LAWN TENNIS

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 36

LAWN TENNIS

JiY SMASH.

As those linos are being penned, on the day which wus to conclude the Otago Lawn Tennis .Association's Easter tournament, rain lias succeeded brilliant sunshine while there are yet. 31 matches to bo played. If the weather does not clear to-day the tournament will be continued to-morrow (Thursday), and unfinished competitions will be completed on Saturday. The tournament this year has been remarkable less for brilliant displays amongst the leading players than for the marked improvement noticeable generally amongst the younger competitors. Many trom B Grade last year acquitted themselves creditably in A Grade tins year, and many whom a sense of proportion kept in the handicap events previously have ventured this year into the championships, and in many cases were to bo found taking sets from seasoned competitors. Considering the restricted opportunities for practice during the wretched' season just closing, a high standard of play was scarcely to be looked for, but whilst the championships did not produce strik ingly good tennis, some of the play in the handicaps, and especially amongst the rising players, was of a very satislaotoiy and promising character. Another feature of the 1912 tournament lias been the evidence of growing interest amongst the country clubs. There was quite a large representation of players from the smaller centres of Otago, including Invercargill, Oainaru, Gore, Bluff, Alexandra. If the Otago Association’s tournament continues to promote improved play and keener interest amongst the junior players throughout the province it will more than justify itself, for these juniors will help to tone up the average of play throughout the whole province, with the ultimate effect that a higher standard will have to bo attained by those who wish to be at the top of the tree. In passing judgment with respect to the standard of play at our own tournament, it is fair to remember that the showing of local players was likely to be prejudiced by the memory of the superb tennis recently shown at the Davis Cup matches at Christchurch. For many Dunedin people those matches established a new standard, and it is not surprising that the piowess of the elect of Otago should suffer by the comparison. The lion's share of the credit for the successful running of the Easter tournament belongs again this year to Messrs J. Daggar and T Begg. To keep eight courts going from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m.. and to so manipulate the matches that the most attractive contests shall be in progress in the afternoons, when the spectators are most numerous, and at the same time to keep the whole of the 10 competitions moving along at a uniform rate, requires careful planning and 1 constant watchfulness. Messrs Daggar and Begg were on duty continuously, and kept a firm grip on the details. Assisted by the equally assiduous secretary, Mr E. S. Wilson, who had all the score sheets accurately made out well in advance, they kept every court fully provided for. and if a court was vacant at all it was because the competitors failed to respond when their names were called, or because of a difficulty in securing the services of an umpire. This latter difficulty, as usual, obtruded itself. The association is obliged to roly upon the good offices of competitors to protide umpires and it is obvious that a few individuals cannot overtake the duty pf umpiring for 60 or 70 matches per day' As is always the case, the willing competitor only escaped from the umpire’s seat when lie was playing, whilst the selfish player, although expecting ins fellow competitor to umpire for him, was rarely found reciprocating. The repairing and top-dressing of the Anderson’s Bay Courts has been well done. The courts, however, were suffering, so to speak, from a too recent rehabilitation Remembering that a period of hot sunshine would probably have a softening effect upon the rooent work, it was deemed impolitic to sweep the surface quite bare of sand, and in consequence competitors occasionally slipped at critical moments. On Saturday morning some of the courts wore fairly soft and the surface was lifting, a resort to the roller being expedient. Otherwise competitors wore well satisfied with the condition of the courts. Nevertheless, with regard to these courts, “ the best is yet to he.” The foot-fault was in evidence as usual at the tournament, and, following the line of least resistance, umpires mostly blinked at, the offence, which as a ride was so slight as to require microscopic attention to prove it. The operation of the rule as applied by one umpire, however, probably cod R. S. Brown his Championship Singles against Young. In the first set, which Brown took 6 —l. he was not foot-faulted once, but in the next set ho was foot faulted three or four times, with tha result that he was quite upset, and Young, who was playing an accurate, resourceful game, captured the second and third sots 6 —4, 6—3. An umpire is merely fulfilling his function by penalising foot-faulting when he detects it. but it requires rare sharpness of vision to judge from the umpire’s seat whether or not the server’s moving foot i.s an inch or two too far forward, and it is because of this difficulty, and because of an indulgent attitude towards one of the fine points of law, that the umpire’s penalising and reproving ‘‘Footfault !” i.s rarely heard. Curiously enough, a small group of players had hist been debating the question as to whether or not R. S. Brown had a habit of foot-faulting, and after observation had come to the conclusion that he was not an offender in that respect. It is a point with regard to which it is hopeless to expect uniformity of action on the part of umpires, and consequently it will always be a bone of contention. The Brown Brothers have again demonstrated their prowess in double harness bv winning the Otago Men’s Doubles Championship, which they had- previously held on four occasions. The winners to date are as follows: — MEN’S DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS. ISBG C. E. 6. Gillies and J. K Gmin. ipyt7—A. Borrows and W, T. Todd.

ISSB to 1894—-No competition. 1805—R. O. Koch .and A. E. Hairawav. 1896 C. and K. Adams IS37—A. Hogg and W. E. Fisher. IS9S--A. Borrows and E. P. Ward. 1899 and 1900—Xo tournament. 1901—E. L. Salmond and C. G. White. 1902—E L. Salmond and C. G. White. 1903—E. L. Salmond and O. G. White. 1901—E. L. Salmond and C. G. White 190 o—R. S. and S. N. Brown. 1906—E. S. and S. X. Brown. 1907 R. S. and S. N. Brown. 190 S— R, S. and S. N. Brown. 1909—F. Wilding, sen., and A. F. Wilding. 1910— a. Ollivier and F. S. Wilding. 3 911—G. Ollivier and C. H. Thompson 1912—R, S. and S. N. Brown. "It was a sad and subdued team of lawn tennis players (says the American correspondent of a northern journal) that landed in San Francisco last week after the trip to New Zealand in the unsuccessful attempt to wrest from the Australasian players the Davis Cup. symbol of the tennis championship of the world. W. A. Lamed, the captain of the team, of whom such great things were expected when he was prevailed upon to make the long journey, refused to make any comment upon the complete. Australasian victory. Jihad no excuses to make, no explanations to offer. Boals C. Wright and Maurico M'Loughlin, his team mates, also showed a marked disinclination to discuss their unsuccessful mission, although M'Loughlin was a 'ittlc more communicative. The last-mentioned stated that, Earned was handicapped by rheumatism, occasioned by rainy woatiter in New Zealand. He still considers Larned, when right, the best tennis player in the world, and said that! his poor showing in the Davis Cup contests was entirely due to the adverse weather conditions. M'Loughlin considers Brookes, the Australasian champion, the next best, player in the world to' Earned, and was well pleased at having been ah: to press him so closely. In admiration o tho Australasian players, and in praise of the treatment accorded them, both in Melbourne and in Christchurch, the American players were unanimous and hearty. Neither Earned nor his team mates see any reason to fall in with the British proposal to do awav with these Davis Cup contests and to institute an international contest, with the meeting place in Europe or America. They believe that the Cup should be first regained from Australasia, and, of course. ar.> the opinion that America will ultimately win it back." CANTERBFRYTOURNAMEiNT. CHEISTCHURCH, April 6. Tho Canterbury lawn tennis championship tournament was begun yesterday. There were large entries in the" different classes, but the competitions are still in the initial stages.