CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19549, 3 February 1938, Page 9

CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS

PLAY AT AUCKLAND MAYSON BEATS BEDFORD PATTERSON WINS AGAIN (Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The weather was dull and windy for the third day of the New Zealand tennte championdbjips, whiMh recommenced at 10 o'clock with three men's fourth-round singles and three women's quarter-finals. The draw was: A. C. Stedman v. D. G. France, N. F. N. Bedford v. J. T. Mayson, who eliminated the champion, D. C Coombe, yesterday, and C. Angas v. R. G. Patterson; Miss D. Miller (North Otago) v. Miss Marjorie MacFarlane, the 1928 champion, Miss Nessie Beverley v. Miss V. B. L. Bishop, and Miss Margaret Beverley v. Miss Pamela Cooke. In the fourth round of the men's singles, Mavson had a flying start against H. F. N. Bedford, taking the first four games of the first set. Bedford was a finalist in the New Zealand championships last year, when he took Coombe to five sets and recently beat him in straight sets in an exhibition match at Wellington. Mayson, driving hard and placing well, bustled Bedford, who seemed to lack confidence and was faulty in his judgment. He brightened up to take the next game of the set, depending on net lobs to catch Mayson off his guard on two or three occasions. Mayson, however, had too many tricks in the bag and took the next two games and the set fj—l. In the second set, Mayson took the opening game, but Bedford, playing bright tennis and placing nice tricky shots, equalised in the next, but could not hold Mayson, who adopted crafty tactics and set traps to catch Bedford napping. Though Bedford played brilliant tennis and took a new lease of life for the remainder of the play, the second set went to Mayson 7—5. The third set was the hardest fought of all, and at several stages Bedford looked like capturing it, but Mayson showed gallantry and resource in staving off the Wellinglonian's challenges. At the first match point, Bedford saved the situation with a magnificent back-hand drive, the finest stroke of the match, but the end was near, for Mayson unperturbed, continued his attack and the final rallv caused Bedford to out in an attempt to retrieve a cleve r passing shot. Angas and Pattinson drew a good gallery and the spectators were rewarded by spectacular tennis, the youthful left-hander being heartily applauded for winning the opening set after trailing I—4. Pattinson thereafter kept the 1929-1931 national champion on the defensive, and at that stage, the end of the first set, appeared to have his compatriot's measure, but Angas is never beaten until the umpire leaves the chair, and in the second set he did not give his opponent a chance of recovery ffrpm another bad position. Again Angas made the pace in the third set, which he won to lead 2—l at the interval. Pattinson was troubled by a crosswind, missing many easy shots. Angas slumped badly when the match was resumed. Pattinson showed a marked improvement, and struck a better length, and got in to the net to make many spectacular winners. He overwhelmed his provincial comrade m the fifth set, in which Angas won only seven points. Stedman made many mistakes at the outset of his match with France, who improved the shining hour by taking alternative games with the Davis Cup player until 4-all. Stedman then broke through France's service and, taking his own in the tenth game, went out the set winner. Now thoroughly warmed up, Stedman ran but a love set in the second in the space of 12 minutes, France obviously being on the defensive against immaculate length tennis. Stedman had no difficulty in completing a straight-sets victory, France winning only two of the last 16 games played in the rubber.

The Beverley sisters soon had a set. lead each, Margaret against Miss Pamela Cooke and Nessie against Miss Bishop. /Miss Cooke wbn the first game and pulled up from I—3 to 3-all, but Miss Margaret Beverley kept her opponent running all-over the court. Both Miss Cooke and Miss Bishop staged fine recoveries, the latter squaring her rubber at 6 —l and the former leading 5 —3 and 30-love, from which advantageous position she failed to take a set. Then, fighting desperately, however, she won the sixteenth game to equalise sets on the North Island and Auckland champion. Although Miss Cooke opened the final set with a 2—o lead, Miss Margaret Beverley annexed six games in a row for the set and match. Miss Bishop made another spectacular recovery from 2—5 against Miss Nessie Beverley, but last year's runner-up eventually won, 10—8. Miss Miller, a hard-bitting Oamaru girl, was too good for Miss Macfarlane, the 1928 title holder, and in straight sets the former qualified to meet Miss Nessie Beverley in- the semi-finals, in which her younger sister will Dlay the winner of Miss E. Plummer (Wellington) v. Irene Poole (Canterbury).

To-day's results were as follows: Men's Singles.

Fourth Round: A. C. Stedrnan (Auckland) beat D. G. France (Wellington), 6—4, 6—o, 6—2; J. T. Mayson (Auckland) beat N. F. N. Bedford (Wellington), 6—l, 7—5, B—6; R. G. Pattinson (Canterbury) beat C. Angas (Canterbury), 6—4, 3—6, 4—6, 6—2, 6—o. Women's Singles. Quarter-finals: Miss Nessie Beverley (Waikato) beat Miss B. L. Bishop (Auckland), 6-1, 1-6, 10-8; Miss D. Miller (North Otago) beat Miss M. J. MacFarlane (Auckland), 6—3, 6—l; Miss Margaret Beverley (Waikato) beat Miss Pamela Cooke (Auckland), 6—3, 7—9, 6—2. Men's Doubles.

Second Round: M. T. Wilson and R. W. Smith (Auckland) beat G. Latta and G. S. Hutchinson, 6—2, 6—l, 7—5.