TENNIS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18046, 5 January 1927, Page 10

TENNIS

NEW'S FROM ALL COURTS

DOING THE THING PROPERLY. When kings and bishops pass away Their kinsfolk say, “No common clay Is this," and make the obsequies With pomp, a most imposing wheeze; And even Brown, who overate Himself with Christmas pork, his fate Was softened by lodge brethren who Followed his cortege, two by two, And rites read o’er his grave to tell The world the soul of Brown was well. So let us not let tennis folk Just pass away: it is no joke For Smith to die as others would Who knew no tennis brotherhood; Let’s tell the world the virtues that Were Smith’s—how many times he sat Out sets—and always gave the doubt To others if the ball was out. Then on his grave let’s plant and see An ash or two, a rubber tree, Grow there to tell the passer-by, Here doth a tennis player lie. LEARNING TO* PLAY. I (Thirteenth Article). • Vincent Richards in one of his series of articles recently published, tells of the notebook of Lacoste in which is written his comments on his opponents’ play, and also how to beat them. Richards asked permission to read Lacoste’s comment on himself, and this is what the American said: “Play to Richards's backhand and follow it in to the net." Some such notebook would be valuable to anyjplayer that aspires to championship honours. The race is not always to the swift, rather is it to the thinker. There are natural players like Norman Brookes, and shall we say (in Christchurch), Greenwood, but in the majority of cases the greatest players have all been, studiers of the game. Til den’s books reveal great powers oi observance and skill in analysing stroke production. In a talk with Geof QJlivier, it is soon apparent that he is a selfmade player and has thought out the necessity for each attack and defence, lie has a line collection of records of provincial and championship matches he has played in, and has even recorded the “nets” and “outs” of two players in an important five-set match. This quality of being able to analyse games played cannot fail but to reMjJt in an improvement in the play of anyone .who will trouble to do it. In watching the game of the average “rabbit” it is quite apparent that 75 per cent of the points lost are through the ball striking the net. Yet the players themselves arc quite unaware of the fact. On one occasion a looker-on at a couple practising pointed this out, and offered to umpire, giving thirty points, instead of fifteen against the man whose ball touched the net. Within fiye minutes the standard of play had improved, the rallies became longer, and the tennis better in every way. One well-known Canterbury player keeps a record in his head of the mistakes he makes. At practise he lets the other man keep the score while he 1 concentrates on the losing stroke and how it was lost. In one match in a game which finished 9-7, and which he won, he found that he had made no fewer than 43 foolish errors—jtist silly shots, weak shots, unnecessary ones, off easy balls. Even if no more is attempted than a memorising of the proportion of “nets” to “outs” it would be valuable to playrrs. But a systematic examination of one's game either by the player himself or a friend cannot fail to lead to improvement. The number of first serves xrfissed, the number of doubles made, smashes outed or put into the net, the proportion of fast drives that were winners, or losers, these, and all similar investigations would well repay the time and trouble taken. THE NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIPS. 'The 1926 New Zealand championships have come and gone, and the results can be considered highly satisfactory. In both the singles, the winners are young players and this is all to the good of the game. Furthermore the tournament has proved that we have quite a number of young players in the first flight, and the possibility of New Zealand placing a worthwhile Davis Clip team in the field in the near future is not such a remote one. < 'anterbury will regret that Miss bpeirs was not on her game in the final, but she does not play her best away from home. Next year she will b’e champion again. She has quite the best stroke equipment in New Zealand, and there is no army of young girls clamouring for recognition. With the men, however, the position is different. There are half a dozen young men under twenty-one who can set out for next year’s meeting and bring an extra suitcase for the championship cup, and stand a reasonable chance of needing it. The two singles winners went to Wellington, to Andrews and Miss Howe, and the men's doubles went to Knott and Sturt, of Auckland. All young players. Wellington has Wilson and Malfroy, both capable of winning the singles next year. What has Canterbury got to replace Ollivier? With the exception of Angas, what youths have we either next .year or for the next five years ?

Perhaps one of the reasons why Canterbury has not tackled the problem of coaching the young players and encouraging tennis in the schools, is that for the last few years the enthusiasts of Canterbury tennis have had their hands full with the creation of Wilding Park. It is going to do a lot to build our tennis in the future, and school competitions will be running this year (or should be). But the best minds have been occupied with this work, and the question of coaching and the encouragement of junior tennis has not yet been tackled by those capable of putting either scheme across. It looks as though all our executive ability is in the present committees of the C.L.T.A., and that we will have to wait till they are ready. Mr W. N. Seay and Mr P. R. Harman are two at least of the executive who recognise the need for encouraging the juniors and are sympathetic with any scheme of school tennis. UNITED TOURNAMENT. The only tournament held locally was the United Club’s New Year meeting. Another year, if the New Zealand championships are not being played locally, it would be a good idea to hold the tournament at this date instead of that originally intended: at Christmas. This would bring a number of those taking part in the Ashburton tournament to Christchurch rather than leave the grass for the hard courts at Timaru. The arrangements made were as near as possible perfect. Mr Eric Burn as secretary is entitled to the greatest credit, but Mr A. L. Wood workts?i hard, as did the other members of the committee, Messrs J. R. Johnston and J. ('. Cullman. A feature of the tournament was the magnificent driving of Allan Wood. On Monday he was at times unplayable. 9 Against Mahan he got the last set 6-0, finishing it off with a love game, Against Denton in the final he could do nothing wrong. llis ser

vice was severe, although Denton handled it well, but Wood mixed the pace of his drives and unearthed that fast one so surely that he held the decision in his hand from the start. Even Wood’s backhand was used in the attack. He has seldom played better. He plays the final of the handicap singles with Jones on Thursday, and his combined against Borrows and Miss Borrows to-night. Miss Wake, who won the open singles, is still in the combined doubles with Goss. Her sliced drive found the corners well, and this was her main scoring stroke in the final against Miss K. Scott. This player has improved greatly since the winter.^ 'notes'* Tennis news locall} r is at a premium. Everything in clubland is at a standstill, and will be for a time. At one club on New Year’s Day there were four people playing, and on the Monday this number was reduced to 3. At another club two players put in an appearance on New Year morning, and in the afternoon two other players rolled up. Of these nine players, eight were men. In 18S6 when*t he* New* Zealand championships first started, the entry fees were:—Men’s singles, £1 Is; men’s doubles, 10s; but the prizes were £ls, and £5 in the singles, and £5 each and £2 10s each in the doubles. The singles prize-winner received, in addition, the challenge cup, valued £25. It is seldom *tha*t* a team is picked that gives such satisfaction as the New Zealand team to play against New South Wales. Not a has-been among the lot. A peculiar and unfortunate thing happened at the wrong moment in the Miss Speirs-Miss Howe contest. _ With the score 5-4 in favour of the Wellington lady and deuce called, a lob of Miss Ilowe’s just landed over the net. Miss Speirs stood ready to finish it off when a gust of wind blew the ball back over the net. The next stroke was the end of the match. Suburban players did well at Katkoura. Peppier and Mrs Peppier won the open combined, and Richardson won the open singles. At present there is no shield for the Suburban C grade, and it would be a welcome gift if anyone presented one. The A and B shields are valued highly by the teams, and as the different clubs become associated with these trophies, and the names arc added, the value increases. Not many matches have been played this week at United, the tournament occupying the attention of the players. In the ladies’ B grade handicaps the fourth round is nearly complete. Miss Beadle (owe 3-6) beat Miss Rich (reo 3-6) 4-6, 60, 6-3; Miss Robinson (owe 15) beat Mrs Robinson (scr) 6-1, 6-1; Miss M’Kinnon (scr) beat Miss Bruce (scr) 6-1, 6-4; Miss Turnbull (rec 15) beat Miss Franklin (rec 3-6) 5-6, 6-1, 6-3; Miss Cooper (rec 15) beat Miss Lance (rec 15) 3-6, 6-1, 63; Mrs Finley (scr) beat Miss Rose (scr) 6-1, 6-4. Miss Arita Howe, the new champion, won the New Zealand Girls’ Championship in 1919, 1920, 1921, so she cannot be more than 23 years of age. Her father is 11. A. Howe, and her uncle J. B. Howe, both well-known Wellington tennis players, and provincial doubles champions. On Saturday the Junior A grade and the No. 1 section of the suburban competition resume plav. In the Junior A, Addington play St Stephens, at Addington; St Albans play Sumner, at W T .P., 3 and 4; South Christchurch play Opawa, at W.P., 5 and 6; Linwood A play Linwood B at Linwood; Cashmere play Edgeware, at W.P.. 7 and 8. Elmwood has a bye. The best of these matches should be that between the two Linwood teams. Linwood A will be strengthened with Mahan, who is now permanently in the team. In the suburban competition, Paparua meet Woolston at W.P., 9 and 10; Ilalswell journey to Kaiapoi; and Bel fast go to Rangiora; while Riccarton play Redeliffs at Redcliffs. There is just a possibility that Riccarton will be defeated. Redcliffs have four men as good as any in the competition. In the B grade. Prebbleton play Yaldhurst, at Yaldhurst; Paparua play Woolston at W.P. 11 and 12; Halswell play Kaiapoi at Halswell; Rangiora play Belfast at Belfast. In the C grade, Riccarton play Templeton at Templeton; Ilalswell play Beckenham at W.P. 13 14; West Spreydon play Woolston at W.P. 17 and 18; Prebbleton play Spreydon at W.P. 19 and 20.