LAWN TENNIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2955, 2 November 1910, Page 64

LAWN TENNIS.

BY SMASH.

The opening ceremonies of clubs have now been completed, the last being the Otago and North-East Valley Clubs, which opened officially on Saturday last. The day wjas a glorious one, and success attended each function. Next Saturday will see the opening of the grade matches. The Otago Club has decided to enter two A Grade teams, being enabled to do this by the accession to their ranks of the Port Chalmers players; but Kaituna decided at a meeting on Friday last to enter only one A Grado team and one B Grade team. The deciding factor, I understand, in* arriving at this decision was the weakness of the ladies, .apart from last year's leading membersThough the club is able to place eight or nine A Grade men players on the courts, the same cannot be said of the ladies, and this constitutes the weakness of the position. The association requested the club to enter two A Grade teams, and suggested that if that were not done there might be no A Grade competition this year. That in itself would be a great pity, and, recosinising this, notice of motion has been given that two A Grade teams be entered, and the Kaituna Club will have another meeting on Tuesday evening to again discuss the position. It would be a serious blow\ to tennis if the A competition fell through. With 103 entries for the Singles Championship in the newly-constituted Claycourfc Championship, tennis in America is evidently booming. The metropolitan championships at Sydney have now been completed. The Singles Championship was won l>y Wright, who defeated Marsh by 6—*, 6—2. In justice to Marsh, however, it must be stated' that bo had not, fully recovered from his recent indisposition—an attack of the mumps. However, Wright played very solidly, an<t kept his opponent moving the whole time. The display of tennis was not of a brilliant character,- yet it proved interesting. Wright had never before won the championship, and his victory proved very popular. In the final challenge round of the Doubles Championship Rice and Sharp, the challengers, failed to defeat the holders, Wright and A. B Jones, who won by 6—4, 6—2. The winners held' the advantage right through the game, and never looked like losing. As they have won the championship four times, Wright and Jones become possessors of the trophies presented; for competition. The Ladies' Doubles Championship at the same tournament was won by the holders—Misses D. Gordon and Jones. By this victory they secure possession of the Cups. The final between them and the Misses Leo was a rattling good game, and the tennis shown from the base lines was some of the best seen at Strathfield. Miss Jones was the best of the four, and played a marvellously accurate game, keeping the ball away from her opponent at the net in fine style. Miss M. Leo was almost as good, and tossed brilliantly over Miss Gordon's head at the net, making Miss Jones run, from corner to corner. The Misses Lee, were twice within a point of winning the first set, as they led at •seven games to six, and had a lead! of 15 —40 on Miss Gordon's service ; but they appeared a little anxious, and failed to bring off a winning stroke. The match was one* ,otf. the longest and one of the beet ever played in the ladies' events at this tournament, the scores being 11 —9, 6—4. In connection with Wilding's recent victories in the Single Covered Court Championship cf England, whoa he defeated Ritchie by 6-1, 6—l, 6—l, and A. H. Lowe "in the final by 6 —2, 6 —l, 6 —3, it is interesting to note that in 1907 h.e not only won the Covered Courts Singles Championship, but with M. G. J. Ritchie as partner ho won the Doubles. In the parr.o year, with N. E. Brooks, he annexed A >ha Doubles Championship of England, also in 1908, with M. G. J. Ritchie as partner, and in 1907, in conjunction with Brooks, won the Davis Cup for Australasia, and it has been retained ever since, despite two "attacks" from America. Instituted ir. 1900 by Mr Dwight Davis, St. Louis, who presented a cup for competition, it has been won four times by tiho British Isles, thrice by Australasia, twice by America. There was no match in 1901, and there will be none during the present year.

Wilding was playing in Francs at the end of August, and yvas billed as the* " star" performor at the Evian !es Bains tournament. Ho won tho Singles Championship there with comparative ease, beating Micord, the French player, in tho final by three sets straight, 6—3, 6—o, 6—l. Pocklcy. wbo has represented New South Wales in many interstate matches, wa* also a visitor and performer, and was successful in winning the Doubles Championship, partnered by Mieard. Pocklev is a good doubles player, and in the final they defeated Wilding and J. Ralli three sets no owe. Wildinig also won tho ''Mixed" with Mrs Edgington. Mavrogordato, who was one of the chosen player.? to represent England in. the Davis Cup in New Zealand this year, had it been played, was beaten in the All-comers' Singles at Chichester by Larsen, the Danish champion. Larsen is a very steady and accurate player, with a neat and effective back hand, but his shots are, for the most part, too defensive. Ritchie beat Larsen in the final at trio fame place by 6—o, 6-1, 6—2, so that ho did not appear to have very much difficulty in accomplishing it. Of course, these results are not always a true guide, but th&y seem to place Mavrogordato much below Ritchie, and it gives the Australasian Council further gocd reason for withdrawing the £6OO guarantee to tho English Association for the visit of a team in which the above player was one of its stars (says the Referee). America has introduced a new championship, and that is tho Clay-court Championship of tho United States. This has just been concluded, and the winner was the late Davis Cup visitor—Melville Long. Tho play created almost more enthusiasm than is displayed at the even bigger championships. Upwards of 5000 people turned *"«. to see the players from tbe East

matched against those of the "West, and saw them all go down in swift and overwhelming defeat before the dashing brilliance and speed of Long. He played .Jones in the semi-final, and it was this "player that pave him his hardest match, obtaining 11 games. There was never the slightest doubt as to tha result; the question was merely how many games Jones ■would get. In the final he met Hall, who had played extremely well in the preliminary " rounds, but went under against the rusilLade, and though the score was t>—o, 6—l, 6—l, it is described as being a more one-sided match than the score would indicate. Hall couLd devise no tactics to puzzle Long. When he tried his most effective and strongest game, clever slow-placing, long would outplace him and pass him by yards, and it is even reported that when Hall tried_ smashing he imperilled his life, judging by the way Long shot the ball back. In serving Long was absolutely invincible, and 1 is second service was even more terrifying' ■than his first, and he seemed all through the match to prefer a chance of winning a. point by a dashing attack rather than by an exchange of shots. Absolutely fearless and fearfully accurate, ifc would have taken an octopus to cover the territory he inckuled in his aggressiveness. The Doubles was won by Hayes and Anderson, who defeated Long and Scribner in the final by 3 sets to 2. The match vas full of interest and high-class tennis. Long was the hero of the first. two sets, playing with extreme brilliancy; but after that he evidently tired, and was not able to get into position or keep up his magnificent returning. •M. E. M'Loughlin. is, according to re cent advices, still making rapid improvement in his game. At the end of August ho won the Singles Championship at. Southampton. Long Island, from a larire field of first-class players. In the semifinal he met an old-time rival in Thomas p. Bundy, of I.os Angeles, who has been playing in such splendid form in the United States Championships. Bundy is ssid 'to have started off like a racehioree, and put the first set to his credit at 6—3. His reverse twist service bothered M'Lcughlin, ar.d his lightning-quick volley? scored regularly. His anticipation of M'Loughlin's strokes wis marvellous. In the second set M'Loughlin handled Buddy's service with much more accuracy. He drove off it, and woro Bundy down gradually, winning the second est, 6 In the third set Sundy made la gcod start, but got a streak of double faulting, and M'Loughlin broke through the sendee twice. Playing in whirlwind .style, lie won the third set, 6—2.

In tin? final against Colston the terrific game- put up by M'Loughlin opened the eyes of the* spectators. The young internationalist v;:.r, right on tho top of lis gamo, and never gave his opponent a obanee. Serving like a streak, ho foroßil the net at < very opportunity, and his opponent's drives were killed unmercifully by volleys, which left Colston stranded ligh and dry yards out of reach. Ho forced Colston %a:ds off the court vv'th iiis tremendous service, and tho la-tier's returns found him planted at tho net, th". result invariably bong a kill. M'Loughlin eeemed invincible, killing off deep and short lobs alike- with the utmost ease, and volleying with deadly precision off drives which looked like clean passes. The different styles adopted in doubles are thus referred to in a Home exchange by A. Wallis Myres, who has at times achieved distinction in this branch of tho game with Stan Doust: —"Broadly speaking, double pairs in this country may be divided into two sections, each pursuing more or less distinctive methods —players who found their game on the Doherty model, which is cor.corned with rhythm and combination ; and these who, having watched the American and colonial volleyors, place a premium on their service games. s?ek to shorten rallies by brilliant individual effort, and attempt to furnish a mere spectacular display. Two pairs, whose portraits illustrate this article, may be said to typify these modern developments. The brothers Lowe are immature Dohertys. The Powells (K. and R. B.), both left-handers, have taken the greatest left-hander of all, Norman Brookes, as their prototype, and have reproduced between them, not without success, many of the fashionable strokes which distinguish the famous Australian. The Lowes, like the Dohertys. do not advance as near to the net as the American volley-?rs: sometimes they are only a foot or two in front of the .service line. And again, like their eminent models, they do not. as a rule, attempt to make a winning shot off the service; rather, by steady defence and sound generalship, to await the loophole in the ranks of their opponents, or an abberation. on their part which may come along. Of course, the Lowes have net yet acquired tho volloving depth or unerring precision of the, Dohertys. and one need not be a very diseernine: judge to question whether the Lowes will ever take the place of the eight-year champions. For cne> thing, they are too much addicted to the lob. In this respect the Powells iiltn afford s/ime crouiid

for criticism. Possibly both pairs' use the toss so persistently because much of the vigour has gone out of English smashing and it is often possible to recover and retoss a ball that, by 'slaughterers' like Dwight Davis, Beak Wright, G. W. Hillyard, or Frank Riseley would have been dispatched 'to glory.' "•Of course, the Powells are handicapped by the fact that both are left-handers. Being stronger on their forehand (what lefthander is not?), there is greater vigour on the wings than in the centre—a disparity discerning opponents are quick to realise. Nevertheless, "both pairs have achieved victories of which they may well be p.roud, and both will doubtless mount still higher on the lawn tennis ladder."

OTAGO ASSOCIATION. A meeting of the committee of the Otago Lawn Tennis Association was presided over by Mr R. S, Black. The 'Match Committee reported bavins; selected the following names from which eight men and six ladies will be chosen to represent Otago against Canterbury:—S. N. Brown, R. »S. Brown, Bauchop, Bundle, Bray. Braithwaite, Ewen, Harraway, Dr Marshall, Moody, Sinclair, and White; Misses Bauchop, Campbell, Hislop, Lester, Marks, Roysc, Stevenson, and Ronton (Mosgiel). The secretary was instructed to write asking if November 26 would be a suitable day for the match. The Match Committee reported having graded club players, and the list was approved of. The rules and legulatioms covering the interclub matches provide that any necessary changes shall duly bo made by the Match Committee, and it is confidently expected that the method adopted will work favourably, and prevent playere playing in a- grade below that in wnich they should be. In some cases where there may be one A Grade player —as, for instance, at St. Kilda —permission will be given him to play in B Grade. It was decided that the date of the opening matches should be November 5, and it was left to the Match Committee to arrange the draw and grounds. The secretary was instructed to write to the Otago and Kaituna Clubs and point out that it would bo in the interests of tennis if each would play two A Grade teams, as failing this there would be no A Grade matches this season. The other A Grade teams will be Roslyn and Balmacewen. Port Chalmers will .not enter a team, but Otago will be strengthened by its members. It was resolved that it be a recommendation to the Match Committee that when one club enters two teams in the same grade the first team is to be considered as such, and be able to draw upon the other team for players : but that the second .team in the same grada bo not permitted to draw upon the first team. There will bo seven B Grade teams, and 11 in the C Grade. In connection with the recent annual meeting of the Lawn Tennis Association the following motion was passed:-*-" That the committee of the Otago --\seociatic:i is very dissatisfied with the re?uE of the last meeting of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association with regard to the voting representation and the salary to be paid to the secretary ; il is of opinion that it is very improbable that the clubs/ affiliated to the association will aofrco to a further levy under the present circumstances, as players here have already been taxed for local purposes, and it cannot in the meantime, therefore, agree to make further payments to the association in excess of those of previous years." The feeling of the meeting was that • proper representation was not possessed, and that the salary proposed to be paid to the secretary was too high. It was reported that work in connection with the furthering of the claims of the Anderson's Bay scheme was bein.g done. The agreement in connection with that purchase was duly signed. QUESTION OF REPRESENTATION. CHRISTCHURCH, October 28. The Tennis Association carried the following resolution last night: Tiiat this association confer with t"e Otago and Auckland Associations with reference; to obtaining a rescission cf the rule relating to the question of representation on the New Zealand Association and a paid secretary recently passed, and that failing to obtain such rescission this association secede from the New Zealand Association. SECRETARY OF THE NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON. October 28. Mr A. J. Petherick, of Wellington, has been appointed secretly of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association out of 15 applicants.