TENNIS

Southland Times, Issue 17553, 17 January 1914, Page 10

TENNIS

o o (By Deuce.) The Y.iI.C.A. representatives journeyed to Gore on Wednesday last and took part in an Association match with the Citizens £dub there The Gore Club were looking forward to the visit from the town plnyer-s. 'J> hom they had met the previous year, and consequently a good afternoon's tennis was enjoyed, the day .turning out an exceptionally fine one after the recent rough weather. Though the town representatives suffered defeat, ihe scores were in most cases sufficiently close to make the games intero-ting to those concerned. Credit for the C.itizens Club’s win was to a great extent due to their lady representatives. who succeeded in winning all their events, both singles and doubles. Some good close games were witnessed in the gents’ singles. V.M.C.A. getting home on two occasions by the margin of one game only, and winning four sots out of five completed In the gents’ doubles, the respective top pairs had a much better gam© than the scores (nine—two) indicate, the play of the Y.M.C.A: pair being frequently applauded, especially that of their, second man who is very severely handicapped. Gore managed to win two out of the three sets, and in the Combined Doubles h.onour£ were even with two sets all. Any town club travelling to Gore can always be assured of a hearty welcome by the Citizens Tennis Club, and the T.M.C.A. players speak highly of the way they were received by that Club on Wednesday last. These inter-club visits do a vast amount of good in furthering the game,

and It Is only the unsatisfactory train, arrangements that prevent Gore Clubs from travelling to town to take part in matches here

It is announced that H. L. Doherty, the. famous ex-champion lawn tennis pjpyer, contemplates a return to* the game next summer.- .The Sporting Life, discussesr’the matter thus—“A brother, of the late Mr R. F. Doherty’, ox-cham-pion, he is one of the greatest players the game has produced. His last public appearance was ip 1910. After giving up lawn tennis Mr Doherty devoted his attention to golf, and is now a plus three man. Although he has beta out of the game for several years, th© exchampion is still a comparatively young man, having recently celebrated his 37th birthday. ‘H.LV was # known on the courts in most parts of the world. For five years he hold the all-England singles championship, and, with his brother the doubles for eight seasons. In partnership. the brothers first won the. Davis Cup for England." Discussing the Australian team for the Davis, Cup, and more particularly the .selection of the fourth man, “Austral,” in the Sydney Referee, says—

“The entries have to be made to the hon. secretary of the American Association —as champion nation —by the first Monday in March. The draw will' be made shortly afterwards, and the result of the drdw will, perhaps, affect the choice, as it certainly will,, the question as to where the preliminary ties are to be played. Four players —not necessarily the same four —can be chosen for each'tie, and the locality for each tie. can be settled by the nations competing in it, and if they can not agree the champion nation can fix -the locality, and in this last event America would probably choose its own country. It is probable that all ties to he played before the English championship in June will he played in Europe—those in which Australasia takes part probably in England—and after June it is as probable, as it would be politic, that Australasia if still competing, would ask all matches to be played in America, so that its players could become accustomed to the courts and light there. Of new talent there was next to none in evidence at the Now Zealand meeting, says "Hulia," of the Auckland Herald, in commenting upon the play at. the'recent championship meeting. Only two young players caught the eye as likely to have n chance of being champions. D. K. Duthie is one. Ho is an Auckland player, and should lie* follow up big tennis may in the near future reap the reward. A voting Canterbury player in G. Gotz also showed likely promise. He is a college boy. and should be hoard of again if given good practice and advice.' As to the ladies there were no likely .voting champions to catch the eye. There were several young players new to Now Zealand championship tennis, but their tennis was*jlist ordinary. Miss Gray, the champion, who is tile finest, volleycr in New Zealand as far ns the ladies are concerned, was content to play from tite base-Une. and all ‘her shots were for safety. She played to the centre of the court every time, being determined to win by that method. Miss Baird was the one who went for her stroke and made the mistakes. The champion can put in winning shots when she likes, and it is a pity that our ladles’ play appears to be lacking in attack this. year.

The world’s covered court championship ended at Stockholm, says our London correspondent on November 12, and the Now Zealander, A. F. Wilding, won the chief event (the singles title.) He tlius claims the triple title of champion on grass, hard, and covered courts in one and the same year, n distinction which no other player in the world has ever achieved. In performing this fes C Wilding has lost only four sets in the three competitions, all. be it noted to French rivals. At Wimbledon he defended his grass court title successfully against McLoughlin in three sets: in I lie hard court championship, in Paris, where he had to "play through," he lost three sets —two to Deougis, and one in the final to Gobert at Stockholm, where he also "played through." He lost one set in the final to Germot.