LAWN TENNIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3671, 22 July 1924, Page 50

LAWN TENNIS.

By Smash. A. W. Sims, the present New Zealand champion, has taken up his residence at Murchison, on the West Coast, where he will undoubtedly suffer from a lack of firstciass practice. This may prejudice his chances of success at the next champianship meeting in Auckland, but should New Zealand decide to enter a Davis Cup team next year Sims could not possibly be overlook "fi. This week the inter-Training College tournament between Christchurch and Dunedin, which consists of contests in football, lawn tennis, hockey, basket ball, swimming, and debating, will take place in this city. The local lawn tennis team is not an exceptionally strong one, But nevertheless tne men at jeast should give a good account of themselves. The ladies are, however, rather on the weak side. The men are S. A. Sims (a brother of A. W. Sims, the New Zealand champion), C. A. K. Deaker (a St. Kilcla A Grade player), A. F. Rawlinson, and J. S. Robertson (local B Grade players). The ladies are Misses M. L. Grant, U. Nicholson, A. Edgar, and M. Stevenson. The personnel of the Christchurch team is not yet known, but one of its members will be Miss Partridge, who, with her sister, won the Ladies’ Doubles Championship at the inter-university tournament held at Wellington. The scores in the Davis Cup tie between France and Ireland were as follows:-—J. Couiteas beat E. D. M'Orea, 6 3, B—6, 3 —6, 4 —6, 7—5, R. Lac-oste beat 11. S. V. Dillon, 6 —l, 6—2, 6 —2; J. Brugnon and R. Lacoste beat L. A. Mel don and H. S. V. Dillon, B—6,8 —6, 6 —l, 6 —2. The latest news regarding the visit of a French team to Australia is that Borotra (the new Wimbledon champion), Brugnon, and probably Oochet, will leave Paris in December for Sydney. It is understood that they also intend to visit New Zealand and South Africa-. Lacoste is afraid that he will not be able to accompany his compatriots, but he hopes to visit Australia later. If there -is a possibility of the team visiting New Zealand tho council in Wellington should do all in its power to facilitate that highly desirable consummation, and the Otago Association should lose no time in making representations -for a visit to Dunedin. It is doubtful if any official word has yet- been received in this country, but in any event there is no harm in making an eariy application. The three Frenchmen named are all in the first flight of tlie world’s players, and as they are said to be highly spectacular in action, they should be a tremendous “draw” in this country as well as in Australia. The Frenchmen are to be asked to participate in the Australian championships which are to be decided at .Sydney during the last week in January.

It would be noted with deep interest byall followers of the game that in response to Patterson’s invitation Brooks has cabled agreeing to nomination in the team to meet the United States. If the message is correct it takes a good deal for granted, as it assumes that Australia will reach the challenge round by defeating both Japaji and France—provided that France is the winner of the European zone. The Australians’ first match is against China at New York on July 31 and August 1 and 2, and the winner will engage Mexico at Baltimore on August 7. 8, and 9. The Chinese team will consist of Lock-wei, aformer lawn tennis “blue” of Cambridge, Nos-ze-Tlwong (who is not known as a tournament player), and 1100-i-hye, tihe Chinese champion, who partnered thejapanese Davis Cup player Okamoto at Wimbledon. The Asiatic pair, it will be remembered, were defeated in the fourth round of the men’s doubles by Richards and Hunter. the ultimate winners. 6—4, 6—2. 7—5. On his form at Wimbledon Brookes should find a place in the Australian team —probably with O’Hara Wood in the doubles)— and even the moral effect of. his. presence should be a great source of inspiration to his countrymen. Brookes first represented his country in the Davis Cup in 1905. the year of Australasia’s somewhat disastrous debut, when both he and Wilding were defeated in all their matches by W. A. Lorned and Beals Wright. Two years he was instrumental with Wilding in winning the cup for Australasia by defeating A. W. Gore and Roper Barrett in the challenge round. In the matches of 1908, 1909. and 1911 (at Christchurch) he successfully defended the trophy, and he was again a member of the Australian team in 1912 when Parke, Dixon, and Beamish recaptured the cup for England. Two years later Brookes and Wilding journeyed to New York and regained possession of tRe trophy, and in 1919 he was again a member of the team which successfully defended the cup. His last appearance in the competition was made at Auckland in 1921 when Tiklen and Johnston took the cup back to America by winning five matches to love. And now there is a prospect of Brookes once again appearing in a contest in which he has been the dominant figure for a period of 20 years —a record which has not even been approached by any other player in the history of the game. What a tremendous achievement it would be if he were now to assist his compatriots in bringing back the cup to Australia !

So far the Australians have not shown impressive form in America, and they will need to improve very considerably to reach the challenge round. An Auckland writer points out that Anderson’s method last year was to keep the members of the team to themselves and concentrate on hard practice and a thorough “try-out” of their own combination, whereas this year there has been a division of strength over several tournaments and a somewhat conspicuous succession of defeats. The team is to reassemble for the New York championships on July 22.

S. Okamoto, tho Japanese Davis Cup representative, plays a typical game of the Shimidzu type—that is t-o say, he is an all court exponent and is remarkably quick on his feet, enabling him to retrieve many well-placed returns. While in England recently he was defeated by L. Raymond, the South African, in the Middlesex championships. and also by Dr A. B. Park (New Zealand) in the London County Club championships—3—6, 10 —8, 7 —5. Other results of interest during the Middlesex championships were tho defeat of Kingsoote by P. D. B. Spence (South Africa), and the defeat of K. Hooi-hye, the Chinese champion and Davis Cup player, also by Spence —6—l, 6—4. Mr Domst remarks that Hooihye has a nice easy style and is very quick on the court, but he lacks the forcefulness of a modern lawn tennis champion. Short shrift tvas accorded a proposal made at the annual meeting of the Lawn Tennis Association of Australasia last month

that an Australian team should not he sent abroad in quest of the Davis Cup More than once in every second year. Mr H. B. Utz, representing- Tasmania, who moved the motion, declared that were splitting their strength by participating in these contests every year, particularly when they were compelled to send players abroad that were not the best. They should confine themselvs to sending a team abroad every second year. The present circumstances were driving the players more towards professionalism on account of the great distance they had to travel and the loss of ume incurred in their professions. Mr Ltz was supported by Mr Bryan Fuller (New South Wales). Mr M. H. Marsh said that if the motion were enforced it would mean that Australia was doing something to kill the Davis Cup matches. He did not see the necessity for the motion Mr Hicks (representing South Australia)’ Mr Merton (Queensland), and Mr H Jeffreson (Western Australia) also apposed the motion, which was defeated by seven votes to two. In the light of the defeats suffered by Miss Wills in England, the following, which appeared recently in a New York paper, is of interest: —“An item of genuine interest to the foil oners of lawn tennis came out of Paris not so very long ago concerning the Olympic tennis and the implements with which it would be played. Allan Muhr, (he non-playing captain of France’s Davis Cup team of the last two years, and international secretary of the Olympio Games, resigned from some position" after a discussion over the balls to he used in play this summer. It seems Mr Muhr has been instrumental in having the American hall chosen for play, and most of the Europeans felt that this gave to this country an unfair advantage. It remains to be seen what kind of a ball will be chosen To the player who owns a fair racket and plays with the same balls until they will scarcely rise off the ground, this serious discussion must seem rather amusing. But when you are a champion and playing for your country in tournaments, it is ?T different matter. When the balls are solemnly tested and weighed and measured, there is something more in it. According to fh« leading stars of the day, America will be at a real disadvantage if the English Slazenger ball is chosen for the matches. There doesn’t seem to be anybody in authority who really can describe the actual material differences between the American and the English lawn tennis balls. But there are plenty of players who can tell of the different results obtained from each. Tilden’s complaint about the English ball is that it floats. It is impossible to put the thing away from the baseline, says the champion. Of course, he added, when you gain the fourcourt, a sharply-angled shot with any kind of a bail will put it away. Other leaders of the game in this counrty agree with the estimate of Tilden, and particularly in the case of Miss Wills is the tiling interesting. The little Californian is not a ‘baseline slogger.’ She depends on her speed for her greatest results, and if the hall she uses hangs in its transit instead of shooting like a rifle bullet, her greatest weapon will be dulled.” DAVIS CUP COMPETITION. LONDON, July 17. The teams for the European semi-final of the Davis Cup, which commences at Eastbourne on July 26 are as follows: Britain.—A. R. F. Kingscote, J. B. Gilbert, L. A. Godfree and M. Woosnam. France.—J. Borotra, J. Brugnon, R. Lacoste and H. Cochet. BROOKES STILL IN FORM. LONDON, July 17. At the Frinton-on-Sea tournament Brookes has reached the fourth round. AUSTRALIANS IN AMERICA. NEW YORK, July 16. At Glencoe Williams defeated Schlesinger 2 —6, 6—2, 6—4 ; Kalms defeated Hamilton (Chicago) 6—l, 7—5. In the doubles Patterson and O’Hara Wood defeated O’Brien and O’Brien 6 —l, 6—o. BROOKES AT ENGLISH TOURNAMENT. LONDON, July 16. At the Frinton-on-Sea tournament Brookes beat Vickers 6—o, 6 —l, and Aitken 6—2, B—6. SCHLEISINGER IN AMERICA. NEW YORK, July 11. At St. Louis Schlesinger and A. H. Chapin, in the fourth round of the doubles, defeated Torrey and Warner, 6—3, 6 4, 6—2. In the fifth round Schlesinger and Chapin defeated Walter Wesbrook and Harvey Snodgrass, of California, 3 —6, 2—6, 6—2, B—6,8 —6, 6—4. July 13. In the semi-final the Kinsey brothers defeated Schlesinger and Chapin, 6 —2, 6-=J. 6—4. July 14. At Glencoe, in the Illinois State championship tourney, alms defeated Rice, 6—2, 6—3, 6—l, and Wood defeated Waldner, 6—l, 6—2. July 15. Schlesinger defeated Anderson, 6—3, 6—l, aud Chappel, 6—4, 6—4; Kalms defeated O’Brien, 6—o, 6—l; Alexander Squire (Chicago) defeated O’Hara Wood 6—l, 6 —l; Patterson defeated Emmett (Chicago) 9—7, 6—4. J uly 17. At Glencoe, Fatterson eliminated Walter Westbrook from the Illinois Championships, 6—3, 6—2. Patterson and Wood eliminated their opponents in the second round of the men’s doubles. In the fourth round of the singles Kalms defeated Kinsel, 6 —l, 6—3. In the doubles Patterson and Wood defeated Hayes and Snuaer, formerly holders of the clay courts title. 6—3, o—4. In the third round Kalms and Schlesinger defeated their opponents, 6 —3, 6 —l. AMERICAN UNIVERSITY TEAM. SYDNEY, July 18. Stamford University defeated the Australian Universities in the Doubles, winning two matches. The Singles ended evenly, both teams winning two matches. UNIVERSITY MATCHES. SYDNEY, July 20. At lawn tennis, Stanford University again decisively defeated the Australian Universities in both the Singles and Doubles.