilding (Canterbury) beat Mrs Woodhouse and Mr H Hose (Dunedin) ; scores, 6 to 4, 5 to 8, and 6 to 5. Miss Gordon and Mr O Rl-ss (Canterbury) beat Miss MOr bell and Mr P Stilling (Dunedin) ; scores, 6 and oto 6 and 3. Miss Meares and Mr D Harman (Canterbury) beat Miss B Bathgate and Mr Fulton (Dunedin) ; scores, 6 to 4 and 6to 5. Miss B Harmon and Mr J Ross (Canterbury) beat Miss Stanford and Mr J Btephenson (Dunedin) ; scores, 6 to 1 and 8 to 4. Miss M Hatton and Mr T D Harman (Canterbury) beat Miss M Maitland and Mr J Richardson (Dunedin) j scores, 6 to 6 and 6 to 4. Ladies' Sinole3.— Mies Lance beat Miss M Orbell ; scores, (3 to 4, 5t06,4 to 0, and 6to 2. Miss Temple beit Miss R Orb&ll ; scores, 6 to 5 and 6to I. Mrs Woodhouse beat Miss Gordon ; acores, 6 to 3 and 6 to i. Gentlembn's Singles.— Mr E J Rosa beat Mr Stephenuon ; scores, 6to 1 and 6to 3. Mr F Wilding beat Mr Richardson; scores, 6 to 1, 4 to 0, and 6 to 3. Mr R D Harman beat Mr Stilling ; scores, 6 to 2 and (i to 0. Ladies' Doubles.— Misses M and R Orbell beat Misses Lance and Temple ; scores, 6 to 5, 3to 6, and tj to 3. Misses Meares and Hatton beat Misses Stanford and Maitland ; scores, 6to 5, 3 to 6, and 6 io 1. Gemtlemex's Doubles. -Messrs Wilding and R D Harman beat Messrs Rose and Richardson ; scores, oto 5, 6to 5, and 6to 5. Messrs B J and O*Kosb beat Me3srs Webster and Slephfcnson; scores, 6 to 1 and 6 to 3. Messrs J Roes and Harman beat Messrs Fulton and Stilling ; scores, 6to 5 and 6 to 2. SOMETHING ABOUT THE GAME. Lawn tennis is supposed to be a return to the ancient game, antecedent to the Side and End Walls, the Penthouse, the Dedans, and the Chasers. In France, in the times of Louis XIV, lawn tennis was occasionally played as an open-air game. In 1591, the Earl of Hertford j entertained Queen Elizabeth at Elvenham, in ! Hampshire : " Ten of his servants, after dinner, about 3 o'clock in tbe afternoon, did set up on a green before her Majesty's window, lines of cords, squaring out the form of a tennis court, and making a cross line in the middle. In the square the men, stripped of their doublets, j played five to five with handball, a borde and a corde, as they term it, to the great^likinge of her Highness." j In the Middle Ages tennis was played in J court yards surrounded by walls, and ever since j the tennis court has retained something of that shape. Ifc was generally played by two persons, but occasionally four or more joined in sides. The motive of the game was to drive back a ball with a bat or racket. It was played in a long gallery with a cord or net dividing it into halves. The players stand on either side this j dividing line, and as soon as it is decided which side is to begin, the game commences. It was one of the games which James I considered fit for the recreation of Henry, Prince of Wales. Six points sometimes constituted the game, each stroke counting for 15. About the end of the fifteenth century, the French game was divided into Longue Paume and Courte Paume. They were identical, the former with the Paile* maule, or Pell-mell, once fashionable in England, and the latter with court tennis. In court tennis the area was generally 95ft by 35ft, covered in. A low net was hung about a yard above the floor, dividing the court into two halves. This was the line. One side was called the service side and the other the hazard side, and at the end of the former were dedans or seats for spectators. The floor was marked off into chasses by lines drawn across. The several parts of the court were known as the grille, tbe tambour, the galleries, &c. The game was played in " sets," each of which consisted of the best of eleven games, each game having four points — 15, 30, 40, and game. To man a chasse meant to try to gain it ; and in order to gain it, the player strikes the ball in such a manner that it makes it second bound above the line which marks the chasse made. If the second bound takes place on this side of the chasse, the chasse is lost, and counts 15 to the opponents. A chasse causes neither loss nor gain to either of' the two parties ; and it is only when one draws it that one can either win or lose. Lawn tennis is, no doubt, a modification of the French game, which in its turn is a modification of the ancient Greek and Roman ballplay. Lawn tennis began to attract attention in the spring of 1873, but did not become fashionable till croquet had pretty well run its course.