LAWN TENNIS NOTES

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 15, 11 April 1908, Page 60

LAWN TENNIS NOTES

By

the Man at the Net,

COMING EVENTS. Marvh 28 — Marlborough Championships and Handicap Tournament, at Blenheim. April 17th, 18tb, 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 Haiti, Gisborne. April 17 th, 18th, and 20th —Canterbury Championships and Handicap Tournament, at Linwood Club’s courts, Christchurch.

The finals of the school tournament were played 'at the Eden and Epsom courts on Saturday afternoon. The play, from what 1 saw of it, was, on the whole, surprisingly good, and 1 shall be very much astonished if some of the girls and boys who appeared in the finals do not speedily become the crack players of the district. The final of the Boys' Doubles 1 noticed in particular, for the neatness and skill with which at least three of the four boys played. Evidently all that most of these youngsters [want ks regular play against people better than themselves. The following were the results;— Boy Singles.—Newell beat Frater, 6—5, A—6, 6—3; Duffy beat Sumner, 6—o, 6-3. Xi’he final was a very tine contest between Jewell and Duffy, and .he tatter ultimately hvoa, 6—5, 6—4. Boys’ Derbies.— Gorrie and Fraser beat Newell and Ifwersen, 5 —6, 6—2, 6—l. in the final Gorrie and Frater beat Sumner Hind llali, 6 —5, 6—3. ** Gills’ Singles.—Semi-final: Miss Tompkins beat Miss Rose, 6—o, -0. Miss Parry beat Miss Kogers, 6—2, 6--3. in the final Miss Tompkins beat Miss Party. 6 5, I.ast Saturday’s ‘’Sports’’ edition of the •"‘Star” contained the following items relating to Saturday s play:— The Devonport Tennis Club held their Bachelors’ Day” this afternoon. There Vvas a large number of guests present, including many of the fair sex, and all were hospitably entertained by the bachelor meml»ers of the club. The weather was glorious, and the five lawns, all of which were fin excellent condition, were kept fully occupied. No competition matches were played, pud mixed doubles were the only games indulged in. All present spent a thoroughly fen joy able afternoon. The Eden a fid Epsom club matches were Continued, and several of them reached the teeiui-fina! stage. Men's Handicap Singles.- Henry HcsVe’.h (scratch) beat Billing (ow? 30-3- 6), 6- 5. 4 -6, B—6. Hesketh, wlid has played »veil throughout the contest, is now in tae Berni final with Ruddock. Ou the other side of the board, Buttle ;nd Sherri ITs are fin the semi-final, and there should be a hard tight between the four men for the |lnal. Men’s Handicap Doubles.—Longuet and JI liddock (owe 15 —2-6) beat Grossmann and t’ave owe 15 1-6, 6—5, I—6. B—6. In the Final, \v. A. Brown and Biss (owe 15) beat {Ruddock and Longuet, 6—4, 6—4. Ladies’ Handicap Singles.—Miss 1. Walker Vcat Miss T. Walker in the final, 7 —5, 1 6, “1 La<lics ’ Handicap Doubles.—Misses I. [Walker and Blades In the final beat Misses {Brown and Stewart. 'Combined Handicap Doubles.—Barnard knd Miss Hesketh have reached the final pi)' one side of the board, and Henry {Hesketh and Miss Brown are in the same position on the other. In the final of the Men's Championship Grossmann beat W. A. Brown. 6—4, 6—4, 1. Brown was hardly up to his usual Form, and seemed to be more troubled than jbis opponent by the softness of the ground. Of the various club championships. Eden fond Epsom has now worked its way through Mhc Singles, but Auckland, West End, Parnell, and Devonport are still unfinished. F understand that Mowbray and Simpson play oil* next Saturday at Parnell. Robson Kind Macky nt Devonport, and Upton and (Dr Keith at West End. This last match ought to be worth going a long way to •* always assuming that the weather is decent, and that Keith is in good training and is clear of rheumatism: but I am hlinost afraid that it is too much to hope Jfor a combination of all these favourable circu'iistaixps at once. I have to acknowledge, with thanks, the following cninmunication from the secretary of the Auckland Club: All handicap matches played on the AurkJaiiu Club’s courts are now finished, the Following being tin* results: Mens Handicap Singles. — Mr H. A. Milnes. .Men’s llainliciip Doubles. — Won by Messrs Arkell and Gillett, who beat Milnes nnd A J. Black last Saturday, by 6—5, 4 6, 3 6. Black and Milnes should never have been beaten had they played up to their true form. Arkell played a really X*xml game, his net play being excellent, but Gillett was out of his place the whole time, coniiniially bring in Arkell'* ground. Mild* Black beat him several times on that act-eunt. Arkell deserves every credit for bls popular win. and the game was most e\c*9 i>f' throughout. combined Handicap Doubles. — Gillett •nd Miss Goldie. Ladle* Handhap Singhs. — Mls< Woodtone. l adles’ Handicap Doubles*, •— Mrs Dr. ■ora and Mrs Pale thorp a. __

It may interest my readers to know that our old friend J. C. Peacock while, it may interest my readers to know that our old friend J. C. Peaeoek has beaten F. M. B. Fisher for the Thorndon championship in three straight sets: O—4, 6—3, 6—l. Those who saw Fisher play up here a few weeks ago will be inclined to think that he can hardly have been up to form to fail so disastrously. But whatever be the cause of his collapse, there is no doubt that Peaeock, when in condition, and on his game, is a most brilliant performer, and with proper practice would stand in the front rank anywhere. Fisher, like all brilliant men, is inclined to be erratic, and I think that this, with possibly some staleness, may account, not for his defeat, but for the fact that he was beaten so decisively.

As an antidote to that rashness which in the case of Fisher or Peacock often takes the form of brilliancy, but which for - the average seeond-rater simply invites disaster, I suggest that all young players who are afflicted by a burning desire to hit the cover off the ball every stroke, should ponder on the following: Any observant player who has ever watehed H. L. Doherty must have been impressed by the facts—among many others that make for success—that he never seems in a great hurry to win his points, that ho never tires of giving his opponent a chance to lose, and that he never misses any shot that he ought to ■win. In other words, whether by design or intuition, his defence and offence are invariably regulated according to position.

1 observe that R. D. Harman, who has secured the Canterbury Singles Championship, after about 25 years of play, still holds on his triumphant course. Says the “Canterbury Times”:—R. D. Harman still continues in winning vein, for after playing through a big entry for the Handicap Singles at the United Courts, he beat A. D. Cox in the final. He took the first set, but his younger opponent was in great form during the second, and set all was called, but Harman came with one of his prize-paeket sets for a finish, winning by two sets to one. Aubrey Cox, who is a younger brother of Cecil Cox, the ex-N.Z. champion, is a very neat and clever player, and those who saw him play here in the InterUniversity College tournament some seasons ago, will thoroughly appreciate Harman’s victory.

Of course, the general tendency everywhere is to pay too much attention to the recognised “crack” players, who, for their part, generally pay too little attention to the rising generation, and will not as a rule, trouble to give them advice or assistance. Here are a few remarks to the point from the “Daily Mail,” referring, it is true, to English tennis, but equally applicable here:—lf one were asked to say why it is that so few young players advance to the front rank —why England is so bankrupt of rising talent at the present moment —the present method of conducting tournaments would be accounted in some measure responsible. Too much energy- and enterprise are centred on the handful of cracks, most of whoin are now past their prime; very little is ever done to encourage the promising novice. The players are themselves in some measure to blame —the cracks, because they encourage so much of this pampering, rarely going out of their way to stimulate any young hopeful; and the rank and file, because they never take measures to improve their prospects. What is wanted is fewer tournaments and fewer events at each; meetings for juvenile players, at which the crack may be seen in an entirely new guise—that of the talentsearcher and mentor: and a wider recognition of the value of elub and county matches. If some of the more efficient tournament machinery were devoted to these reforming measures, England would soon recapture her lost supremacy, and the quest for home-bred champions would not be in vain.

Talking about the amount of consideration shown nowadays to the best players and the comparatively shabby treatment that the rank and tile receive. I have heard complaints of that sort made at colonial tournaments frequently enough, but it may be some small consolation to learn that the same sort of thing prevails at Home—only more so. Here is what Mr. Wallis Myers has recently thought it necessary to say on the subject:—That the best players have the liest time at a lawn tennis tournament there can be very little question, and the only plea that can be urged in defence of the many privileges extended

to them is that they draw paying spectators to the ground. On lines- of strict equity it is puzzling •to know why a erack should sometimes be given the option of contesting a tie at onee or at a time more suitable to his convenience (say, when the weather is fine or the light agreeable), while the average competitor is arbitrarily ordered into court in any atmosphere and at all times of the day. Nor can the principle be defended of supplying new balls to experts at their casual solicitation. Frequently I have seen comparatively unknown exponents robbed of victory because their justifiable appeal for new balls at the beginning of the third set has been refused, while on a neighbouring court, tenanted by cracks, perhaps the third half-dozen has been served out. Again, there are cases where lesser lights, hardened to the use of “black” balls, have lost matches against “superior” players because the latter’s request for new balls has at a critical period in the middle of a set been granted. Such favours—naturally extended with a view to propitiating the gate-drawing craeks—are not calculated to establish complete confidence between competitor and executive. I don’t think that this sort of thing has yet run to any serious excess here: but it is well to be forewarned in time.

Here are a few notes from the “Daily Mail” on the prospects of the coming season at Home:— International interest will once more be paramount in lawn tennis during the coming season, and the competitions in the Olympic Gaines should be even more attractive to followers of the game than those for the Davis Cup last year. The Olympic contests will include covered court as well as gruss court competitions, and for each of these there will be a ladies’ singles championship and men’s singles and doubles championships. Nominations may only be made by the countries entering for the games, and each country may enter twelve competitors for the ladies’ singles, twelve for men’s singles, and six couples for men’s doubles. Players will not be allowed to compete unless entered by their country-.

The covered courts contests have been fixed for May 6 at Queen’s Club, and the grass courts games will be played at Wimbledon on July 6. The championships at Wimbledon this year should provide magnificent sport. Mr. N. E. Brookes has expressed his intention of coming over again to defend his title. Mr. H. E. Doherty has definitely decided to make a welcome reappearance, and with Mr. S. H. Smith possibly competing as well, there should be some heroic matches.

If Mr. Brookes does make the journey, Australasia, who vanquished all opposition last year, will probably be represented once more by himself, Mr. A. F. Wilding (who, with Mr. Brookes, holds the doubles championship), and very possibly, Mr. E. O. S. Poidevin, and if these play in the Olympic Games as well, they may add yet another- success to last year’s. They will, however, have a harder task than in 1907.