Taranaki Lawn Tennis Championships

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 12758, 11 January 1905, Page 3

Taranaki Lawn Tennis Championships

(S| c«.'ui!ly wiiltcn ior the 'I arunak Herald.) !t is a recognised fact that lavvi tennis has» made raji'ul .stri-ues in pi>pu !ar favour during the last ! 'ew years and nowhere ha.s this advance beei more noticeable than in ihu district o Taranaki. A \isitor io the courts o the .N'ovv Plviiioulh Lav. n Tennis Chii last Saturday afternoon. « !u-ii so:ni of the finals of the Taranaki chain pionship meeting- v.ero being- jiiayed would have he "U part cularly struct IVI 'V the large nunilvi' ol spectators am sheii iuteiliyciit inu.rcsi ami ;.pp:en'a tion i.f the J)ia;> . 'lins v\as all th^ u'oro remarkabk 1 as the committee, who did not o.\,kci hi'ch an influx ol visitor, had only provided seating uccoiuinyodation tor v. hinit- tl number, iiiul considerab'y over a hundred sj'oct a tors. tho jmajoiity of i\u-n\ i»ciii-g of the fair b.-e\, vveio Loniivlled to t>taiiu til; 1 wJn>lo afternoon, and eran;> thcii M"cko fur ite-etniLr uiLm'p.-rs <^f tho play. A double row of iVte along the side of the court on wlncn most of the ciiampionship !m iks wctr i«layed would noc havu inteifcred >vitl> the i<kiy at that stage of the tounvajnvmt. and would have !)<«cu conducive- to the u'Uikut of tlii? &i)octat u-s. 1 feel sure I hat the committee, who have been at great pains to make the ir.ecl.ng- a success, will leave no stono '.intui-ned to tuake their loin uiirneiit -.econcl U) n >i;e in -Now Zealand. If i his i.^ to '• •lU.-cted thcie i., no (io'.il)L that con--.dirablo ati«nlion must be y;i\en to tie Uiif of the coi ri.s duriny ihe win ter m« -n ills i;i tlii> v ear. as I aiu suio '; 'i lie nia\er would a>_ree v\ith mio |in saying- that in this din ction. at .!i!\ rat.-, t!i» grou.i'i h,»- retro graded. last \ear the suriaio was 'airy tnie, uvnarLably t,o if one coii.siden*d how n, -cully the courts had m<-'H laivl down ; but to keep a o-i\.und and pnprovc it needs constant i an-, and o>-e of the .surest methods <-t inc'ueing crack p!u % * u'is from other L-ei-tn-s to compete at the tournanient js to } roy irie them witli lirsi-c!a*s courts. fii'JUi is iv» iea-on win the New Plym">"th club .shoiikl not c.spire to hold the <hampionships of -Now Zcakmd on their ground in a \ear or two. iind this should be an c\ti.i iiiLi-ntixe toy.aids i'urthor effort i-i the i''rection 1 have indicated. The enterprise of the As-ocicition :n l' io'.\iu;; open tiu-ir om'n to <-.lli>la}i's mi .Now Zealand in li« lw o prey !•>»;-. } cars is rapidly bcirmi; .'rait. Cln <s cannot I'ourish without Jie sine..a ot war, and tl'o imr^.. d gate vi. 'iJts, due to home extent io the interest excitrd !•> ti i o pla\ of t!ic <i itors, will no doiiM l.c very weli^n . lv.'i_n more nieasing l<> the- on-I'n'-'uial id liie wonderful •u\\ auco in t ! i ■ standard of pla\ in tie ] ro\ ince dining the lv.st two ; Ot.rs. i r.m sure ro r>p.f will ciivilif 1 Tiirntion .Mis-, "<•>>. flrcil's juniio iwst. a^ a !ad> of whfyin the pro\ kce might well bo pio'ii!. Three jears ago .Mi^< jj lond'o'is repiitalion as a placer wa> „)i!c i->''<il ; tf'-c.'ay It is colonial, and 1 „(>;."'i n the nc-ai" lulii'-e it will be int' i -<:l >nial. Hor first exeurr'.ons were t> t!e V»ciliugtion provincial charai),cn ! 'ip& at Kasti l, if 1 ■.' [trie a v cry early trip to the Mew Zealand me-tino at Palnrr.,t'>n iS'orth in ISO.*, '.'.iiOn she vvao noli'ii as a j>i\> iiising V'lJiug- [iltiyer. I i)elie\e 1 r.m right in .saying that Mis» J'owdreil liarf now fo-*np.-tod tliric" at meetings, and ia ••i>i>c of all di^'id'. autagrs a.ri-ing- from lack of practice, m the foi'ntry, she has fos: tv%o '-onsjculive year^ held the laHie.s' cluynpioiiwiip of 'hat province. PoS-scsr-ed of a great natural aptitude for tho game, a lithe fi\iiinc, youth, and, abo\ c nil, cnthn.siasin. Miss Powdrell is .-uro to go far in the giMiio. 7ler battles wilii the famous Miss >>min:'liy aie I ccomaiig .-H:itc historical. So lurly in New Zealand has efver j»re\iou.sly born able to uro a set ag-uin.st the invincible I tidy chaijupion, or, iuc!ic<l, :non> than >>n i oi" two gair,"S in a s> t, !ju( at tho first time of asking- the Ta'VJWiki lady walked ofi" with the opening- t-.ct in brilliant st\ le. This was in >,apier last v ear. ami siir<; thin she has repeated ihe do; c (wice. \i/.., in D'Hvdin a,'nd Now Plylmouth this >ear. Thetie pla.vors have met on iivc <>cea-.ioiis in all. but on the oilier two Mi.-is N'unneiov oirorsjed the victor in sLraig-ht ■-ets, (hough tire f-'els th<Mns:<l .cs were fairly even. Mi-.s Powdrell lias never ln-"n so close to \v>v goal as !cst Saturday, when she .stood at throe g-ames to one in the concluding s<"t. hutlMis.s N'unn^ley was game. The netl Jive 1 sanies fell to her, and with it the championship. It is a peculiarity of .Miss Powdrell's g-ame that she makes marvellous recoveries when behind, but when in a leading- position she fails front over-cautioiir.ness. '! o \kx&the [)luok to pull up from a losingposition is a most excellent thing, hilt it it CfjliaMy necessary to I.avo tho nerve to maintain a winning- one, and Mi.ss. Powdrell would do well not to alter her tallies from game to fe amo. In strokes these players are fairly well matched, but Miss Xunnoloy's method of taking" the baii at the top of tho bound is a more up-to-date one than i\li.s.s Po-wdrell's. who allows the ball to drop almost lo tho ground. The fii< t that Miss PovvdreLl makes such fine drives must not be taken as a poof that her method i.s correct. Time is all inipoi tnnt at lav n tennis, iin.-l the vertical s<\lo of .Iriving is obsolete, en tailing-' as it must do loss of time, thus enabling one's opponent i'> recover position. The ball shoulr always lte forced over the not with thr Ic.i.st possible loss of |iiuc, ;:iid tli 11ciin only be dono by adopting a hori /.ontal style of driving and taking- th' ball at its hig-hosl poinl. ?ow drell luis the correct stylo o-f making- i backhand stroke and i* . in fn'-l. ab'ou: the only lady in Now Zealand who cai

do it well. At present s lie i& not iiuite .sure with it, but in a season or lwo it will develop, and !hen there will hardly be a weak joint in her aimour. Misb Niini'ick'y's great assets* , are her forehand dm o, her coolness in ihe face of diiiicuitie.s, and her expert,>iilo of matcii pKi\ , and it is this that turns tlv tide in lur fa'« our. The match un .Satiwday was watched by a lar^e and apprecialivo crowd, and it must ha\ e been an eye-opener ar to the posbUalU'.-s o-f la-'.ics' lawn tennis to the majority oi i lnj onlookers. The important part pia.wd by theDickie and Wallace families in Taranaki tennis would pro) übi\ strike a visitor to the tournaui'-nt %ci% i»r*> minently, and one C)mjietitoi % v-.ho'mct thorn h-equently inforsned me that even in his dreams he was iMii'siied b\ them. The two families be two 'v them took away no les,-; than irue |.ii/c< ■'• tl'e aggrogate. An ovteUusL fuatufc, and ci novelty, tliib year w.w the addition of a champion.shij) viu^lc i-vent L>[)cn to Taranaki [i!a\eis only . r l'his "•vent. 1 undfj.sliiiir!, wa.s ad'kv! at thi suggestion of Mr <!. \. IV iico, o f Ivakaraimca, a tlu>r<.u^h ainirt, uh<> ijacked up his sitgycstion by rising 1 v very handsome tmphy lor ihe firovin c-icil clubs' champion. .Air i'cu've o\ i ilentl\ luis.the in tori's is of Umwi l.'imi.s at heart, and the sport could do v. ith a low moie like him. C. J. Dickie bad a hard struggle in the -ccoiiid with Nicholson alter winning a love -ct to 'bogiJi with; while A. •'!. V.al ■ ace had a similar experience witJi Smith, except tln.L the »trn/^lc took jlace at the start. la the 'inal neither Dickie noi- V. aliaci' piayeJ in their true form, t'liouyh Dickie was m.ori nearly a>p[iro>.i mated to his. Wallace was expected to win, aiwl tin's fact and the re.sponsrbilit,\ iL iMitaik-ft seemed to act as a f'ttcr. i.ncf liistrokes were v cry emmpr'i. and in ■ narked contrast to iiis hue. >i\ j display a-jainst Parker in the dpen singles. Dickie is an insatiable- worker, and Wallace's pottering tacl'as ga^e •nra many opportunities lor picUing up bails that othcrw.se ho woi'td not ha\e touched. \\alLice. liter losing the first tct. !iit w-ili moiv friodom, but in the third both l>layrs soLUied a/raiii to ri.siv un\ thing. \\allace ju.-t getting home by a bale margin. Walhicc has ti-.o iui':r style, .iis strokes all round beiny m-uli 1 with ucautiful freedom, and his \olleyingis> dean and decish c. There is no Joubt that he is one of the lie-i pixels in -New Zeal an I. am. In i:iy o[)i uion, ho should ha>c in.en nominated ior a place in tl>e ->-ew Zealand teapn ,ir t-'\dney by hit> x\.sso.iatu)n, and J cl coiniiucd tluut lie would have n;ule a butter showing- than • Jore dW. i'l'e (jA-porieiico gained in a trip of that kind would bo the making ol Wallace's game, and he -ao.ikt curta'.nly meuke au effort U> a t more toi.iiuunent ijractice. The f-on.bina-lion of ('. J. Dickie and A. Vrailaco hi thi) Doubles was too good for an} opposing pairs, and own i'arkei 1 and I'uko could make but litthj hca-Jwaj against thorn. 1 consider that tho iKnorluy cracks would piai c -my pan in New Zealand work \<iy n«ird to beat thoiu. Val!,:K pic., nl m*-t •l(-vcr!y in the combiii-d i>f (, ".in! hi uirtii'T.-hip with ?ili.^' 1.. f)io'»ic almost put out Mi.ss Po\ di"il a'nl Par.ci 1 in the sejni-liiuii. '. ' ■->:- a lorett'ste of Wallaces abil.tl-J .! .L I link -even his most frd.-iit ;i(!mircrs must havo been surprisi d at l'"j line ;-ame he put un ii i'h- e-.li.»',)ii ion natch with .T-liss t'ov.<itc!l a:-umsL Mi.ss Nunneley and I'arker. J/ickie lias not tho cicvorncsd of V\aliioe, >;>ut •'or (jeriinacity he would bu inn\.l t-j hi.\d- Always on the ball, he itiap'iwls 1 one oi an international rtu:rby fo'>tb'allcr., >Quite a contrast to this style is the Now Zealand champion, who never appears to e.\ert himself, but is in the rii'ht place. Parker was not q'uitc srt "accui-fito cs ho wius la--.t year, but he v.as d. -.litl. ss .somewhat ytale after |i ; s <miil'imous tennis; in the South. Ki>ing p'aycr.^ would do well to copy W\* svste-M < »' pU.cir.'g-, which is es'peciali,') c-'t'c li\</f<ir making his opponents i)l i_\- th -ir rct'irns from disadvantageous ivi.^lt ions. 'I his in uconiplislx'd iiy liilting '!iu c«ross court returns at a much acut- r angl<^, than is generally done, thus timing the opponent right out of •o.sitiun. Uter a <!ecp dri\c Pi.i ker jftou t>ciuls m a short one which fre'.juiviUy scores f>utr><jhl and in nny case neces.siia'tcs a iii-in» .sjiint to leach it. These little tiickK find also 1 !-c cl:am lion's twist s- or vice mif.!it v. nil he ol>.icrvod and imitatorl by our local champions'. The great fault In llio play of all the Taranaki men. and I havonoticid ii more especially in tl.c casts "f Tukc and JSlicholsou, in tii»j tendency to wait too late for the return, and 'f these players wish to improve they .must gradually increase, the height o.t v/luotx they take the ball. Malharry waa a player whose style I liked. Ho made sonic clinking foro.ha.nd drives, and served splendidly. "»\ith a little move accuracy of return, and in, condition, he would bo a hard nut to crack. Tho Caplens, who won the Handicap Doubles, phiycd with better combination tkau most of iho other pairs, and one of them was possessed of an extremely uwkuard service, which swerved in a puzzling mannoL. His. Lcatham and l.'onie wore rather fancied to win this event, and pro-Kair ly would lune done ao but for the fnct tnat Dicloc and Wallace In the semi-final against thorn only owed ■"> points, instead 1.1. owiimto a print-oi-'r error. The two medicos t, ink'' an excellent combination. Dr „e-.-iMia"», who is a conlirmofl base Ynv [ilayrr, tnakf-s soino disconcerting lri\ <»s ;'t tinios, which usually score • u( right. Dr Homo gets in his first s<m\h-cs with machino-liko regularity, and these bring 1 a harvest of points io his side. He is good at this net, and olacco his volleys well, but is apt to mull his

t>rouni]strokcs throuqti over-eagerness Cha.s. Dickie's powers were some\\ha : undei estimated by tlie handicappers and he had an e a sy progress to tin final of the Men's Handicap Singles His closest match was with virady, o Wellington, who w^ a.lso rather len ie-ntly treated. Dickie hu:-. i\ ipnaencj to ilourish his arms too much as i preface to his stroke^. This cannoi i) 0 done without same sacrifice of accuracy, and tlie same remark applies to his sisters, the M.U;,es Dickie. Mist I'j. Dickie, wJio won the Ladies' Handicap SinoJi's^ luis also improved con siderably t>inc<> last heti6»on. "^ho play^ with her brains a.s will us her racket, and in tlie Combined oft.'ti the better of Parker at t ! >c net. In the Singles she* was quite undirratc-d, cind won e\ery match wjlh consummate <\i>c. Mrs Pa>ne, who has done an yn'mense amount to popularise lawn tennis in tho district, was .-lyain a '\elconc conipotitor, and still p!a\s a \so<nl game, though iier snots ha\c lo^l a little, of tlicir stii'£>. 'lie has a worthy rcprePe'iitalive cominsT' on in !'er daughter, who. however, is not \et in the saiino clas-- as her inoihor. Miss C'a\ e, of "Wanoaiiui. played a \ cry solid a'ame in tho Han.licap Sin ulcs, iiiid, attompting notlung- brilliant nerself, was content to win ov. the errors of her opponents. It was a meritorious feat for her io defeat Miss Powdrell by 4<h— 'M'u after the latter had cauylvt her at 27 all. It was unfortunate that "VIS.--S Ait ken, of Christchurch, had io leave "before (lie ineefing was finished, txs this <;a\" Miss Nunneley and "\lr« "\lannerinv n walk-over in the iinal. On the previous evening- the match between this pair and Misses Aitken and Pow- ■ irell had reached a 'most interesting ■^taoe. The latter pair won the first •-et and were within a stroke of the tiatch at Ihe games to four, but just lost, and ono t~efc all was called. At this stage tho lii>ht was appealed aoaiu^t, and the committee r^htly dcciduiJ that ti'« match must l-e continued on the Monday. r-'hivr -'hiv Mi^s Aitkyu was unalilc to tlo. and a walk over lOsultrO, much to the -lissatisfaclion (if some of the oiiloi>kers. Tj ci~o is no doubt, ho^cwr, that it was too dark to play, and the committee "were-then-fore (ptite riglit to st.O£> the match at that stage. It was, of course, unfortunate that Miss Aitken had to leave, as the match promised au exciting finish, but it would havo been absurd to have played out an important championship such cis this in a failing li^-lit. A player -.lo de-.-•crvch os-pecial mention for his plucky ciVorts is Ainitv, of Wi-llington. wlio uas als(j of immen-.c service io the i>hu('i'.s jmd coiiv.M 1 1( c as an iHaipire. '. lood umpires ate few and *ai" be(we^'ii, antl -\niic-, was both accurate and called the scoio well. 'J'olhurbt also ]vrformi cl wrll in this line, and as umpiring is as a rule a thankless job it is only fair to icogiiise good work. While on the subject of umpiring, it would beV u '" players would study the rules, aiul learn on which s-idc oi the couit they 'must stand to receive the service cmd whct'ier tlTcy can alter tlv orilcr of .serving or not at th" end »i a set, ana many otii<T points of which they are ignorant at pre-Auit. in the courso of a long experience of tf):;i naniouL p' u y< -1 may .say that 1 ha'>e never before atten'kd tx mooting where alcoholic and other rfire.shmed'is were disiienscd free of charge on the same scale as at the meeting recently concluded. For two years this knowledge has bw.n confined to a favoured few, but as so v ii as it gets aeneiaPy known to tennis ]. layers throughoi'it Ihe colony 1 am afraid the hotel accommodation of New Plymouth will be o\erta\e-d. Tho ladies' romimittce worked like Trojans to keep pace with the demands for tea and cake, especially on the Saturday afternoon. But the tournament has now assumed sijoh di'mcnsioiirf that tlie omniiltv* would lie woll advia'xl anoll er year to relievo their ladies of such a yreaL amount of .york, if fjossiljle. by putting the tea in the lia?ids of a regular caterer. It is solely in the interests of He ladies who lwi\c to work s.o havJ that 1 write this, as 1 ami sure all the competitors are cvtrcmely grateful for liicir ]>rompt attention to thirsty ni'is and losers, and would much rather matters riwnaincd as they are at present. In conclusion, 1 should lil (< to mention that J ha\o rarely attended such a well managed jneelMrq, and ! think thi> übiijuitous hon. secretary (Mr Wadciy) and his hard-work-ing committee are to be cordially con-Li-atulated on the n suits of th"ir i-n-ilf'a\'ours.