Malfroy And Hare Played Brilliant Tennis In Deciding Davis Cup Game

Southland Times, Issue 23840, 10 June 1939, Page 15

Malfroy And Hare Played Brilliant Tennis In Deciding Davis Cup Game

Charles Hare, the Warwickshire lefthander, was the hero of Britain’s Davis Cup victory over New Zealand, at Brighton. Britain began the final day’s play in arrears at two rubbers to one. Ronald Shayes levelled the scores by beating A. D. Brown, and Hare went on to the court with C. E. Malfroy for the allimportant match. Hare proved the master in easily the finest exhibition of amateur tennis seen in this country this season. If the winner always plays as he did against Malfroy, Britain may go farther in the Cup tournament this ypar than at first appeared likely, says a writer in Sporting Life, London. Against Hare Malfroy never relaxed for a second, the old “Light Blue” always appearing to be waiting for the Englishman to make a slip. The New Zealander waited in vain— Hare never relaxed his grip on the match, although he once appeared likely to lose the fifth set, when, in a tremendous fight for the ninth game on Hare’s service, he held it only after five dueces.

Malfroy won the next to square, but Hare ran out with the service break in the twelfth.

The ninth game in the second set again saw the English player making a grim fight to hold on. Two grand smashes gave him the game, and he took the set with another service break. HOT PACE IN FINAL The hot pace was maintained in the final set. They were level at “threeall,” the vital game being the eighth, m which Malfroy was just outside the lines with two delicate shots and Hare was in front. Malfroy captured his rivals service for 4-5, and looked like levelling, but the Englishman still had plenty of reserve, and the final game proved the highlight of a glorious match. The New Zealander opened with a double fault, but made up for it by winning two or three thrilling rallies, only to serve another double fault for deuce to be called. A cross-court shot which left Malfroy standing, gave Hare match point, then Hare sent over a well-timed lob which had the New Zealander scurrying back. He got to the ball, but Hare was waiting at the net and he put it away to win set and match. Shayes had one or two bad moments

against Brown, but he was never really in danger. Writing of the doubles the same writer says the match was practically a present for New Zealand. Hare and Wilde played about as poorly as they possibly could; so poorly, in fact, that it was difficult to realize that this was Davis Cup tennis. MALFROY AND COOMBE Malfroy and D. C. Coombe played well, but their task was made ridiculously easy by the ineffective and depressing form of the British pair. Hare and Wilde who only two years ago were finalists at Wimbledon, and one of the best partnerships in the world, have gone off sadly. If Great Britain does manage to scrape through this round the selectors will have seriously to consider putting in another pair for the doubles. It was astonishing to see Hare, afraid to use his backhand, continually running around the ball to get it on the other wing. Again, he was frequently hitting the ball straight back to Malfroy or Coombe instead of angling his shots, and more often than not he had to have two or three tries before he could put away a smash. Wilde, usually such a sound doubles player, was probably taken off his game by Hare’s bad form, and never looked as good as Malfroy or Coombe.