LAWN TENNIS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19201, 15 October 1930, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS

NEWS FROM ALL THE COURTS.

===== By

H. TILLMAN.

Entertaining at Wilding Park. This year all the A grade matches will be played at Wilding Park and a great number of the B and C grade games. While no one would be without Wilding Park, with its perfect playing surfaces and appointments, yet there must be a certain regret in the hearts of the older players at the thought of the competitions once played on the club courts. It is good for a club *to act as host. It is good for every club member to share in the responsibility of seeing that his opponent enjoys himself. That little speech at the end where the visiting captain gathers his team around him and thanks the home team for the very enjoyable afternoon, was a bright, if unnecessar\*, feature of. the match. The captain or president of the home team would reply and express the wish that, all should meet again. There was something in those brief minutes and the hand-shakes that was all for the good of the game. At Wilding Park this formality is done away with. The players just leave as their last game is finished. They go to afternoon tea as opportunity offers. Mostly they have tea with the members of their own team. No effort is made to mix with the opposing team.

It is hard to see how anything can be done to alter it. Perhaps it could be arranged in the draw for one team tc act as hosts alternately. It would cost the same in the end and the act of entertaining the opposing plavers would make for good fellowship, and hence, good sport. Many of those who played at Wilding Park last year did not even know the names of their opponents. One team would occupy one seat and the other would keep to another form. .Maybe the game is the thing, but - Any one who played in the Suburban competition a few years ago must recall the great number of friendships made in friendly matches and desire to see the Wilding Park matches placed on a friendlier footing. The Serve. There are few outstanding services in, Canterbury' and it does appear that too much energy* can be spent on it. In a long game the force expended in wasted serves must be considerable, and the expenditure should be watched to discover if it is worth while. I low many arcs are served in a set even by a good server? Very' few even in doubles and fewer in singles. Tilden gained the little margin that meant victory with a cannon-ball service, but a L-acoste and a Cochet can beat him ** xth a much less devastating service. Angas and Seay have services tha 4 a-e “nerely well directed. Seay can put ictoss a weirdly spinning serve i t le rarely uses it in a match and contents himself with a medium-paced ball. Glanville and Patterson’s services could be played with ease by anv ! medium player. It is said that a ser- ! vice should be placed ‘‘deep,"’ that is, ! near the service line as. possible.

This gives the ball a better length and allows of a less angled return, but if I the service keeps low “depth” is not | an advantage. It is said that the Japanese Davis Cup player, Shimiyu, who merely threw the ball to the level of his face and poked it over the net, got more aces than any other player. A low, bouncing ball that barely clears the net is always difficult to deal with. To sum up, a service should be well placed, accurate enough to make a second service unnecessary. It should be hit at the highest position that can be reached (this makes the ser- ; vice surer). The server should stand ; sideways to the net. The ball should be thrown high and hit with one welltimed continuous movement. Fhe importance of a good service is well in an analysis of the recent Wimbledon contests. Doeg secured SO per cent of his service games, Allison got 79 per cent, Tilden 76, Cochet 60, Borotra 57. In the doubles,’ the Allison-Van Ryn combination got 85 per cent, Lott-Doeg So, IlopmanW'illard S2, and Gregorv-Collins 78. In the ladies' singles, Mrs Wills Moody got a percentage of 7S, Miss Aussem (the German champion) 66, Miss Ryan G 6, Miss Nuthall 45 and Miss Jacobs Sumner are putting in a good team this year: D. Barr, X. Barlow, G. Webb and G. Browne, Miss Bishop, Miss Martin and two other ladies.

While we are proud of the fact that seventy-nine teams entered for the summer competitions, Dunedin has fifty-six teams in its competition. Ten in the A grade, twentv-six in the B 20 in the C. Belfast’s team will be along the lines of last year’s. The probable team will be: S. Watson, L. Xeale, W. Watson. J. Halligan, Miss Watson, Miss Goode! Miss Chaplin and Mrs W’atson. There are many inquiries as to when the senior competion is to start. Mr R. Browning says that a start will be made about November 23 the same time as last year. The ladies’ mid-week competition started last year on December 4, and probably this year will :ee tbs ladies gather at Wilding Park about the same date. Entries close at United for the various handicap events next Saturday, October 18. This year the arrangements should be better. In the first place there, wilj be no late entries. Secondly, all first round matches must be played on or before November 1. This is to be enforced and that day* is to be set aside foi the playing-off of all unplayed doubles matches in the first and second rounds. Any* player not there will be scratched. Linwood-teams are: A. Grade, N'o. 1 team—ll. C. Hill. Y. E. Gabites, R. L.

8 3® HI SI 13 a ffl Si S g tfi @1 @3 @ S Egi Bfi IS tS & Sowden, C. Treeby, Miss Bloor, Miss Wilson, Miss Spratt, Miss Bradford; No. 2 te^m —Campbell, N. C. Manchester, L. Darker, C. Glanville, Miss Williamson, Miss Dickson, Mrs Macintyre, Miss Fraser. B team—C. Webb, A. J. Russell, F. A. Wilson, A. Downing, Miss Nash, Miss Turner, Miss Wansbrough, Miss Ellis. C team—W. Downing, B. Wild, Wills, J. Penny* and Misses Hood and two others.

E. D. Andrews still continues to conquer in the top end of the world. At the Hampshire championships, he won the three titles, beating J. D. Wheatley in the singles final, 7-5, 6-3. Wheatley has represented England in the Davis Cup on several occasions. Mrs Pittman was Andrews’s partner in the combineds, and C. G. Eames. in the men’s doubles. A strange thing about the Hampshire championships is that in the last eleven y*ears the singles ' have been won by a New Zealander on five occasions. F. Nr. B. Fisher won it on three occasions and Andrews, twice. Opawa Tennis Club. There was a good attendance at the opening of the Opawa Tennis Club on Saturday*. In the absence of the president (Mr P. Menzies), the prizes were presented and the season opened by Mr P R. Harman. The prize-winners were Ladies’ championship singles, Miss May Andrew ; men’s championship singles, N. Franklin; ladies’ handicap singles (Garland Cup), Miss M. Menzies; men’s handicap singles (Wilding Cup). N. Brydges-Jones: ladies’ handicap doubles, Misses M. Andrew and N T . Reed; combined handicap doubles, Miss T. Tipping and L. Lowe. Summer events—Ladies’ handicap doubles, Mesdames Thomson and Balfour; men’s handicap doubles, X. Brydges-Jones and E. Bourke; combined handicap doubles, Miss E. Morton and X. Brydges-Jones. Entries are now being taken for the summer events: the ladies’ doubles and the combined’s. A tournament will be held on Labour j Day*, provided there are enough en- 1 tries.

Two teams have been entered for the inter-club matches. A team: Miss M. Andrew, Miss Menzies, Miss N. Reed, Mrs Tregear and Miss Willis, N. Brydges-Jones. X. Franklin, R. Roberts and R. Sowden. Second team: Miss E Wiclces. Miss K. Esson, Miss J. Kane and Miss L. Wickes, F. Robinson, M. Minson, G. Osborne and R. Woodward. Boys’ Secondary Schools’ Competition. The Junior Lawn Tennis Association have succeeded in launching a secondary schools’ competition for boys. This is the first competition and may lead to big things for tennis. Two of the leading schools have failed to enter teams. St Andrew's cpid Christ’s College evidently believe still that cricket is the best and only school game. Boys' High School, West Christchurch, ' and I College have entered tw o teams’ apiece. B.H.S. have probably the strongest teams. Mr R. Cartner, who is secretary to the Junior Association and tennis master at Technical, is making that school tennis-minded The matches will start at Wildmg Park on Wednesday. October 22. and jare to be played fortnightly, starting at 13.45 p.m. i The teams comprise four boys. Doubles and sulkies will be played !“6 up.”

The following is the draw: October 22: B.H.S. (1) v. West Christchurch (1); West Christchurch (2) v. Technical (1); Technical (2) v. B.H.S. (2). November 5: B.H.S. (1) v. W. Christchurch (2) : West Christchurch (1) v Technical (2); Technical (1) v. B.H.S. (2). November 19: B.H.S. (1) v. Technical (1) ; West Christchurch (1) v. 8.11.5. (2) ; West Christchurch (2) v. Technical (2). December 3: 8.11.5. (1) v. Technical (2) ; West Christchurch (1) v. Technical (1) West Christchurch (2) v. 8.11. S (2) December 17: B.H.S. (1) v. B.H.S. (2) ; West Christchurch (1) v. West Christchurch (2) ; Technical (1) v Technical (2). .