HARD AND LAWN COURTS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1935, Page 12

HARD AND LAWN COURTS

PETRIE SHIELD EVENT NORTH CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES. CLIFFORD-JONES BEATS McCARTHY

(By

“Half-Volley.”)

The Taranaki representative tennis team will leave to-morrow for Hamilton where, on Saturday, it will participate in an all-day inter-provincial match with Waikato. Last year the match was played at New Plymouth. The sixth place in the men’s team has been filled by Bruce Clifford-Jones, who defeated P. McCarthy in an elimination match at Hawera 6—2, 6—l. The scores were hardly an indication of the play, which was strenuous throughout. Clifford-Jones played superlative tennis and fully deserved his fine win. In the long hard battle for the second set, McCarthy held game point for five games in a row but he could clinch only one of them. Petrie Shield Matches.

Results of games played on Saturday by the Stratford district teams that are competing in the Petrie Shield competition served to clarify the position and to give some indication of the tearn liable to reach the top. There is no doubt that Douglas is the strongest of the country teams, for it has won all its matches effortlessly. Moreover, in view of Ngaere’s defeat of Stratford and Douglas’ rout of Ngaere it seems unlikely that Stratford will stem Douglas run. In that case Douglas should win the Saturday division and will have to meet the Stratford Thursday team to decide the winner of the competition. , Country clubs, as a rule, find that m comparison with the town teams they lose the majority of the sets they do lose in the singles. Nofie. of the country clubs has more than two courts and some have only one so that few opportunities for singles play arise and in consequence country players find they are at.a disadvantage in singles games with town games that were abandoned last Saturday week owing to rain, only the Douglas v. Ngaere one requires to be replayed, if necessary, the other two matches, Stratford v. Radnor and Huinga v. Lowgarto, having been far enough advanced to count as games played. The rules state that two-thirds of the total number of sets have to be played to constitute a match. There are two more rounds to be played in both the Saturday and Thursday divisions. Soffe Cup Positions.

Inglewood provided a minor surprise in the Soffe Cup competition bn Saturday by chasing Waiwaka to 13-11 after the latter had run up a substantial lead. New Plymouth and Pukekura Park won according to expectations. The present position of the competition is as follows:—

Residential Championships. Entries for the North Taranaki residential championships, which will be decided at New Plymouth on March 10 and 17, will close with the secretary, Mr. C. H. Strombom, on February 28. It is essential that entries should be: made through club committees in order Of merit. The doubles pairs must be named and placed in order of merit, but need not necessarily comprise players, who have been nominated for the singles events. Both players must be members of the same club. Selection of Competitors.

In order to prevent the competition from becoming too unwieldly to complete in the time at the disposal of the organisers, the number of players actually participating in the championship will, be limited to 16 in the singles and eight pairs in the doubles. The committee will make the final selection from the players nominated by the clubs.

Encouragement of Juniors. ® With a view 'to encouraging junior tennis, the Taranaki Lawn Tennis Association has decided to hold a junior hard-court tournament again this year. The fixture is set down for March 2 and 9, and the matches will be decided on the Waiwaka and Rotokare courts, play being restricted to the mornings. The tournament will be controlled and supervised by a sub-committee of the Taranaki Association. Conditions of Entry.

The success of the tournament naturally depends on the support obtained frnni school players and junior members of clubs throughout Taranaki. Entries will be received by Mr. W. J. Shrimpton, New Plymouth, up till Tuesday, February 26, from boys and. girls under 18 years of age on that date. The events, the boys singles and doubles, and girls singles and doubles, will be the best of 17 games in the earlier rounds, while the finals will be of three sets, the third set only being advantage. In the event of there being less than eight entries for any singles event and six pairs for any doubles event that event will be deleted from the programme.

Worthy of Support. The action of the association in pro-’ moting such a tournament is worthy of the utmost support. The entries an the past have been very satisfactory, all the principal northern districts and Stratford being represented. It is hoped that the entries will come from even further a-field this year. Keen Ratapiko Player.

The keenness of R. Therkleson, the Ratapiko player who won the handicap singles at the Taranaki championship tournament, knows no bounds. Travelling to New Plymouth recently, Therkleson challenged T. Dickson, Rotokare, for the bottom position of the North Taranaki ladder. The match was played on the Rotokare courts and Therkleson came out on top to the tune of 6—2, B—6. It is pleasing to see the enthusiasm of toe country player rewarded by inclusion among North Taranaki’s best. Eltoam Club Championships.

The championships of toe Eltoam Club will commence to-morrow and the first round is to be completed by February 28. Entries close to-night.

Walter Cup. The second /ound of the Walter Cup competition oi the Stratford bas been completed, results being: G. Johnson beat W. T. Hale, W. Cook beat G. Strack, A. Rankin beat J. Lucas, JPooley beat R. Max, E. C. A. Gaw beat J. W. Hale, C. Jury beat R. Sharrock, E. Hardy-Jones beat R. Butcher. W. T. Hale is leading on the senior ladder and R. Butcher on the junior. In the third round of the men’s senior championship, W. T. Hale beat Houston, Rankin beat Pooley and Hunt beat Lawrence. The winners go into the semi-finals. Semifinalists in the doubles are McDonald and Johnson, Seyb and Cameron, Lawrence and Houston and Harris and Strack. McCullough and Lucas will play m the final of the junior doubles with Lyons and

Hardy-Jones. In the junior singles J. Wilmshurst is drawn to play W. McCullough and J. Lucas to play F. Bamford. The final will be between the winners. Results at Rotokare.

Following are the results of games played on the Rotokare club’s courts:— Men’s championship singles: N. Lealand beat J. Medley, 3-6, 7—5, 6-1; H. W. Brown beat L. Marsden, 9—7, 6—3; R. Ninkie beat A. Evans by default; F. H. Muirhead beat H. Lee, 6—4, 6—4. Women’s championship singles: Mrs. F. V.’Sole beat Mrs. A. S. Allen, 6—o, 6—o; Mrs. F. Lobb beat Miss M. Manning, 6—l, g o. Combined championship doubles: Birmingham and Mrs.- Lovell beat F. Johnston and Miss Wagstaff, 6-4, 6-1; Ninkie and Mrs. F. Lobb beat A. Gilbert and Miss M. Hawkes, 6—2, 6—l; J. Medley and Miss M. Knott beat Knapman and Miss J. Wood, 6-4, 6-4; Mr., and Mrs. F H. Muirhead beat R. Whitwell and Miss Ryan, 3-6, 6-1, 6—l; Mr and Mrs. F. Sole beat P. Hawkins and Miss B. Hawkins, 6—2, 6—l. Men’s championship doubles: Yates and Sole beat Hawkins and Jackson, 10—12, 6 — 3, 6—3. , Women’s championship doubles: Mrs. F. Sole and Mrs. R. Lovell beat Misses Sole and Manning, 6—3, 6—2. Men’s handicap singles, second round. Jackson beat Rowe 9-6, H. Boswell beat Wagstaff 9-5, L. Marsden beat F. Sole g 3 H. Brown beat B. Collinge 98, A. Gilbert beat C. Lobb 9—6. Third round: H. Boswell beat L. Marsden 9—l. Combined handicap doubles round: Johnston and Miss Wagstaff beat L Marsden and Miss M. Sole 7—l, Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Muirhead beat Mr. and Mrs. Sole 7—2, Birmingham and Mrs. Lovell beat H. Lee and Miss M. Manning 7— Yates and Mrs. Hawkes beat Gilbert and Miss Hawkes 7-5, Lealand and Miss Evans beat J. Medley and Miss M. Knott 7—6, H. Lobb and Mrs. Lobb beat J. Cliff and Miss Medley 7-4, Millar and Miss M. Allen beat H. Boswell and Miss Olliver 7—l. , Men’s handicap doubles: Ninkie and Birmingham beat H. Boswell and N. Lealand 9-5, Gilbert and Muirhead beat Rowe and H. Lobb 9—6. Women’s handicap singles: Miss M. Hawkes beat Mrs. F. H. Muirhead 7-6, Miss E. Tipnens beat Miss L. Medley 7—4, Miss M. Sole beat Miss M. Allen 7-1, Mrs. R. L. Lovell beat Miss M. Knott 7—2' Mrs. F. Sole beat Mrs. A. S. Allen 7-2* Miss B. Wagstaff beat Miss M. Manning 7—4, Mrs. F. Lobb beat Miss E. Olliver 7—l, Miss J. Evans beat Mrs. HLobb 7-2.

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