THE TENNIS TOURNAMENT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIX, Issue XXVII, 25 December 1897, Page 848

THE TENNIS TOURNAMENT.

Preparations for the Championship Tournament in Auckland are now nearly completed, and as far as can be seen everything augurs a most successful meeting. The entries that have been received from other parts of the colony are very satisfactory, since with one or two exceptions all the prominent players of the colony have intimated their intention of competing. Fenwicke, who won the championship last time the meeting was held here, will of course be absent, as he has given up tennis entirely for the last few years. The Kev. J. M. Marshall, of Wanganui, the present champion, will be playing, and is said to be in specially good form. It will be remembered that four years ago he won the Double Championship with his brother, Mr P. Marshall, who is now an Auckland player .Mr Marshall plays with an extraordinary amount of vigour and energy, his hard driving being particularly fine. Though weak on the backhand, his activity enables him to make good returns off balls that to others are almost impossible. Parker, the Wellington player, is also coming, and his all-round brilliancy and elegant play will make him a special favourite with the onlookers. A match between Parker and either Marshall or Hooper should result in a veryfine exhibition of tennis. None of the best Canterbury players will be here so far as is known at present, though Styche and Garsia, both of whom are coming, are capable of worthily upholding the honour of the province. Probably Miss Nunnelley will prove the great attraction of the meeting, since she is without doubt the finest lady player that has ever been seen in the colony. Her driving, especially from the right hand corner, is remarkably strong and accurate, and though comparatively weak on the backhand, her strokes even on that side would put the play of some of our new players to shame. Miss Van Asch, of Christchurch, is a steady, reliable player, though she lacks the power and brilliancy of Miss Nunnelley. In the doubles there are also good entries. Parker and Gore, last year’s champions, have entered the arena again, and though they form a strong combination they will probably have all they can do to beat Hooper and Marshall, the Auckland representa-

tives. Peacock and Brabant, of the West End Club, are also a strong pair and should get through the earlier ranks without difficulty. In the combined doubles Parker and Miss Nunnelley are again playing together, and unless they are handicapped severely they will have little difficulty in defeating all their opponents. In all the handicap events there are a large number of entries, and it is expected that interesting matches will result. Most of the players in these events will of course be local men, and they should give an index of the relative strength of the Auckland clubs. Arrangements have been made for ’buses to run to and from the ground all the days that the tournament lasts, and the catering has been placed in excellent hands, so that all visitors can rely on obtaining an excellent lunch on the grounds. If the weather lasts as it is at present, we can confidently prediet that the forthcoming meeting will be the most pleasant and most successful that has been held in New Zealand.