HARD AND LAWN COURTS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1934, Page 12

HARD AND LAWN COURTS

SOFFE CUP PREPARATION ELTHAM INFLICTS HEAVY DEFEAT. GAMES THROUGHOUT TARANAKI. (By “Half Volley.”) Interest in North Taranaki tennis circles will be stimulated on Saturday by the commencement of the Soffe Cup competition. WSiwaka and Waitara meet at Waitara, Rotokare and Fitzroy are set down to play at Rotokare, while Inglewood, the present holder, will try conclusions with Pukekura Park on the Park courts. New Plymouth has drawn a bye. In the south inter-club games have aroused considerable enthusiasm. Last Year’s Cup Winner.

Inglewood, last year’s Soffe Cup winner, has every prospect of another successful year. The membership of the club has increased considerably, and although there are no outstanding new players the club will place a more balanced team on the courts. Members are very keen and positions on the ladder have already altered considerably. Loss to Club.

The decision of I. Grant and Mrs. Grant to withdraw from inter-club matches this season will be a severe .loss to the club. These players have always taken an active part in the club’s activities and their retirement from competition games will be regretted by all North Taranaki clubs.

Inglewood’s Strong Thursday Team. Inglewood is again unfortunate in that, ’owing to the Thursday half-holiday, some of its better players will be unable to play in Saturday matches. Tms year the club’s Thursday team has every prospect of being as strong as the Saturday team.

Top Woman Beaten. The outstanding game last week at the Pukekura Park courts was that in which Miss J. Walton beat Miss M. Webster 9-3 for top place. Miss Walton played aggressive tennis and was definitely superior throughout the match. Other results were:— Men - H. Purser beat H. Mac Lean 9—2, R. Bullot beat A. Clarke 9-6, L. Thompson beat W. Dickson 6-3, 6-4, W. Shrimpton beat P. Dickson 6-2, 6-1, L. Little beat W. Shrimpton 5—6, 6-5, 7—5. Women: Mrs. Webster beat Mrs. Dickson 7—6, Miss O. Simmons beat Miss E. Lynch 7-4, Miss N. Ross beat Mrs. Smith 7—4. Rotokare Games.

With the selection of A and B teams to play Fitzroy in the offing, play on the Rotokare ladders was considerably stimulated last week and 12 matches were decided. Details are:— Men: J. Medley beat W. Berryman 9—2 H. W. Brown beat P. Hawkins 9—3, L. Mander beat J. Medley 9—2, E. Jackson beat F. V. Sole 9-2, H. W. Brown beat J. Knapman 9—B, B. Collinge beat W. Wagstaff 9—B, H. Rowe beat J. Lee 9—5. Women: Miss L. Medley beat Miss W. Sole 7—6, Miss R. Lovell beat Miss A. S Allen 7—5, Miss M. Manning beat Miss M. Sole 7—4, Miss A. Marsden beat Miss J. Evans 7—3, Mrs. F. V. Sole beat Miss F. Cobb 7—5. B Grade Inter-club Game.

The Rotokare and Fitzroy clubs have arranged a B grade match to be played at Fitzroy while the senior teams contest the first round of the Soffe Cup at Rotokare. This principle of home and home matches proved popular with several of the New Plymouth clubs last year.

Fitzroy Club. Playing in the Fitzroy club competition doubles W. G. Billins and Mis? PCrow beat R. Persons and Miss D. Lucas 5 6—l. C. Ambury by defeating R. Hall 9-4 had his third successive win and now tops the ladder. Other results, with the challengers named first, were: Men, R. Eva lost to S. Humphries seventh place 9-6, S. Bovin lost to R. Eva for ninth place 9—3; women, Mrs. Weir beat Miss Holden for third place 7—5 Miss N. Verry lost to Miss M. Verry for fifth place 7-4, Miss G. Pearce beat Miss N. Verry for sixth place 7—3, Ifo. M. Ambury lost to Miss D. Lucas for eighth place 7—2.

Park’s Heavy Defeat. Park’s defeat by Eltham in the South Taranaki inter-club competition on Saturday was unusually heavy and a surprise considering the way Hawera annihilated the winning team the previous week. Where Eltham had the advantage was in the men’s section and even Yearbury, a shrewd battler with many victorfailed to stay the course. Eltham at Resent is fortunate in having Wylds and Clifford-Jones as first strings. Both are exceedingly promising, and apart from the Dickie Bros., the best of the southern men. Of the two, CliffordJones is probably a shade better, for, besides possessing a beautiful stroke production, he thinks out his game a little better than Wylds, who relies on fine driving on both hands for success. Hawera’s Close Win.

■ “Mick” Jones, selector, almost paid the price of under-rating his opponent’s ability when selecting Hawera s team to play Manaia, sending out a weakened team. The result was that Manaia was just a bit unlucky and Hawera had to scratch vigorously for success. The Manaia men were a troublesome lot and neither Meuli nor Gordon, Hawera’s first two, had very much chance of beating Garner and Christie, both of whom are playing well. On the women’s side, Hawera s first three had easy singles wins, though Miss Bright, after leading B—l, lost five games in a row, but the others were beaten. The competition promises to be thoroughly interesting and the meeting between Park and Hawera on Saturday should be an interesting struggle. The honours board of the competition, by the way, has been hung in the Hawera club-house, the club having won three competitions so far. Christmas Tournament

Preparations are being made for the annual tournament at Christmas time of the Hawera club and providing the weather is a little better than last year, the tourney should be a success. It starts on Boxing Day and runs on till the Saturday and there are the usual events. The club is fortunate in having nine courts, allowing it to run efficiently a tournament for a large number of entries. T-ast year, when the weather was so bad, the event was not the success hoped for, but the tournament has now a good reputation in all parts of the North Island. Ladder Matches.

Though Park has started ladder matches with efficiency, Hawera still lags a little. The rule at present is that matches may be played with persons two above on the ladder as it now stands. It is to be hoped that players will take more interest than before, if only to help the selector.

The Hawera club has organised a handicap singles tournament, the draw for which will shortly be announced.