KALMS’ SERVICE BEAT ANDREWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17832, 28 April 1926, Page 10

KALMS’ SERVICE BEAT ANDREWS.

IT BOUNCED HIGH WITH HEAVY CUT. SIDELIGHTS GIVEN ON TENNIS IN SYDNEY. (Special to the. “Star”) WELLINGTON, April 27. ! The members of the New Zealand ! tennis team. D. M. Kean (manager', i A. G. Wallace (captain). E. D. Andrews. I E. B. W. Smyth, I. A. Seay, D. G. ' France and N. R. O. Wilson, looked fit and well as they stepped down from 1 the gangway of the Marama, which arrived this afternoon from Sydney. While lamenting the bad weather which prevented much practice, all spoke in the highest terms of the treatment accorded them while in Sydney. For the first eleven days they were in the capital of New South Wales they were able to have, only four and a half days’ practice. They were confident that had they been able to f have more of that essential requisite t to the game they would have done I much better. They visited the Blue Mountains and j played matches at Katoomba against j a local team. They found the atmo- J spheric conditions vastly different frbm j those pertaining in New Zealand, and it was because they were unaccustomed • to the comparatively-speaking clearness : of the light, and the great heat, that they did not do better than they did. Against the New’ South Wales colts, and also against the New South Wales tehm in the test matches, the order of play for the New Zealand team was: Andrews. Smyth, France, Seay, Wilson and Wallace. As the New Zealand team was practically composed of juniors in point of age, the matches against the New South Wales colts were looked upon as a real test of junior strength, the home State putting its very best juniors into the field. The decisive defeat inflicted on them by the New Zealanders somewhat surprised the New South Wales critics. In the big test the New South Wales I team was, with the exception of J. O. Anderson (who was in hospital) the best they could put in the field. Although the order of the first three was F. Peach (New South Wales champion), Willard and KaJms, the members of the New Zealand team considered that Kalms was undoubtedly the best of the three. His volleying and his service were essentially an attacking weapon, and he followed to the net and volleyed the return, if there were a return. It was the most difficult service to deal with in Australia. Tt was reminiscent of Gerald Patterson's second high-bouncing, heavily cut American service. Patterson himself, when he met Kalms, was unable to deal with that service, and to it more than to anything else Kalms owed his victory over E. D. Andrews in the final of the New South Wales championship. Kalms varied that service with a straight, hard and fast service. Ilis American service was hardest to take, when the receiver was in the backhand court, as it bounced so far out of the court. Seay, because he is a left hander and was therefore taking it on his forehand, had the least difficulty of the New Zealanders in dealing with it. ■ - - Willard is a great sticker (“ the greatest ever known ” is how one member of the New* Zealand team described him), while the experienced hsad of F. Peach enabled him to play the all-court type of game. R. O. Cummings, another member„of the New South Wales team, had some fine past performances, and he had defeated Patterson.

Some of the New Zealand team, it was said, did not strike their true form. That was particularly true of Smyth and France. Andrews was of course the star performer, and in his matches against Peach, Willard and Kalms he rose to great heights. It was thought that should he meet Kaims again Andrews would win. It was found that the greatest deficiencies of the New Zealand players were in volleying and smashing. In the latter part of the game they went for pace rather than place. Of course, they realised that Kalms's brilliant service was a tremendous aid to getting the net position. “Our greatest weakness." said A. G. Wallace, ‘‘was in the doubles. Our boys had the ground strokes equally with their opponents, but they lacked the combination. Here, also, their deficiencies in volleying were most noticeable.”

The members of the team are. quite cqnficjent that they have benefited greatly by the trip, and it will be their 'endeavour to cultivate an attacking service, more certain volleying and overhead work. The great thing about Kalms's service was that even though it was returned, very little hope could be entertained of the return. passing him, - as he came to the net. The team is quite happy in the reflection that even if beaten they did their best under conditions which certainly did not work to their advantage- .. ....

The White City Courts, on which they played while in Sydney, were in excellent condition, even if they were a bit sodden at times, as a result of the rain.

When the interviewer remarked that New South Wales had narrowly beaten Victoria, the members of. the New .‘Zealand team stated that 'Victoria had sent, with the exception of O’Hara Wood, its strongest team to Sydney, to try to capture the coveted Cup. The team was Patterson. Hawkes, Schlesenger. Wertheim, Haege and Lunn. That team played the team that New Zealand were beaten by in the big test.

Andrews, who partnered Schlesingei against Patterson and Hawkes in a practice match, said he had far less difficulty with Patterson’s service than he had with Kalms’s.