TENNIS

Southland Times, Issue 19395, 8 November 1924, Page 14 (Supplement)

TENNIS

(By

“Racquet.”)

T%e first inter-club matches of the 192425 season were played last Saturday afternoon. The weather was not all it might have been, a strong wind proving unpleasant to players on the less sheltered courts, but some good games resulted. In A grade, Gladstone crossed swords with Invercargill and was defeated by 10 sets and 86 games to 2 sets and 50 games. The result was rather surprising as Gladstone number some good players amongst their members, but the combination of Messrs Gilmour, Prain, Hinton and Deaker proved too much for the home men’s team, who were defeated by substantial margins in the singles. In the Winton v. Central match played on Central grounds the visitors were successful in winning 10 out of the 14 sets played. In the men’s division the Winton team won each set by narrow margins, but in the ladies’ singles Misses Hirst and Price, of Central, won by a margin of 4 and 2 games respectively. In both A grade matches two players defaulted in the men’s singles, but in the case of the Winton defaulters it is understood that time would not permit of the sets being played. In the B grade matches, Waihopai No. 1 played Southend No. 2 on Southend courts and won by 13 sets to 3. Invercargill played Southend, and were defeated by 10 sets to 6. Central played Waihopai No. 2 at Waihopai, and won by 9 sets to 7. Wednesday’s matches were confined to the B grade teams. Invercargill drew a bye and Waihopai travelled out to Winton and were successful in defeating the home

team by 10 sets to 6. The closeness of the matches are shown by the narrow margin of 8 games, by which the visitors won. At Southend courts Central were defeated 9—7, after some close games. The weather in Invercargill Was ideal for tennis on Wednesday and quite a few were present at the Southend to watch the match. THE CLUBS. SOUTHEND. The Southend ladder is at present as followsMEN. LADIES. Stobo Miss Campbell. Alsweiler Miss Hamilton Reed Miss Preston Richards Miss McCallum S. Rae Miss Fyffe W. Rae Miss Stevenson A. S. Ferguson Mias Shepherd Ericson Miss Harrington Malcolm Miss McGrath Race Miss Lilbume Fortune Miss M. Oughton Preston Miss Mahoney Manson Miss Kearney Ferguson Miss Waugh Petrie Miss Kitto Cullen Miss Race McMillan Lovatt During the week Fortune defeated Preston for 11th place on the men’s ladder and Miss Kitto defeated Miss Race for 15th place on the ladies’ ladder. CENTRAL The Central ladder at present stands as foUows:— MEN. LADIES, Hudson. Mrs Smart. Mills. Miss Pay. Hirst. Miss Hirst. McKay. Miss Price. A. Stodwt. Miss Melvin. Hughes. Miss Porter. Barham. Miss Smith. B. Stodart. Miss Chilman. Rout. Miss Washer. Smart. The ladies’ ladder remains unaltered except for the deletion of Misses Yule and Leitch. Owing to the resignation of the popular club member Mr O’Connell the men’s ladder goes up one aU round, and one new member has been added. INVERCARGILL. The Invercargill ladder at present stands as follows: MEN. LADIES. A GRADE. MEN. LADIES. Gilmour Miss Rein Prain Mrs C. F. A. Jones Hinton Mrs Carr Hawkins Mrs F. Hall-Jones Brandford Miss Logan Deaker Mrs Hawkins B GRADE. Satterthwaite Miss T. Guthrie K. de Castro Miss N. Oughton Tarlton Miss Hackworth N. McD. Weir Miss Wylie Holdaway Mrs Lopdell Smith Miss Bel) Ott Miss Henderson D. McPherson Miss Holdaway Hall-Jones Miss Pearce Lopdell Miss Speirs Hitchon Miss Moffett Drewe Miss Baxter Laffey Miss Garrett Strettel Miss Humphries Miss O. Fraser Much interest is feeing taken in the men’s division of the ladder and in the past week there has been several changes. Prain defeated Hinton for second place in the A grade and K. de Castro was successful in his match with Tarlton for second place in the B grade. Smith defeated Ott for 6th position and D. McPherson also advanced one position by defeating Hall-Jones. The news that Invercargill may shortly have a new pavilion will be welcome amongst members and it only remains now to draw up the plans for tenders to erect a building that will be large enough to cope with the large club membership. GLADSTONE. The Gladstone ladder is as follows: MEN. LADIES. Hewat Miss Lester Caws Mrs McFarlane Morrison Mrs Handyside Brodrick Mrs J. Macdonald Camm Miss Russell E. Russell Mrs Mackrell P. Webb Mrs Camm Fastier Mrs Hoyles Broughton Mrs F. A. Webb Thomas Mrs Gilkison H. Macalistei Miss Morrah Royds Mrs Gilmour F. Webb Mrs Hutton A. Macalister Mrs Garrett Miss Hawke. The only change that has been made in the ladder is in the men’s division, P. Webb and Fastier having advanced one place each. WAIHOPAI. The Waihopai ladder is as follows: MEN. LADIES. Meredith Mrs McFarlane Bray Miss R. Edginton Kingsland Miss I. S. Edginton Davies Miss Brown Brown Miss B. Whyte Tattersfield Miss E. Coutts Drewe Miss Pratt P. Rice Miss H. Coutts Hamilton Miss R. Dey Domigan Miss McNeil R. Whyte Miss Taylor F. Rice Miss C. Whyte Hughes Miss Edie McNaughton Miss M. Whyte Read Miss Murdoch Anderson Miss Smith Pierce Miss Ward Bird Miss Price Brown Miss Kidd Carnahan Miss J. Coutts Raines Miss F. White Polson Miss P. Rabbidge Officer Miss SummeriU Crane Miss Todd The Waihopai ladder is unchanged. EASTERN DISTRICT COMPETITIONS. " LATEST MATCHES. (From our Correspondent.) No matches were played in the Eastern District on Wednesday except the Wyndham v. St. Patrick’s game at Wyndham, on account of the weather conditions. The present position of the various clubs in the competitions is as follows: —A Grade—

—Eastern District Ladder— Recent ladder matches have been as follows : Mrs Olli ver (11th place) beat Mrs Lamont (12th), 9 —6. Miss Cranstoun (9th place) beat Mrs Christie (Bth), 9 —7. The players on the ladder are now placed as follows: MEN. LADIES Hendy Miss Bell Henderson Miss R. Blaikie Mirams Miss McKinna Malcolm Miss O. Maude Thorn Morton Palairet Miss T. Maude H. Aitken Miss Alexander Price Miss Cranstoun G. Blaikie Mrs Christie Scott Miss Winning Wallis Mrs Olli ver W. Aitken Mrs Lamont

TILDEN MAY QUIT. HE MIGHT ENTER MOVIES NEXT YEAR. It was cabled from New York in August that incomparable William T. Tilden intended taking up the movies and leaving lawn tennis to others. The New York newspapers discuss it seriously. William T. Tilden, National tennis champion, may abandon tennis next year (says the New York Times) to become a moving picture actor. “There is a chance that I might,” was his answer when questioned at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, as to whether he intended giving up the game to enter the moving picture profession. Reports have been spread from time to time of the Philadelphian’s intentions to become a cinema actor, and it has been generally known that he has given considerable time to amateur dramatics.

Tilden has taken part in several stage productions, playing in Clarence, Seventeen and Duray and is well acquainted on the Pacific Coast among the moving picture colony, going West each year to play in tournaments. The foregoing appeared in August. It is only an “if.” We hear of such things in all kinds of sports—-that the champion is going to retire. But the lure invariably finds him out. It enchains him to the first love, until Father Time’s hand faUs heavily on him, and he has to retire willy-nilly. DOMINION ASSOCIATION OVERSEAS PLAYERS. At the annual meeting of the Dominion Lawn Tennis Association an interesting discussion took place upon the value of overseas players visiting New Zealand *and the question of sending a team to Australia. An extract from the report stated:— “During the past year proposals to increase the revenue of the association were considered by the council, but were not accepted. Unless the ordinary revenue of the association is sufficient to assure a fair margin over the cost of current expenses, the visits of teams to and from Australia and international matches cannot be undertaken under the proper control of this association. Under present conditions the association depends on the profit obtained from the New Zealand championships tournament, but this source of revenue could be earmarked for teams’ visits if the ordinary revenue were increased.”

Mr M. E. Denniston, the chairman of the meeting, in remarking on the report said that the New Zealand team had done well in the Davis cup, and the year had seen an enjoyable visit from the Australian players, who had done a great deal for tennis in New Zealand. Some of them had done well and would return. He was very sorry to see that the challenges for the Anthony Wilding Shield had fallen away. This was the blue riband of the game in New Zealand and it was up to associations to make a try for it, even if they got “donkeylicked.” They would have to do something to get money to keep up the visits to and from Australia, on which the success of the game locally largely depended. Mr G. N. Goldie warmly supported the Australian visits and hoped they would be continued.

Professor Wilson said New Zealand had done well to give Czecho-Slovakia such a fight in the Davis Cup, and our young players, had they a chance of meeting other nations, might do better. The Australian visits were of great value, and he would like to see some of the ladies, or even one of them making a trip. It all came back to the old question of a levy on players. The golfers had gracefully accepted a levy of 2s, and surely the tennis players could provide half that sum. Mr Foden pointed out that the association had an amount in reserve of £9OO. It seemed very generous. The chairman said they must have something in hand. A sum of over £250 had already been withdrawn and spent on sending a team to Australia and helping to bring one back.

Mr E. Salmond: “A very good way of spending it.”

Played. Won. Lost. Citizens .. 4 4 0 Gore .. .. 4 2 2 Wyndham .. 4 2 2 Edendale .. .. .. .. 4 2 2 Mataura .. 4 0 4 —B Grade— Played. Won. Lost. Citizens .. 3 2 1 St. Patricks 4 Q 2 Edendale .. 3 2 1 Wyndham .. 4 1 3