LAWN TENNIS ACTIVITIES

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1931, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS ACTIVITIES

TARANAKI-WANGANUI MATCH

HOLDERS RETAIN SOFFE CUP,

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB EVENTS.

(By ‘‘Half-Volley.)

The' inter-provincial match between Taranaki and Wanganui at Wanganui last Saturday resulted in a win for the home team by a substantial margin, the scores being 18 sets to 6. In the men’s team Webster and Forbes were not available and the absence of the former made'a big difference. The ladies’ team was far from representative standard, Weston and the Misses Jean and Joan Ward, J. Hicks and Cooper being among: the absentees.- - :. z Playing top for Taranaki, A. H. Richards went down to the Wanganui veteran M. L. Lampe in two straight sets. Strombom, Berg, McFarlane and Thompson all figured in three-set matches,- the honours being evenly divided? Wills was easily defeated by Cox-6—l, 6—4. The men’s doubles provided some firstdass tennis. In the match between McFarlane ajid Wills apd Lampe and Barkman 24 games .were played in the first set and. 16 in the secppd before the-match ' went to Wanganui. Althopgh Richards, and Strombom went down to-Cox, and Udy, the Taranaki pair took the second set .6 —O. Berg and Thompson also lost their doubles match after a hard-fought three-set match. ; Miss- Qi J. Taylor, the New Plymouth Club' lady champion, defeated Mrs. Smith* in . two straight sets, and with Mrs.* Berg defeated Mrs. Smith and Miss Pprcell. 7-Mi ’in the third set of the doubles. Wanganui won all the remaining ladies’ singles and doubles. ' Richards and Miss Taylor fully extended Lampe, and Mrs. Smith in the combined doubles, the scores being in. favour of Wanganui. Four of the five remaining matches provided three-set contests, only, one of which was gained by ; Taranaki. ...

COMPETITION FOR SOFFE CUP

Although, the New Plymouth Club did not secure such, a decisive victory on Saturday against the Waitara Club in its .match for the Soffe Cup as jtt did when ’it lified the cup several ' weeks a£o, :it nevertheless was not at any stage in real danger s, of losing the trophy. The conditions for play were made very difficult by a sttong southerly wind, which swept the courts almost continuously throughout the afternoon. There were several alterations in both. teams. Diprose and Ballantyne Were not available for New Plymouth in . the men’s section and were replaced by. Anthony and Penny and Miss R. Thompson and Mrs. Morgan ; replaced Misses .Pepper, who was playing in the Taranaki team at Wanganui,’and Firth. Waitara were without , the services of , McDavitt, who played top on the pre- * vious occasion, and his place was filled by .Browning. ■ ■ L. Sole, who w°n the club championship last year but has not taken am active part in the game this season, was included in the, team and fully. justified his place. Miss Louis Was another absentee from the Waitara team. Neither team was as strong as previously.; . ’/• Pickwell, Lobb and Boon lost their matches in the singles, while Anthony, after obtaining a lead of eight—love against Earley, lost . the next seven o-ames in succession before he' finally took'the'match.' Penny was tlie only New Plymouth player to gain an . easy win. :’f "'i ■■ ■

The New Plymouth: ladies proved too strong for Waitara in both the singles andjdoubles, winning the • majority of the matches easily. Pickwell and Lobb combined'well'in the doubles and beat Browning and Middleton 9—3. Thompson and Penny were narrowly defeated by Sole’and Chadwick, while Boon and Anthony went - down .to Earley and Foreman, I The . majority of the combined doubles were decided in favour of the holders of the cup. ■ .. Tlie. Waiwai»; and Park Clubs have challenged for the trophy and it has been decided ‘to play the match between/New Plymouth and; Waiwaka on February 21. . ..

MATCH FOR WILDING SHIELD

In:' the Anthony Wilding Memorial Shield-tennis match between Wellington and to be played on the Wellington Association’s courts at Miramar, to-day and to-morrow, some of the-’best known players in the Dominion will be 'competing. Considerable interest will be centred on A. Barnett, run-ner-up in: the last New Zealand. championship . meeting. On that occasion ■he created a. surprise by defeating Wellington’s leading player, D. G. France, in < the first round, and later defeated N. R. C. Wilson in the semi-final. Since then Wilson has annexed the North Island singles title,'as well as a number of other titles./ I. Seay and C. Angas hold 'the New Zealand doubles championship, and the former, with Miss M. Andrew,-the New Zealand combined "doubles title.

The teams are:— .Canterbury.—C. Angas, I. Seay, T. Patterson, (captain), and A. Barnett. Wellington.—-N. R. C. Wilson, D. G. France, A. L. France (captain), and A. E. Sandrall. Emergencies; R. Perkins 1 and E. A. Rousell. In recent , matches Ferkins has beaten both A. L. France and Sandrall,. but ’ the latter has apparently been included in the team on account,of his doubles play. \lt will, therefore, be interesting to seo if he and Wilson can beat ths New Zealand doubles champions. Providing the weather is fine and there is an absence of wind there should be some ‘ excellent matches, particularly in the doubles section.

NEW PLYMOUTH CLUB MATCHES.

Considerable progress has been made in the championship and handicap events being conducted by the New Plymouth Club. The following are the results of matches played:— Men’s Championship Singles. First Round. —Strombom beat Ballantyne 6—o, 6—2; Webster beat Pickwell 6—o, 6—4; Diprose beat Ewart B—2, 6—3; Ninkie beat J. F. Redman 6—3, 6—2; J. Redman beat Chisholm 6 —3/5 —6, 6—2; So wry beat Lealand 6—3, .6—l; Davies beat Anthony 6—4, I—s; Newell beat Saxton . 6—3, 2—6, 6—4; Newjng beat Boon' 6—3, 6—3; Deem beat Morgan 6—l, 6—3; Rogers beat. Proctor 6—4, 6—3.

Second Round. —Newing beat Newell 6 -8, 7—-5, 6—l. Men’s Championship. Doubles. First Round.—Strombom and Web-ster-beat Diprose and Johnson 6—2, 6—o; Anthony and Ninkie beat Jacka am. Newell 3—6, 6—5, 6—l.

Men’s Handicap Singles. First Round. —Ninkie (rec. 10) beat Mac Allan (rec. 25) 50—45; Ballantyne (owe 8) beat Lealand (rec. 12) 50 —39; Gorrie (rec. 10) beat Rogers (rec. 14) 50— Chisholm (rec. 10) beat Strombom (owe 15) 51—49.Second Round.—Sowry (rec. 10) won from C. Clarke, by default; Diprose (scr.) beat Foden (owe 5) 50—45; Anthony (rec. 8) beat Orchard (rec. 12) 51— 49. -Jacka (rec. 12). won from Forhftft■ by defaults Eickwfill lAWfi d).

beat Newell (rec. 12) 50 —47; Thompson' (owel's) beat Eaton (rec. 12) 50—38; Lobb (owe 5) beat Logie (rec. 15) 50— 39. y Third Round. —Sowry beat Anthony 50—31. .) t - ITEMS FROM HERE AND THERE Further matches for various positions on the New Plymouth Club’s ladder have resulted as follow: Sowry. beat Lealand.9—2; Newell beat Ninkie 9—2; Saxton, beat Davies 9—5; Diprose beat Booh'9—3 ; .J. F. Redman beat Rogers 9 —7; Ninkie beat Lealand 9—2; Miss B. Gay ton. beat Miss D. Lobb 9—3. A meeting of delegates of the Auckland'Lawn Tennis Association the other night-decided to apply for the conducting of; the'New Zealand championship meeting at Auckland next year. Np- : .definite date has yet been fixed for the match between Taranaki and Auckland'fov the shield at present held by Taranaki. At a recent meeting of the committee of the New'Plymouth Club it was decided to have a, club blazer, the colours to be a dark and a . light blue with vertical stripes one inch in width.