LAWN TENNIS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18453, 2 May 1928, Page 3

LAWN TENNIS

NEWS FROM ALL THE COURTS. I

By

K. TILLMAN.

Our Young: Players. “ The standard of New Zealand lawn tennis play certainly gave me one of the greatest surprises that I have ever had in my life. Out in these islands, though none oi you people seem to be aware of it, you have moulded a game at which you are better than practically any European country but France.”

Jn these words, Mr B. R Smith, a visiting American, summarised his opinion of New Zealand tennis prior to his departure from Wellington for Australia. Mr Smith should know. He has been vice-president of the Californian Tennis Association, a national delegate and a member of the United States men’s championship singles committee.

“ Nowhere have I seen such an array of good boys as you seem to have pro duced in the few years that you have been playing the game seriously,” he said. " I don't believe that the whole of Europe could show four boys such as C. Malfrov, C. Angas, N. Wilson and A. C. Steelman. These boys are the real thing. I saw Malfroy and Angas meet in Christchurch, and I know tennis players when I see them. Stedman is another of the real sort, and it y° u want my opinion of Wilson, it is that with practice in the right company with lad would make one of the finest doubles players in the world. “ But I don’t want to talk of possibilities. I want to tell you facts. The facts are that as far as the rock-bottom standard of play goes this country of yours can pick a team right now which would hold its own with nine-tenths oi the countries which annually dispute the Davis Cup. I don’t mean that you could extend the more powerful nations, but I am absolutely certain that vou would be equal to reaching a zone final, practically at your first attempt. I say this with much experience of tennis. One of these days you will play in the Davis Cup, and then you will give your opponents the shock of their lives. You will remember that a few years ago you were drawn to meet Canada in the Pacific zone of the cup. That meeting never took place, but I know, through my Canadian friends, that Canada thought that meeting was ‘ apple pie.’ From what I have seen I’m convinced that Canada would have been defeated and that you would have beateo them very thoroughly.

" I haven’t had much time to see tennis, or to talk to tennis people. But I'm told that you have other good boys whom I shan’t be able to see, Sturt and Knott, of Auckland, for instance. If they are in the hunt with those I saw in Christchurch they're really good. What is more, they’re worth sending to the Davis Cup this minute. I hear that the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association is waiting around, saving up (ts money for when it sees another Wilding. Well, you may not have the Wilding, but you have a bunch who are quite likely to prove champions. I’ve seen Australian tennis, and I don’t fhink it’s a bit better than yours. You people should go ahead without fear. Or. if you won’t, give us some of your boys. We could do with them.” Easter Tournament. The Easter tournament was continued last Saturday, when Crawshaw won the men’s handicap singles and Crawshaw and W. S. Somerville the men’s handicap doubles. One match was also played in the combined handicap doubles, when Crawshaw and Mrs Crawshaw (owe 15) beat Evans and Miss P. Neil (rec. 15) 9-8, after a close game. Evans volleyed well, and his partner was steady, but the other pair had better strokes. With Somerville, Crawshaw beat C. Glanville and Hawkins 9-2. The losing pair did not get going, and were very ragged, though in previous matches their play had been good. Hawkins was unlucky towards the last, putting five consecutive lobs just an inch or two over the back line. The winners showed good combination and attacked throughout. S 3 S 3 S 3 The final of the singles found Crawshaw still in winning vein. For the first few games, the uncanny steadiness of Hart lev had him somewhat demoralised. Hartley had a good variety of shots. A rather soft drive was varied with a very fast one. and his Jobbing was exceptionally good. However. Crawshaw made for the net throughout, following in his serve and also his return of service. His volleying was superb and overhead he hit hard. Hartley led 3-2. but that was his last game. At 8-3 Hartley looked like getting another. lie led 40-15, but could not improve. Crawshaw was conceding “ fifteen.” J. R. Crawshaw plays for Fendalton and was schoolboy champion of a few years back. F. O. Hartley plays for Elmwood. a Perfect Your Strokes: Do Not Radically Alter Them. Charlie Chaplin has yearnings to bring out a great motion picture where iie will appear as Hamlet or the Silver Xing or something equally sentimental or tragic. Probably Sir Henry Irving had ambitions to improve on George Robey. In tennis the man who is born natural baseline player wants to assail the net; the natural, born attacker tries to play safe. Look around in Christchurch. A year ago T W. Patterson was South Island champion. Ilis game was founded on

the ability to put a good length ball across the net more often than anyone else. It might not please the critics, but it confounded opponents. The}' had no reply to his accuracy and fleetness of foot. Hence he always won on asphalt. Now Patterson, to achieve greater heights, should have perfected the strokes he had till they were more accurate still. He should have strived to land his lob within a foot of the baseline instead of the less accurate yard away. He should have improved each stroke and made it a bit better, but instead of that he made up his mind to become a fast driver. He practised hitting hard until he appeared to have the shot perfect. But his medium-paced drive was learned at sixteen on the Opawa court. It was developed in youth and had become as natural with him as sleeping. His new drive was artificial—the result of will power instead of ingrained habit. Hence the result for him; last season was a partial failure.

G. Ollivier is a lesson to everyone. Critics have told him for the last ten years that his backhand is no good. What does Ollivier do? Does he suddenly decide to make a fresh start and alter the grip and swing? No. Although he is aware that his backhand is weak yet he knows it is better than any he could learn nowadays. So he strives to perfect the one he has and successfully meets New Zealand’s best.

And take D. F. Glanville, Canterbury’s steadiest player, a man who can break anybody’s heart when he is in trim by the accuracy of his drives and lobs. What has happened recently? Glanville is scorning his accuracy and is trying to hit the cover off the ball. It will be the end.

It is very sad. B. B. Loughnan defeated G. Ollivier in the semi-final of the Easter championship singles a year or so back by a sustained and wonderful attack. His whole game is built on offence. His serve, his volleys, all make for a rush to the net and a quick decision. After beating Ollivier by attack, Loughnan put a lot of his time in the next match at the baseline and lost.

W. Goss is a player who has achieved great things by perfecting the strokes he started with instead of reorganising his game every few months. Goss knows that his backhand is not correct and has known it for years, but when a self appointed coach offers him new strokes for the old he does not make a trade. So the thing to do appears to-be; If you are over, twenty-five, you can learn to improve your foot work or learn to watch the ball more closely, or you can improve your court craft." But, as for altering your natural strokes,- it is a risky business, and seldom successful. Notes. Rabbit (apologetically) : “ I’m sorry I play so bad, but to tell the truth I know abso-bally-lutely nothing about the game—never had a lesson and even the strings in my racquet are not taut.” (Scotsmen are allowed an extra ten minutes to see the joke.) In the final of the junior championship at Addington on Saturday W. E. Gay beat Barrell, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0. The winner, who is about twenty years of age, is a most improved player. He has been in the final of this event on more than one occasion, but up till this year has just missed victory. Barrell has also shown recent progress, but his form in recent matches surprised opponents. Barrell has put in a lot of time practising, and the result is now showing. Photographs of a recent innovation, trousers for lady players, show that the costume is charming. The trousers are of silk held in place with a dark sash, the ends hanging from the side, somewhat of the style of Spanish dress The socks are white—that is if they are socks —and the shoes are white, with an ankle strap. The trousers are cuffbottomed. The shirt is fastened to the throat, and the collar is of the turn-down variety. The sleeves arc not rolled up. I»n fact there is less girl apparent with this new fashion than has been the case for years. Still while bare arms and silken legs are a great attraction to the landscape, yet the new vogue is every bit as wonderful—or so the pictures seem to show. Fendalton is laying down its sixth court soon. The surface is of a patented bitumen material with Ashley River sand, and this is said to result in all the advantages of bitumen with a surface that does not discolour the ball. The contract for the court has a clause that is interesting. The contractors guarantee to have the court ready for play within three weeks of the signing of the contract. Miss Helen Wills is evidently an independent thinker, for recently she attended a boxing contest in New York and afterwards gave her opinions freely tq the eager pressmen. She said that she had been impressed by the clean way in which the match was run and surprised that more ladies were not present. The play of the muscles of these athletes fascinated her, said Helen. Fraulcin Aussem and Miss Betty Nuthall, the pets of Germany and England. won the ladies’ doubles chain-, pionship at Nice recently. And so the balm of sport heals the wounds of w « Linwood is to have a new pavilion. The old one is quite inadequate for the size of the club. The new building will he on the old site, and the volley board will be removed to make room for a. more commodious structure. Upstairs there will be a large dance hall, and be neath will be the dressing rooms. When finished, the new building will be a picturesque affair. » H M In the “ Field,” an English publication. mention is made of J. N. Lowry's sporting spirit. After winning a tournament in Hastings, he told the umpire that he had touched the net in making his last shot. On replaying the stroke, Lowry lost.

A correspondent has taken the paper to task for praising Lowry. He says;

-What would happen to sport generally if everyone did the same thing? If the cricketer, after being given ” Not out” bv the umpire, said, ‘‘You are wrong, Mr Umpire. My leg was in front of the wicket,” or the footballer rose to his feet after a try and said nobly, “ Referee, I dragged the ball over the line”? All the correspondent says, however, does not prove that Lowry should not have admitted that he had touched the net. Miss K. Nunneley has given the thirty odd gold medals she won in h'T tennis career to the New Zealand Association to be formed into a ladies' championship trophy. G. Ollivier has in his possession many gold medals won at tennis, and he, too. offered the New Zealand Association his medals for the same purpose. Although the proposal- was made to Mr Murray Kean many months ago, no reply accepting the offer has yet been received. It would be a good idea if the Canterbury association secured these valuable trophies. Miss Nunneley’s name is almost unknown these days, yet her record m New Zealand tennis is unique. She won the ladies’ singles championship on thirteen successive occasions. Miss Nunneley also won the ladies’ doubles ten times and the mixed Roubles n : ne times. Thus thirty-two New Zealand championships went her way. All the handicap events at Addington have been cleaned up. The final rounds were;—Men’s doubles semifinals—Wise and Robbins (owe 40) beat Poison and Poison (owe 40), 9-2, and Potter and Steere (owe 15 3-6) beat Austin and Thomson (owe 40); 9-7. In the final. Wise and Robbins beat Potter and Steere, 9-4. In the semi-finals of the combined doubles, Brightling and Miss Robbins (rec. 15 4-6) beat Steere and Mrs Savage (owe 3-6), 9-4, and # Adams and Mrs Adams (scr) beat Smith and Miss P. Hoggan (scr). 9-8. In the final, Adams and Mrs Adams beat Brightling and Miss Robbias, 9-8. In the semi-finals of the ladies’ doubles handicap, Mrs Adams and Miss Wade (owe 30 4-6) beat Mi;ses Hughes and Hornsby (rec. 15 3-6), 9-7, and Mrs Clemens and Miss Jack (owe 40) beat Misses Hindle and Hooker (rec. 15), 9-6. In the final, Mrs Adams and Miss Wade beat Mrs Clemens and Miss Jack, 9-8. *.• J 3 2S The junior B tournament started oil Saturday with twelve teams competing. Addington beat St Stephens, Edgeware beat South Christchurch, Shirley beat Ascot, Opawa beat Avonside No. 1, Fendalton beat Avonside No. 2, and Linwood beat St Albans. In the ladies’ championship singles at Linwood, Miss E. E. Borrows beat Miss M. E. Wilson, 6-1, 6-3, and Miss E. Borrows beat Miss R. Pullar, 6-1, 6-2. At Linwood, the winner of the Ladies’ Handicap Singles Cup proved to be Mrs Spooner, better known as Miss Vera Smith. Since her marriage Mrs Spooner has improved out of all knowledge. It will be remembered that she won the ladies’ handicap singles at the Easter tournament. At Linwood, as well as winning the Ladies’ Cup, she is in the final of the Bartleet Cup and also in the final of the ladies’ handicap doubles. In her recent final, Mrs Spooner met Miss Sprott and won easily, hardly making a mistake from start to finish. She is undoubtedly one of the steadiest players in Christchurch. In one of the handicap singles matches she met the Linwood champion, Miss E. Borrows, and received “ two-sixths,” not a great difference in odds. Miss Borrows and Mrs Spooner are in opposite sides of the Linwood championship singles, and it is possible that they may fight out the final, with Mrs Spooner standing a very even chance.

CHRISTCHURCH MAN INVENTS NEW TYPE OF RACQUET HANDLE.

A Christchurch tennis player has in vented a new type of. racquet handli which is considered by some of tin leading players to be an improvemen on the usual type of handle now- ii general use and to which it is neces sarv to affix more or less unsatisfac tory pull-over grips or to utilise grip wax or resin. It is claimed by thi inventor that his make of handle com pletely eliminates the necessity fo affixing any type of pull-over grip, tapi or resin, and is complete as it stands. The invention has been accepted b] the British Patents Office, and applica tions for letters patent have been file< in France, Canada, the United States India and Australia.

The handle is a tapering oval, witl a smooth, highly polished surface The grip is easy, and the clinging effect of the hand on the polished sur face means a tighter grip and greatei control. 'lhere is no strain in

ping, and the taper enables the player to grip at the point that best suits the size of his hand, and also tightens the grip when the racquet is thrown forward violently, as in smashing or serving. The inventor is forming a small company to exploit the new handle. He is encouraged to do so by the knowledge that one British firm of manufacturers ' alone fills orders to the United States of a thousand gross -.of racquets at one time*