INTERNATIONAL LAWN TENNIS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8528, 5 September 1907, Page 7

INTERNATIONAL LAWN TENNIS.

(From Our London Correspondent). LONDON, July 24. Another cup has left this country with the defeat of the British team by the representatives of Australasia at Wimbledon. The result had been foreshadowed from the first, as soon as it was known definitely that our four best men either would not or could not take part in the defence of the Davis Cup. Our hopes were considerably raised when it was announced that Smith was practising with a view to joining the team. But when he decided not to do so, after all, they went down again, if not to zero at any rate to a very low point. When we won the cup in 1903 from the Americans, it seemed as though it would remain here in perpetuity, for successful opposition in lawn tennisnever entered the minds of the followers of this essentially British game. In 1905, however, the invasion of Norman Brookes showed that the Colonies had produced a player equal to our very best, and since then, with the deplorable lack of players ready to step into the front rank, when the effluxion of time had caused those who have sustained British supremacy during the past few years to drop out, we have been faced by the inevitable day of defeat. That the result should have been so close is a great testimony to the powers and the pluck of those two veteran players, Gore and Roper Barrett, both of whom, it may be re- j called, were members of the first! challenging team which went over to the United States in 1900, the year the cup was instituted. It was three years later that the Dohertys brought it over to England, where it has remained ever since. Gore's victory over Wilding, yesterday, was won by thoroughly good all-round play. The ex-champion, after some looseness at the start, got right on to his game, and fairly wore his opponent down by consistent accuracy and line placing. He did not confine himself to the back-line by any means, but made freqjent excursions to the net, where he was powerful and effective. Wilding, meanwhile, was mis-hitting a good deal and his play generally showed a lack of finish. With the score at two matches all. the fate of th? cup depended on the meeting of Brookes and Roper Barrett. After his good work against Wilding, and his simply splendid performance in the doubles, there was some ground for hope that Barrett would at least make a fight of it with the champion.* Unfortunately, he was unable to strike that winning vein, and was beaten quite easily, scoring only five games in the three sets. He found Brookes at his strongest, and, it must be admitted, was also unlucky in continually missing his shots by inches and half-inches. The scores of the two matches were:—Gore beat Wilding, 3 —fi, 6 —3, 7—5, 6—2; Brookes beat Barrett, 6 —2, G—o, G —3. In ' the other matches Brookes beat Gore, 7—5, 6—l, 7—5; Wilding beat Barrett, I—6, 6—4, o—3, 7 r>; and Gore and Barrett won the doubles, 36, 4—6, 7 —5, 6—2, 13—11. Australasia thus won Ijy three matches to two, 12 sets to 7, and 107 games to 89.