LAWN TENNIS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17347, 30 September 1924, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS.

ADDINGTON CLT’R. The Addington Tennis Club opened the sen son on Saturday, when there was a good attendance of members and friends. Tin* president. Mr J. Mannings, in welcoming the visitors, expressed his pleasure at the attendance. Mr Munnir.es r»aid a tribute to the late Mr Henry Allison. who, for many years had been president of the club and referred to the necessity of the youilger players improving their play by talcing advantage of coaching rights. The championship cups and troubles won during the season were presented to the winners by Mrs J. Mannings. The guests were entertained at afternoon tea by the president and Mrs Runnings. During the afternoon a number of enjoyable games were played. GAME IN AUSTRALIA. VIEWS OF AMERICAN VISITOR. AUCKLAND, September 29. The repeated failure of the Australian lawn tennis players to wrest the Davis Cup from its American holders, after reaching the finals in opposition to the tennis representatives of the leading nations of the world. was discussed briefly to-day by Mr W. Maloney. Associate Director of Physical Education at Stanford Universitv. who arrived from Sydney by the Maluira, with the Stanford University tennis team. Mr Maloney is manager of the team which comprises E. Mcrtz (captain). R. Hinckley, De Hack, and H. Overfelt. While in Australia, said Mr Maloney, the Stanford team had played twentytwo matches, winning the test match against the combined universities of Australia and losing but few of the remainder. Strangely enough lost matches were played at small centres, but Mr Maloney attributed the defeats to the fast that often the team was required to travel long distances and play on courts which differed in character and condition to those previously used. Nevertheless, the team had enjoyed every moment of the tour and hud found the Australians most hospitable. In fact, it seemed as if the Australians were afraid that they were not doing enough to entertain the players. When the team returned to the headquarters at Palo Alto, they would have travelled 20.000 miles. and. although Stanford had sent athletic teams to all parts of tlie world, this would constitute a record. Mr Maloney said he was astonished at the vogue of tennis in Australia, and no less surprised to find the number of courts in use in the principal cities. He had been given to understand that there were 8000 courts in Sydney and about GOOO in Melbourne, while Brisbane had its quota in like ratio. He contrasted this with the huge city of San Francisco, where there were probably not more than 75 courts, yet San Francisco had produced such outstanding players as Maurice M’Laughlin, W. M. Johnston, the Kinsey brothers, 'Peck” Griffin, Hal Lindsay Murray. Miss Sutton. Miss Helen Wills and many others. This led Mr Maloney to say that, while the Australians were getting into the finals of the Davis Cup. they were, not quite good enough to take the blue ribbon. From hi experience on the present trip he would say that Australia had unusual tennis talent, but the youngsters would have to be taken in hand by older players and taught the modern game from the ground up. It seemed to him that the present representative plavers of Australia bad science, but they were too old. He thought that these men must sacrifice something for the game of tennis.* and get out and coach the young players in the fundamental features of the game. Lawn Tennis, the visitor remarked, was a peculiar game, in that, if a player overlooked a certain technique in the early stage he could not go back and start again. The suggestion which Mr Maloney made in regard to Australia was that a competent coach should he appointed by the Federal Government and allowed to take in hand promising material In schools and universities. “I do not suggest that they should have in mind the Davis Cup team of next year, or even the following year, but If they take the youngsters In hand I am certain that, in three or four years, they are going to take that cup.”