BRILLIANT TENNIS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 10 November 1934, Page 8

BRILLIANT TENNIS

ENGLISH TEAM’S TOUR MATCHES AT CHRISTCHURCH MISS ROUND IMPRESSIVE (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. Approximately, 2000 people assembled at Wilding Park yesterday to see the visiting English lawn, tennis team engage in matches against one another and with leading Canterbury players. - A large proportion of the visitors came mainly to see Miss D. Round, first ranked woman player in the world, for, while F. J. Perry another member of the team occupied, a similar position in men’s tennis, lie had already played in Christchurch.

, None could have been disappointed in Mis. Round, for she played tennis of a standard that has never before been produced by a woman player in the South Island. “

0, P. Hughes, captain of the visiting team, early in the day expressed a wish to have a. “work-out” in singles, and he was accordingly matched against a leading local play, T. Rhode,s-\\ illiams; In addition to this match, and brilliant singles between Miss Round and Miss N,°M. Lyle, a match that produced the finest women’s tennis ever seen in Christchurch, the spectators saw Perry lose a, set to G. Angas in a contest in which -the local man made the Englishman produce some really good, if not his best, tennis, in order to win. There was also much brilliant play m the doubles, in which Perry and Hughes were partnered respectively by 11. A. Barnett, and »11. Dymond, Canterbury representative players;- and mixed doubles between Miss M. Dearman and Hughes and Miss Round and RhodesWilliam. ■ <• „ The speed and accuracy which Miss Round and Miss Lyle maintained throughout their match was a.revelation. Miss Round may not 'have been, at her best, particularly in the first, set, which Miss Lyle won 6-4, but. she exhibited, a repertoire of hard hitting, shots and a fleetness of foot on thq court- that might have been the envy of many men. -All her strokes are produced with the rhythm and grace that are the-hallmark of a champion; When necessary, too, they are played to a. rising ball, tactics that, when successfully carried out, give their user the advantage of that extra, fraction of a. second that makes the difference between taking advantage of an opening and missing it. Perhaps the most import at. lesson that the,English women players have to teach New Zealanders is the perfection of their footwork. Miss Lyle, even more than Miss Round, demonstrated that iootwork is half the game. Tall and heavily built, Miss Lyle, nevertheless,, covers, the court with great speed of foot,, and she is always in position for her -shots.( The manner in d which' each woman returned shots from the deep in the backhand corner was remarkable. Miss Lyle disbeautiful forehand drive; which, directed into Miss Round s backhand corner, was a constant menace throughout the match. If Miss Round showed bv her-splendid -driving and volleying that she is a worthy Wimbledon champion, Miss Lyle fully demonstrated that the hopes: placed in her by the English tennis authorities are not ...perry was the- same Mashing debonair player who captured the imagination of New.. Zealand, spectators lasimyear; He gives-the impression of boundless: energy apd physical resource, and it comes as no surprise to see him make an acrobatic leap ab a 'ball far out of . the .court and send-back a scorching shot that Ins .opponent has no hope of reaching. Pen y made more mistakes yesterday _ than lie could allow himself to make in championship play, and he attempted many shots that would not have been justi. tied in-a more serious match. Every now and again,,: however, he produced a forehand drive or smash of almost blinding speed, - and Angas, his opponent, was fortunate if a short ball toPerry s forehand did not escape punishment-. .Angas played in the first, set as well as he ;has ever done in- Christchurch, and although he won only one more game in the second and-third sets, he-chased .Perry’s corner, finding- shots lic-roically, and the champion paid him the compliment of maintaining an unrelenting attack for the remaider of the contest. . Ithpdes:Williams played scarcely well enough against Hughes to make the Englishman .reveal his wide repertoire of cut and sliced ground strokes and volleys. The Canterbury man was well below his best form,.and was quite unable to cope with Hughes’, varied spin. The Englishman had a wonderful variety of service—cannon-ball, American, twist. and reverse twist, and it proved a potent weapon in the doubles match.,. Like Perry, Hughes is extremely quick about the court. , •; k Hughes;and Rliodes-Williams were opposed to each other in-the mixed doubles at t lie-end of-the afternoon. Miss Dearman made her; only appearance of the, day in partnership with Hughes, riml Miss Round played withw-Rbocfek-Wil-liams. .Miss Dearman showed herself to be tlie possessor of a very complete

stroke equipment, but her shots did not cany the speed of Miss Round’s, and she had not the same facility for fiudmg openings in the opposite court. Hughes could never take liberties in intercepting in driving exchanges between the two women. R.hodes-Williams played much better than in the singles and had some fine, volleying exchanges with Hughes, Miss Round supported her fine driving with splendid volleying, and smashing.. .Playing with I’erry in the men’s doubles match, Barnett, the young Canterbury player, showed 'his very best form. ' He took the advantage of every opening that Perry’s thrustful' ground strokes and volleys engineered for him, and he was little less active than Perry himself in covering the court. Dymond was -seen to less advantage, and was obviously a little overawed by the 1 occasion, hut he held his end up in the match against an obviously stronger pair. The results of the : matches were as follows:—

F. .1. Perry (England) beat C. Angas (Canterbury) 1 , 7—9, 6—l, 6—o. G. P. Hughes (England) beat T. Rhddcs-Williams (Canterbury), 6—l, 6-3.

Miss D. E. Round (England) beat Miss N. M. Lyle (England). 4—6. 6—4. 6—2. F': ,T. Perry (England) and 11. A, Barnett (Canterbury) beat G. P. Hughes (England) arid H. Dvmond (Canterbury), 6—l, I—6. 6—2. Miss E. M. Dearman and G. P. Hughes (England) beat Miss D. E. Round (England) and T. Rhodes-Williams (Canterbury), - '