LAWN TENNIS NOTES

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 11, 14 March 1908, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS NOTES

\ (By the Man at the Net.) COMING EVENTS. Marell 19th and 20th—Hawke’s Bay Championships and Handicap Tournament at Napier. Easter Week — Marlborough Championships, at Blenheim. {April 17th, 18th, and 20th—Brougham Hill Open Championship and Handicap Tournament, at Brougham Hill courts, Wellington. April 17th, 18th, and 20th—Gisborne Open Championship and Handicap Tournament, at Kaiti,, Gisborne. April 17th, 18th, and 20th—Canterbury Championships and Handicap Tournament, at Linwood Club’s courts, Christchurch. April 18th and 20th —Hamilton Club’s Open Championship and Handicap Tournament, Hamilton. April 18th and 21st—Inter-University Championships, at Kaituna Club’s courts, Dunedin. April 17th, 18th, and 20th—Otago Championships and Handicap Tournament, at Otago. Kaituna and adjacent courts, Dunedin. The long-looked-for rain effectually spoiled all chance of play on Saturday, and, considering the long spell of dry weather, tennis players cannot well grumble. However, the rain should remind the club committees that the season is waning, and that we can’t expect much more regular summer weather. There is all the more reason for hurrying on the club championship and handicaps before the wet season comes on in real earnest. In Wellington little is doing just now in the tennis world but the club championships. A few days ago F. M. B. Fisher met Smyth, the Wellington player who got into the team that played Canterbury when Swanston was unable to go. Fisher owed Smyth 15 in a handicap a short time before, and won in two straight sets. But in the level game either Fisher was a little off colour or Smyth had improved tremendously. Fisher won the first set 10 —8, and the second 9 —7. Then Smyth won the third set B—6,8 —6, and when the fourth set had got to 6 all the light failed, and the players had to stop, or they might have been going still. It was arranged to start all over again, and I don’t yet know what the result was. But a little arithmetic shows that in this match 60 games were played, though the fourth set was left unfinished. 1 believe that the New Zealand record in championships is the match that Peacock? won against Fisher at Palmerston North a few years back. There were 69 games played, and the last set was 13—11. By all appearances the Fisher-Smyth contest would easily have beaten this record if it had only gone on. 1 must add that Smyth must be a long way above the Auckland average of play to hold Fisher so long; and as Smyth is only about ninth on the Wellington district list, 1 am afraid that our Southern friends are a long way stronger than Auckland just now. In Christchurch, Quill —whom Fisher beat in 3 straight sets in the recent Wel-lington-Canterbury match—has beaten Goss in the championship semi-finals. The veteran, R. 1)1). Harman, has also beaten G. Ollivier by 3 sets to 2, and should contest the final with Quill. As Harman beat Laishley 6—3, 6—o, 6— l in the Wellington-Canterbury match, and as Ollivier is quite the most promising youngster that Canterbury has turned out since Wilding, Harman must be in great form, and 1 gladly quote the following tribute in his praise from the Canterbury “Times”:—“Harman’s tennis has improved and rejuvenated until now one could almost be accused of a want of respect by pointing out how long ago it is since he forced his way into firstclass tennis. In the match under notice he played with a vigour and a dash that completely nonplussed his younger opponent, who for the greater part of the match was kept strictly on the defensive. Harman hit well on both hands, and, as a base-line game, it was a fine display of driving. His most serviceable shot was a sweeping forehand across court after he had worked his opponent out of position on the' left. His condition was surprising, and at the end of tiv© sets he looked ready to take on

anyone, young or old, who had the slightest doubt that he is not now as good as he ever was. In any case, there is now no getting away from the fact that there are precious few in Canterbury who can show his tennis scalp among their proud possessions, and, judging by present appearances, he can still claim to be one of the first three in the province. Ollivier was on the defensive for a large part of the match, and his defence. was as skilful as his opponent’s attack, but his strokes lacked, vigour and were apt to be a little stereotyped in direction, though it is hardly fair to .judge what he did when facing Harman’s vehement attack.” As the time approaches for choosing a representative ladies’ team to play in the New South Wales championships in May, I hope that our local authorities will not forget that we have in Auckland district a player whose claims should not be overlooked. Miss A. Gray, by her play in the New Zealand and Taranaki tournaments, and the fine form she has shown here this season, has proved that she has very few equals in the Dominion, more especially in the double game. In combined play or in ladies’ doubles, her volleying is exceptionally severe and accurate—in fact, she is a better partner near the net than most men. Surely the Auckland Association will not forget to urge Miss Gray’s claim for inclusion in the team upon the notice of the N.Z. L.T.A. Now that lawn tennis has become so immensely popular with ladies here, the opinion of a recognised expert at the game should always be worth their consideration. Here is what an ex-cham-pion of All England, Mrs Chambers (once Miss Douglass), has to say about tournament play:— • : “One of the best ways of improving your play is to take part in the many public tournaments that are now held all up and down the country the whole summer through. True, you may be horribly beaten over and over again. But you must not allow such a really trivial matter to dishearten you. Indeed, at first you should not play to win, but for the glorious opportunity that tournaments afford of playing against really good exponents of the game and of studying their play. Moreover, even in practice you should be quite indifferent whether you win or not. Your aim should always' be to strengthen your weak strokes. Naturally, without any effort in that direction, weak strokes will, always be weak,” - ■ ■ After this, I feel that I cannot do better than provide our lady players with Miss Douglass’ five “golden rules” for tournament play. “In match play there are five golden rules to be borne in mind. “Firstly, keep your eye on the ball, not on your opponents or the court. It sounds an easy thing to do, but I assure you it is far from easy. “.Secondly, keep your mind on the game, for absolute concentration is most important. Judgments have to be made with such lightning rapidity, and executed with equal promptness and dash, that the least undercurrent of thought may lose you the game. “Thirdly, keep perfect control of your temper; it is terribly disappointing to see skill and brilliancy neutralised by this painfully common failing. “Fourthly, keep your heart in the game—that is, never lose heart. Do not allow a defeat or so to dishearten you, but go on playing as doggedly as ever, regardless of the match and .the result alike. “Fifthly, and lastly, keep your method on the move. What I mean by this is, vary your manner of play as much as possible. It is a very great mistake to keep up one particular method of attack or defence if it is not proving successful. A change of tactics has, in my experience, meant a change of fortune in the game times out of number.”