LAWN TENNIS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 41, 18 February 1931, Page 13

LAWN TENNIS

NEWS FROM ALL THE COURTS.

By

H. TILLMAN.

The Quest for the Shield. Wellington have a good team, and well deserve their win against Canterbury in the match for the Wilding Shield. Mr Browning, manager of the Canterbury team, says that Don France, at his best, can beat anyone in New Zealand, and N. R. C. Wilson, back from six weeks’ tournaments was right at the top of his form. The errors that are part of France’s and Wilson’s game were gone. The shots that were little better than trick shots came off. They could do nothing wrong. Don France ran back to take a lob that had gone over his head, swung round at the ball, shoulder high, and the ball sizzled down the side-line to leave Angas standing. And France did not rely on brilliance to win. His placing was accurate, and he only came to the net when the position warranted it. When he did come to the net he showed the way a rally should be finished off. Against Seay, France had the match finished by the time the Angas-Wilson match had finished their first set. Seay tried hard,

racing from side to side and frequently interrupting the other match to rush across to try and retrieve one of France’s angled volleys or smashes. It was in vain. Angas Was at his best. J. C. Peacock, one of the best judges in New; Zealand, said that Angas’s play in the doubles was equal to the best seen in New Zealand. Angas is always a trier. He tries all the way. His success against Wilson was a reward for trying all the way and all the time. Patterson played well. He suffered as all others do when one has a big lead and it is gradually being overtaken. Even the best get rattled. After leading 5-0 In the deciding set against Len France. Patterson got nervous. At 5-4 he hit two balls that were obviously going out. In one case he was standing on the baseline. At 5 all ha recovered to serve three aces, but slumped again. Barnett played his usual solid game. The only regret that can be expressed is that Canterbury should pick Seay when it is well known that he had not had any practice and did not want to play. Either RhodesWilliams, Granville or Dymond would have been better. In all sports the trained man is best.

# K » The Inter-Club Competition. The following is the position of the teams in the different grades. In some grades, notably In that of the D. captains of winning teams had failed to send in returns. In the case of the leading teams the position shown is correct. In the A grade, section 1. there had been one wet Saturday and one semiwet. Cathedral and Shirley were the only clubs to finish their matches. This gives Cathedral 6 wins. St Albans 4. Lin wood 1 and Riccarton 3 each. Avonside. Edgeware and Woolston 2 each, Opawa, Sprevdon and Shirley 1 each. It was decided in this section to playnext Saturday as follows:—Woolston v. Avonside, Riccarton v. Edgeware, Cathedral v. Linwood, St Albans v. Sprevdon and Shirley v. Waimairi. The last game will be a friendly game, as Opawa is defaulting to Shirley and Union is defaulting to Waimairi, and this will give these two clubs a game. In the A grade, section 11.. there have been two wet Saturdays. Sumner and Linwood 11. lead with 5 wins, Belfast 4. Addington. Cashmere and Wesley have 3 each, Union and Waimairi 1 apiece and Barrington and Beckenham fight out for the wooden spoon. Next Saturday Sumner will play Linwood 11.. and this will decide this grade. Cashmere will play Belfast, Barrington play Beckenham and Addington play Wesley. In the B grade, section 1., Redcliffs and Cathedral have alike an unbeaten record. Hornby, St Martins and Opawa have 3 wins, Linwood 2, Avonside, Shirley, St Albans and Woolston 1 apiece. Next Saturday Redcliffs will play off with Cathedral to see who will win this section. In the B -grade, section 11., Sumner are in the best position with 6 wins, Addington, Te Whaka and St Andrew’s have 5 wins, Edgeware and Templeton 4. Beckenham and St Mary’s 2. Addington Catholic. Barrington, Yaldhurst 1 each and Union has no wins. This grade will play the ninth round on Saturday, and this will give Addington a chance to lower Sumner’s colours. Barrington will play Yaldhurst, Beckenham play Addington

Catholic, St Mary’s play Te Whaka, St Andrew’s pla> T Templeton. Union is defaulting to Edgeware. C grade, section 1., has St James (Riccarton) in the position of 7 wins. The nearest opponent is Papanui with 5 wins, and these two will play off next Saturday. St Martins have 4 wins, Avonside and New Brighton 3, North Linwood, Redcliffs and Waimairi 1 and Riccarton nil. In C grade, section 11., Cathedral have been unbeaten and have six wins. South Christchurch have 5 wins and Edgeware and Heathcote 4, Linwood, Shirley, St Phillip’s and Spreydon 2, Wesley and St Mary’s 1. These teams will play off the ninth round next Saturday. Edgeware v. South Christchurch, Wesley v. St Martins. Spreydon v. Heathcote, Shirley v. St Phillip’s, Cathedral v. Linwood. In the D grade, section 1., Wesley appear to have the section safe with 6 wins. Edgeware come next with 3, Colombo Street Baptist and St Mary’s have 24 wins, and Cathedral and St James 2 each. Barrington and St John’s have no wins. On Saturday Wesley will play Woolston. In the D grade, section 11., Sumner lead with 5 wins, and Cathedral 11., Hornby, North Linwood and South Christchurch have all 3 wins, Union have 1, and Prebbleton and St Mary’s 4. Next Saturday North Linwood play St Mary’s, Addington Catholic play Cathedral, and South Christchurch play Hornby. Notes. The Competitions Committee will meet next Monday to arrange for further matches. An endeavour will be made to give each of the A grade sections another match on Saturday week It was felt that if teams could get in seven matches they would not have much to complain about. sc sc as The Cathedral Club held their annual picnic at Waikuku during the week-end. Many races were run off and an enjoyable time spent. The winners of the championship events were: Ladies, Miss Lynskey 1, Miss V. Flood 2; men, J. Quinn 1, J. C. Dobbs 2. Anything can happen to the weather in Christchurch. It pays to have a good optimism. On Saturday up till 1 p.m. it teemed, and at 2 p.m. there was a shower. At 3.30 p.m. the courts were perfectly dry, save for an. occasional pool. Four hours’ play was possible. but not one in a hundred had sufficient faith. :* In the Alice Springs tournament in U.S.A., a mother and daughter played off the semi-final against two sisters, and the mother and daughter won the final. In Melbourne on Saturday there was to ha\*e been played a father arid son tournament. The best known of those who entered were A. W, DunlOp and a son. Something similar could be tried here. j 5 35 24 It was at a tennis picnic recently, and the racquet-wieldera were trying their hand at picnic cricket. A man was at the create swiping every leg bail to the boundary. Those on the “off” he did not do much good with. One of the tennis-cricketers perceived this and yelled to the nowler, “Why don’t you put them to his forehand, you chump?” :: :: At the Competitions Committee meeting on Monday night the point was raised of clubs putting new players in the finals and semi-finals. There are many good tennis players playing cricket, and these can be brought in to strengthen a team that has a chance in the final. It was decided that no alteration could be made at this late date, but to have a rule in next season’s competition forbidding any player who has not played in at least two other competition matches to play in a final or semi-final. At United. A few—very few—matches have been played. In the ladies’ championship singles. Miss Andrew beat Miss Macdonald, 7-5, 6-4, and in the ladies’ doubles Misses Wake and Andrew beat Misses Miller and Wright, 6-0, 6-1. In the men’s singles, R. A. Row defeated D. F. Glanville, who retired in , the fourth set with a strained leg muscle. Row won, 7-5, 5-7, 2-6, 1-0. In the next round, A. R. Cant beat Row after a good fight, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 9-7. Dymond beat West, 6-1, 6*l, 6-1. In the combineds, Sheppard and Miss Morrison beat Johnston and Miss Goss, 6-2, 6-3, and Anderson and Mrs Mason beat Reeves and Miss Hoare, 6-4, 7-9, 6-4. In the B grade handicaps, Armstrong beat Perry, 6*3, 6-3. Fendalton Club. Fendalton Club had hard luck recently when the magnificent macrocarpa fence on the nor’-west side had a gap burned in it for ten to fifteen yards. This fence was fully ten feet high and about three feet thick. The fact that the fence was there influenced the committee who bought the land in the first place. The club recently organised a successful art union, which showed a net profit of £45. Two works of art were given by Mr and Mrs England and Mr A. Stewait gave a third. These were drawn in the presence of the police, and a most extraordinary coincidence happened. The butts were all put into a barrel and well shaken and a ticket drawn.

It bore a lady’s name. Another barrel with those who competed in the second raffle (each article had separate tickets) had the tickets well mixed, and lo! the same lady’s name was drawn. Out of all the hundreds of tickets her name came out first twice. The third barrel was shaken, and the crowd breathed a sigh of relief when her name was not called. It could not be. She had only bought two tickets.

One of the handicap events is finished and another is nearing completion. Jn the men’s handicap doubles, Lusk and Penrose (owe 15 3-6) beat Sharpies and Smith (scr), 10-S, 4-6, 6-2. The final took hours to play.. In the combined handicaps, P. Rigby and Mrs Lee (owe 30) are in the final, and meet the winner of the match between Sharpies and Mrs Sharpies (owe 2-6) and A. Stewart and Miss Deal (owe 16 1-6).

There will be little play on the courts on Saturday week, as the committee have arranged for the courts to be topdressed. It may be possible, however, to have two courts available.