TENNIS

Southland Times, Issue 19184, 1 March 1924, Page 12

TENNIS

(By “Re-Strung.”) TO-DAY’S FIXTURES. —A Grade— Invercargill v Bluff at Invercargill. Southend v Central at Southend. —B Grade— St Mary’s v Southend at St. Mary’s. . Invercargill v Bluff at Bluff. Winton v Waihopai at Waihopai. Invercargill won the Saturday A. competition fairly easily, and will play off with Winton, winners of the Wednesday B. competition, in the near future. This match should prove a very interesting one. While the honours in most of the men’s matches will probably go to Invercargill, the Winton ladies will probably prove too good for their opponents. I understand that Central are also going to travel to Winton for a match, probably to-day week. To-day’s match between Winton B and Waihopai B will attract considerable interest, as it will probably decide which of these two teams will win the Saturday B. I grade competition. The annual Yankee tournament arranged by the Otago Lawn Tennis Association is invariably a popular fixture and the one held last Saturday was no exception to this general rule—in fact, it was even more successful than usual, says “Smash” in the Otago Daily Times. Favoured by a perfect afternoon the players engaged thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and as the Yankee form of tournament is so devised as to provide a maximum amount of play in a given time they obtain some splendid practice. The course of play provided an excellent illustration of the difficulties of handicapping out the best players, most of the pairs which survived the various sections being made up of the strongest players in the city. Miss McLaren, back from her triumphs in the north, was partnered by Guy, and they won all their games at Anderson’s Bay with comparative ease/ and should now annexe the final, in which they have to meet Cook and Miss Hayward. The ranking of the world's lady players by Mr Wallis Myers is as follows:—Mlle. Lenglen (France, 1; Miss Helen Wills (U.S.A), 2; Mrs Mallqry (U.S.A.), 3; Miss McKane (England), 4; Miss Ryan England), 5; Miss Goss (U.S.A.), 6. Mr A. Wallis Myers, in criticising the present English methods, says hard things about non-progressive games of waiting for the other fellow to miss, or staying back and driving. He says: “Controlled speed, plus infinite variety—these are the factors that win matches.” The Australians owe their present position to this, and no better example could be found than J. O. Anderson. Let him be ever so much off his game, he never brings his pace down, but rather plays himself into form. Tilden, in his book, “Lawn Tennis for Club Players,” devotes a chapter to what he calls “underplay.” He says: “Underplaying is the result of lack of confidence in your strokes. This underplaying can be readily overcome by forcing yourself to acquire a long follow -through to your strokes. Believe in your shot and hit the ball as you would if it were purely practice. The crisis, of all times is not the time to underplay, for your opponent will be giving his best and you' cannot afford to let down.” The Otago team suffered a severe reverse last week-end at the hands of Canterbury, says “Recorder” in the Dunedin Star. Locally, Otago was not expected to win, even though the Canterbury team was minus several of the best playere. Greenwood had a great task to shake off McDougall, Seay was all at sea in the first jet against Clark, but was too superior in the next two. Smytii was our singles

winner. Sheppard, who beat Gerald Black, was a Dunedin resident several years ago, but several of our local men were his superiors. He had the good luck to be paired with Oflivier in Jhe Otago championships, which gave him a prominence rather beyond his actual qualifications. Steadiness was then his chief asset, and that would be of value against a hitter of the Black stamp. The Sumpters, of Oamaru, although beaten individually in the singles, credited Otago with its sole win in the men’s doubles. They are an attractive pair to wajch, always on their toes for a vigorous smash, and if their smashes land in court they are sure scorers. Their experiences in the several rubbers played should be valuable aids to their tennis development. They will require to devote attention to the whens and how. When to drive —it is useless trying to drive through a pair of volleyers entrenched at the net; a good lop will surely shift them and send them in hot haste to the base line, and the tables are turned. Position on the court is all important —both up or both back; up for preference, as you are then attacking, while when you are back you are on the defensive. I have had an eye on these Oamaru players for some seasoflK' and have noted their faults —excessive eagerness at the wrong moment, and bad position on court. If they were in a big tennis centre like Christchurch they would be looking for trouble in the topmost. branches. The Otago Association is to be congratulated on giving the Oamaru players the recognition that is their just due. Suzanne Lenglen is to represent France in the Olympic matches, so says a cabled message. The American women’s team will probably be Helen Wills, Miss Eleanor Goss, Miss Leslie Bancroft, Miss Lillian Scharman, Mrs Helen Gilleaudeau Lockhom, or Mrs Marion Zinderstein Jessup. Mrs Mallory is not eligible. In America they have been discussing the chance that Miss Wills has of ending the sway of the great Lenglen, for so long the supreme woman player. When Miss Wills rose to the top of the game, her father announced, in response to the discussion of a match between Miss W T ills and Mlle. Lenglen, that he was not sure that he would permit his daughter to go abroad this coming season. He wanted nothing to interfere With her school and college work, and was not sure that it would be wise to let her attempt the great French woman as yet. The camp is pretty well divided on this subject. There are those who fear that the blossoming of Miss Wills’ tennis genius will be nipped in the bud (with apologies) by exposure to the frost of a match with Mlle. Lenglen before she has more experience on her side. And there are those who believe that she is equipped right now to topple over the great European. But if the American girl does go abroad and meets Mlle. Lenglen at Wimbledon and at the Olympics, the affairs will be the most interesting and important of the 1924 season. Vincent Richards has brought himself into the limelight by eloping with the daughter of the proprietor of the Claremont Inn, Riverside Drive, New York. Mdlle. Lenglen has again come into extra prominence by falling out with the decision of the line umpire who foot-faulted her. He insisted, and she broke into tears and left the court and refused to play with him on the line. They decided that they could more easily do without the line umpire than with the world’s championship, and with the line umpire removed, the champion played on and won as usual. While one cannot know who is right, it would seem extraordinary that Mdlle. Lenglen should suddenly develop a habit of foot-faulting after so many years being uncalled.