LAWN TENNIS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 72, 25 March 1931, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS

NEWS FROM ALL THE COURTS.

===== By

H. TILLMAN.

If a Player Hits the Net. A little while ago a point was raised vjf to who should get the stroke if a player hit the net with his racquet when stroking at a ball that could not have crossed the net. In the interclub tournament the point again cropped up in the men’s doubles championship. A player at the net hit the tape when the ball only struck the net half-way up. A looker-on, a wellknown Shirley pla\-er, was appealed to and he said that when the ball hit the net that was the end of the rally. The fact that a player hit the net subsequently, if only a fraction of ' a second following, did not make any difference to the result, therefore the net hitter was not penalised. To put it more concisely: When a ball hits the net the striker loses the point. In the game in question the stroke was played again, but this is not the ruling of Mr Andrew Borrows, who is frequently appointed referee for big matches. Mr Borrows says that to hit the net while the ball is “ in play ” is penalised by the loss of the stroke, and that the, ball is “in play ” until it has fallen to the ground and ceased to roll. This solves one question. Here is another. A player was standing at the net and an opponent’s ball struck the net with such force that the net, but the net struck his racquet. Here the player did not strike the net, but the net struck hi sracquet. This second point was submitted to Air Borrows, but he admitted it found . him at a loss. He could not give a decision as to who -should get the point. Tennis in Miniature. Miniature golf has, had a good run and now tennis in miniature—table tennis or ping-pong—has become popular again. The Waimairi Tennis Club ran three tournaments last winter and found them very successful, and in various social clubs ping-pong tables have always been popular with tennis players. Whether tennis is an aid to table tennis or table tennis to real tennis is a question, for those who are champions in one game are usually champions in the other.' G. Ollivier plays a good game of table tennis and so does Miss May Spiers (Mrs Dykes). Don France, when he was- residing in Christchurch, was one of the best in the city, and he still plays a good game. At a tournament decided last night, two well-known tennis players met: C. Angas and H. A. Barnett. Each had survived four rounds to reach the final. The final was the best of five games. Barnett won the first, Angas making frequent mistakes. In the next game Angas’s greater speed forced Barnett into errors. The third game saw Angas still forcing the game, but Barnett gauging the speed better returned the uercest driv.es and took the game. The fourth produced many flashes of brilliance, but towards the finish Angas bad a bad run and Barnett won by three games to one. Ellesmere v. Inter-Club. A representative match between an Ellesmere Sub-Association B team and In inter-club representative team composed of B grade players will take place [t Wilding Park on Saturday, starting it 1.30 p.m. The match has been arranged at the request of the Ellesmere Association, ind Mr J. Squire, secretary of the Competitions Committee, has selected the following team, taking one player from iach of the four leading teams in each »f the sections of the B grade:—C. »mith { Cathedral), G. Carpenter (Edge-

ware), L. Plimmer (Te Whaka), A. Merrett (Spreydon), S. Chapman (Sumner), G. M. Keys (St Andrew’s), W. J. Cadenhead (Woolston), R. Woodward (Opawa); Miss A. Hampton (Cathedral), Miss Douglas (Edgeware), Miss M. Neville (Te Whaka), Miss K. Boyle (Hornby). Miss P. M’Combs (Sumner), Miss L. Shaw (St Andrew’s), Miss Douglas (Woolston), and Miss Dickson (Opawa).. Any player unable to play is asked to notify Mr R. Browning, ’phone 32-717, immediately. Mr A. R. Merritt has been appointed captain and manager. Players in the finel between Addington and Redcliffs were, of course, not included. Notes. On Saturday, Redcliffs will play Addington in the final of the B grade shield. Redcliffs won last Saturday rather easily, but the opposition will be harder against Addington, as the latter are a well balanced team. This year’s Easter tournament should be an enjoyable one. Most of the best players are competing, including C. Angas, J. R. Crawshaw, J. R. Johnston, B. B. Loughnan, J. W. D. Fisher, D. F. Glanville, II A. Barnett, P. G. Greenwood, W. S. Somerville, H. Dymond and J. H. W. Sheppard. Of the ladies, Misses Wake, Morrison, Macdonald, Rudkin, Gould, I. Poole, E. Johnston and Quill have entered. The leading doubles pairs are Angas and Dymond, Crawshaw and Johnston, Fisher and Munns, Glanville and Browning, Somerville and Loughnan, and Sheppard and Barnett; and of the ladies, Misses-Wake and Macdonald, Misses Morrison and I. Poole, Misses Quill and Johnston, Mrs Crawshaw and Miss Gould. In the combineds are Sheppard and Miss Wake, Somerville and Miss Morrison, J. R. Johnston and Miss Poole, Fisher and Miss Johnston, Crawshaw and Mrs Crawshaw, and Dymond and Miss Quill. The Inter-Club Tournament. Good progress was made in the interclub tournament. Messrs R. Browning and A. Merritt in charge of the handicaps, and Messrs J. Squire and Clothier, the, championships, kept the courts well occupied. The loss of that half-hour of daylight saving made a big difference. The final four in the men’s singles are:—G. A. Webb, R. E. Souter, 11. W. Ogier and the winner of the game between R. Woodward and J. Mahoney. It is hard to pick the winner. Webb has beaten some good men. His strokes are mostly unorthodox, but are effective. Ilis game, is founded on knowing what to do and the ability to do it at the end of the third set. He beat last year’s champion, J. O’Malley, in a great contest. H. Ogier lasted better than J. Mercer in a three set go. Ogier is playing brilliantly. Souter has improved since Christmas and, in defeating Row, he put out a good man. Mahoney has. had good wins up till now. Last year J. Mercer put him out. but Mahoney was runner-up in a previous year. \\ oodward won at Ashburton at Christmas and on the West Coast in January- _ As was said before, anyone can win it. In the other events, fair progress was made, with no surprises. Secondary Schools* Tournament. The secondary schools’ tournament

advanced another stage on Saturday and should be concluded next Saturday. Mr H. G. Wake wishes to thank those enthusiasts who have ' umpired through the tourney. There have been umpires for each match and this has made for the progress of the games and helped the officials. The boys’ senior singles has reached the final, and next Saturday will see Lee play Rickard. Lee will probably win, but his style is not free. He beat Kissel fairly easily in the semifinal. Kissel uses the cut shot too much and few people become masters of the game if they specialise in this shot. Rickard plays a most attractive game, and on Saturdy he played above himself to beat M’Donald, who is above him on the school ladder. M’Donald uses the cut shot more than he should; Rickard, on the contrary, hits the ball clean and with good pace. He smashes and volleys, and plays the game with the joy of life. Ip the junior singles, I. Gorich beat J. Wood in the final. This was a splendid match and this contest and that of the match in the junior girls’ singles between M. Richardson and H. Hervey were a reward for the fine work which the Junior Association are doing. In these two junior events, a higher standard of play has been seen than in any recent years. It is hard to say how the final of the girls’ events will go. Miss Richardson and Miss Hervey were set-all at the close of play. Miss Richardson plays wonderful tennis and if she continues to improve she wili be a find for Canterbury. Miss H. Hervey put out a good girl in Miss Dickey in a close game 9-8. The fault of both these girls is playing at times purposeless shots. Miss Dorothy Dickey had the better shots. Four good girls contest the senior girls’ championship: Misses N. Bishop, C. Reese, A. Smith and N. Dick. Noeline Bishop will be favourite, but Norma Dick, on her day, could win. At United. The championship events at United arc nearly concluded. The men’s singles were decided on Monday night between C. Angas and H. Dymond, but the Angas of to-day is a vastly different player from the man who lost to Stedman. (On his game at present Angas would hardly lose a set.) Dymond was in good form, but he did not at any stage look like getting a set. Some wonderful volleying duels were seen. Angas varies the pace of his drives, and this rather upset Dymond’s usual command. Angas won 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. The doubles final between Crawshaw and J. R. Johnston and Angas and Dymond was played at United on Saturday, and Crawshaw and Johnston were overwhelmed by the brilliance of their opponents’ attack. Angas and his partner camped on the net, and Crawshaw and Johnston could do nothing right. Their lobs either went out or fell short, to become chicken feed for net men. Angas and Dymond won G-2, 6-0, 6-1. In the semi-finals of the ladies’ singles Miss Wake defeated Miss Miller by default, and Miss Andrew beat Miss Sherris. This was quite a good contest. Miss Sherris, in the second set lerl 6-5 and 40-15, giving her two set points, only to lose them both. At 7-6 Miss Sherris had the “ ’vantage," and again could not get the point. Miss Andrew won 6-4, 11-9. The final of the ladies’ doubles found Misses Wake and Andrew in good form Mesdames Miles and Peppier started off well and led 3-0 and 4-1, but from then on Misses Wake and Andrew were in control, and towards the last dominated the play. In the combineds, Dymond and Mrs Peppier are in the final, and wait the winner of Field and Mrs Miles and Patterson and Miss Andrew.

At Linwood. In the Nicholson Cup, F. A. Wilson (owe 4-6) beat O. E. Douglas (scr) 9-6. In the Jameson Handicap, S. Jameson (owe 15) beat E. L. Prebble ‘(owe 30 3-6) 9-5. In the Spinners Cup, Miss Williamson (owe 30) beat Mrs Epps (owe 15) 9-1. In the ladies’ doubles, Miss Bradford and Mrs Whitcombe (owe 30) beat Misses Nash and Clarkson (owe 15 2-6) 9-7, and are now in the final and meet Misses Dickson and Fulton. In the men’s doubles, Bell and Maynard (scr) beat Wylie and Ilarker (owe 15 2-6) 9-0. In the combined handicap, Wilson and Miss Bloor (owe 15 4-6) beat Manchester and Miss Fulton (owe 30 2-6)