EXHIBITION TENNIS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18236, 3 November 1933, Page 3

EXHIBITION TENNIS

ENGLISHMEN’S TOUR > ( i MATCHES AT NEW PLYMOUTH ] i ■BRILLIANT DOUBLES (Per Press Association,) NEW PLYMOUTH, last night. Exhibition tennis matches were played at New Plymouth by the British touring team, Perry, Lee and Wilde, and the New Zealander, Mait'roy. The weather was perfect, but the courts wore very dead after heavy rain on the previous day, which affected the standard of tennis, Nevertheless, brilliant tennis was seen at times, particularly in the doubles. The attendance was 800. Wilde beat Malfroy, ti—ll, 6—4. Perry beat Leo, 6—i, -4—o, tj—■!. Perry and Wilde beat Lee and Malfroyy, 4—o, 6—l, 6—4, 6—l. The opening singles betweeu Wilde and Malfroy was rather disappoint- j i ing to those who hoped see Malfroy i i display, perhaps, some of the form 1 1 that enabled him to boat Perry at,; Dunedin. Wilde began very accur- j 1 ately, while the New Zealander was ‘ ’ very much off his game. Malfroy, 1 grew more and more careless as the 1 game progressed, and threw games ' away in the second set. Had he tried, ' it is doubtful whether he would have ' been able to pick up the leeway J against an opponent who was main- ' taining exact leugth, with fast drives , that just skimmed tho net, or angle ' shots that were almost impossible to reach. j Three sots had to bo played before! Perry could dispose of Lee in the , other singles match, which provided a much bettor exhibition. Perry did not attempt to take the net, where he is at his strongest, but allowed Loo to come up more often than ho would j have had tho match been more scri-1 ous. Lee made rather more errors in. the first set than his opponent, being unable to strike his length, and frequently driving out. Perry picked up Lee’s volleys from the net wonderfully, and often passed him. Lee continued to take the net in the second set, which he won with forceful j tennis, being sound both on the back- | hand and the forehand. In the third set, Perry was definitely in the ascendant from the beginning. Lee made a great attempt, to save the match in the eighth game, but Perry ( showed his great class, with magnificent recoveries that turned dofenro ■ into attack. ! Wilde was tho hero of tho doubles maeth, though lie was off' color in the first set, which Lee and Malfroy won rather easily. Wilde shone brilliantly throughout the rest, of the match, and witlli Perry made no mistake about the next three sets. His volleys were deadly and accurately placed, i but it was in the overhead shots that he was most spectacular. Perry was quietly efficient always, and scarcely over let go begging the opportunity | of taking advantage of the opening. 'Malfroy again appeared to be out of lji» class, and off form. He was brilliant at times, but more often made errors, Leo played his best game of the afternoon in the doubles, and .it WUS due to hiy stinging drives across the court, which paralysed the opposi- ( tion, that he and Malfroy won the first set. Without sufficient support, and against such steady tennis as Perry and Wilde played after that, he could do little to stop defeat, though ho playedjipheudidly^^j