LAWN TENNIS

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1687, 17 November 1925, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS

•NOTES (AND COMMENTS

(By “ Side-line.”)

The handicap'matches at the club have now reached an advanced stage. In the men’s singles the semi-finals have been reached, the semi-finalists being J. Coyne, H. V. Holmes, G. T. Robson, and M. Winter. In -the men’s doubles the final is to •be fought out between ;H. V. Holmes and G. Wood and G. T. Robson and A. Patterson. The combined doubles are also through, the winners in the contest v between Williams and Mrs McDonald and Robson and Miss Irwin having t& meet Winter and Miss Walter in the ifinal. Neither the laches’ singles nor the ladies’ doubles matches have yet reached the semi-finals. / (During the past week several interesting .and exceedingly close matches have been played. On Wednesday last Winter and Miss B. Walter defeated H. V. Holmes and Miss D. Noonan, ▲ 11 —10. Holmes commenced with a <£ • —1 lead, and maintained a lead of two games until 10—8, when their opponents caught them and ran out. I must say, however, that I consider Holmes and his party were distinctly unlucky to lose, as through the most part of the game both were playing good tennis. Miss Noonan especially was very steady, and is to be congratulated o:i her good performance. Holmes also ’ did very good work at the net, although he was inclined occasionally to get himself out of position. On the other hand. Winter did not give a good display, and did not seem at all sure of any of his shots. His service at times was weak. Miss Walter, too, did not seem to be playing with the confidence which usually characterises her play, although often she made some good recoveries. In the ladies ’singles the most important matches /played during the week were Mrs Coyne v. Mrs McDonald and (Miss Irwin v. Miss E. Ramsay. The results of both of these were somewhat of a surprise, Mrs Coyne easily defeating Mrs McDonald and Miss IrHvin lowering her colours to Miss Ramsay. The latter however, must be congratulated upon the very steady game she played to defeat a player of the calibre of Miss Irwin. Mrs Coyne was too steady for Mrs McDonald, and after the scores had read 3 all had it all her own way. In the men’s singles J. Coyne had an exciting game with J. Walsh, who, it will be remembered, had previously defeated Otway. 'After a game in which the scores alternated in favour of each player, Coyne ran out a winner, 11—. 10. Both were on the same handicap so played off scratch. Robson had a big win over L. Shepherd, who in the round before eliminated Williams. Robson is this year | playing better tennis than he has for some time, and is now very steady on all his shots. He plays Winter in the semi-final during, the week. An interesting game should result. Only one men’s doubles match has been played, Rohson and Patterson, defeating Shepherd and E. 'Holmes after a long match confined chiefly to lobbing. !H. de L. Peake made a welcohm reappearance on Saturday, and Wallengaged in some interesting sets. / He played singles with both Winter and Otway, and I believe fully extended them both. For a player wlho gets so few opportunities ; ’/for practice this speaks very highly of Peake’s form. There is a rule which seems to baffle many players .and that is the ruling in regard to the racquet going over the net. The rule says that a hall may not be hit until it crosses to the side of the net on the striker’s side of the court. If a player, in attempting to smash a hall, puts his racquet over the net before he hits the ball, the point shall be awarded against him. A player may, however, after striking the ball, follow it through over the net with his racquet, provided that he doe 3 not in doing so touch the net either with his racquet or any part of his body. If so, the point counts against him.