Kay Stammers Still Leads At Home

Southland Times, Issue 24001, 16 December 1939, Page 20

Kay Stammers Still Leads At Home

Miss Kay Stammers, British woman tennis star, who flew home from America to help-with war efforts m England, had just completed her most successful season. If the English Lawn Tennis Association had not decided to discontinue the practice of racking its leading players, it must have named Miss Stammers as Great Britain’s No. 1 woman player for 1939. She hit the front unexpectedly this season, after starting as fourth ranker, below Misses ,M. C. Scriven, M. E. Lumb and R. M. Hardwick. She first gained tennis headlines in 1935 with a sensational win over Mrs Helen Wills Moody at Beckenham. This was the first time for eleven years that a British player had beaten America’s “Queen of the Courts.” She has twice been British hardcourt champion, and in 1935 and 1936 won the all-England women’s doubles title at Wimbledon, with Miss Freda James. This year, Miss Stammers gained her best Wimbledon performance by beating Miss E. A. Middleton (Great Britain), Miss N. B. Brown (Great Britain), Mme S. Henrotin (France), Miss Helen Jacobs (United States) and Mrs S. P. Fabyan (United States), to reach the women’s singles final. She was then outplayed by Miss Alice Marble, world’s No. 1 from whom she could take only two games. In the recent Wightman Cup series, at Forest Hills, New York, Miss Stammers did better against Miss Marble, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.. She again beat Miss Jacobs. By nominating Miss Stammers as No. 1 in the Wightman Cup team, the English Lawn Tennis . Association indicated its recognition of her leadership in British women’s tennis. In a .recent world’s ranking, the tennis critic of The Times placed her second to Miss Marble.