PLAY UNLIKELY TO-DAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19550, 4 February 1938, Page 8

PLAY UNLIKELY TO-DAY

CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS DRAW FOR SEMI-FINALS (Par Prass Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. A strong easterly gale and heavy rain are practically certain to prevent play to-day in the New Zealand tennis championships. In any case the programme had arranged for a start at 1 o’clock. The draw for the remaining matches is as follows: Men’s Singles, semi-finals: A. C. Stcdman v. R. G. Patterson; A. D. Brown v. J. T. Mayson. Women’s Singles, semi-finals: Miss D. Miller v. Miss Nessie Beverley; Miss E. Plummer v. Miss Margaret Beverley. Men’s Doubles, semi-finals: Stedman and D C. Coombe v. M. T. Wilson and R. W. Smith; R. McL. Ferkins and E. A. Roussell (the holders) v. D. G. France and N. G. Sturt. Women’s Doubles, final: The Poole sisters (the holders) v. the Beverley sisters.

Mixed Doubles, semi-finals: J. W. Gunn and Miss Margaret Beverley v. R. W. Smith and Miss Pamela Cooke; R. J. D. Sharpe and Miss M. Glenny v. M. T. Wilson and Miss E., Stewart. Patterson and Mayson, the men’s singles semi-finalists, are unseeded players, as are Wilson and Smith in both doubles. In the mixed doubles, Gunn and Miss Margaret Beverley are the only seeded pair left in. It is interesting to note that three seeded pairs, including the first two rankers, Roussell and Miss T. Poole and Ferkins and Miss Irene Poole, were eliminated on the first day of the mixed doubles on Tuesday.

GOOD HEADY PLAY MISS PLUMMER IN FORM Some very good and heady play was witnessed at the New Zealand tennis championships at Auckland in the match between Miss I. Poole and Miss E. Plummer. Although both remained for the most part in the back of the court, they varied the direction of their driving on either hand Short, angled shots scored many winners for Miss Plummer, i Miss Plummer lost her service, but pulled up from o—4o to take her opponent’s service. Nearly all the games were characterised by spectacular rallies, in which the contestants endeavoured to manoeuvre each other out of position. There was a long exchange in the tenth game, which Miss Plummer won with the loss of but one point. It was a tense struggle from 3-all up to 7-all, every point having to be hard earned. Miss Plummer obtained winners with cross-court shots from both hands, to lead at B—7. Then followed several deuces and a succession of long rallies before Miss Plummer broke through her opponent’s service to win the set. Miss Plummer went for everything in tireless fashion in the second set. She did not lose heart when she

missed angled cross-court shots, some of which were carried wide by the wind. With a lead of 3 —l, Miss Plummer had the Canterbury lady on the defensive, and whenever the latter changed her tactics by advancing to the net, she was passed with accurate shots to either side. The winner had two match points at 5 —3 before taking the honours. In straight sets Misses Bishop and Cooke eliminated Misses Plummer and Glenny. The first set was keenly contested, but the winners were definitely on top throughout the second set.