TENNIS NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20183, 11 March 1931, Page 14

TENNIS NOTES.

THE WILDING SHIELD. AUCKLAND'S CHALLENGE. ENTRIES FOR DAVIS CUP. . [By Service.] ,

The most important happenings of the past week have been Auckland's challenge for the Wilding Shield and the announcement of the strong team which it will send to meet Wellington. The match is set down for March 13th and 14th at Wellington. It will be the first contest sine Canterbury lost the Shield to Wellington in which another province has played. Auckland's teajyv comprising A. C. Stedman, L. L. Bartleet, N. G. Sturt, and M. Morrison, with E. W. Griffiths and J. C. Charters as emergencies, is particularly strong, and should press the holders even more closely than Canterbury was able to do. Apart-from the Shield challenge, even more interesting, indeed, will be the individual performances of Stedman and Bartleet against Wellington's first pair, D. G. Prance and N. B. C. Wilson. Since he won :-the New Zealand title, Stedman has played in only open tournaments, arid it has been ve,ry difficult to gauge his form against such a player as Don France. This very difficulty, in fact, was emphasised when Service" put; Stedman first and /France second , in Mb estimated nationali ranking a few weeks ago. Against Canterbury, .France played brilliantly. He defeated Augas, 6-4, 6-3, and Seay 6-0, 6-0. ' The forthcoming match will be ci stern tcst for otcdman" unless he can xegain his extraordinary form of the New Zealand championships. • Again, since the championships, Wilson and Stedman have met twice, and each has won one Their encounter in the Wilding Shield contest should make an exciting third. Bartleet retired .against Wilson in the final of the North Island championships, which was their last meeting. What will be the result between the two now that Bartleet has had ample time to recover - form and fitness! The congest bristles with interesting points. Sturt will be very strong third unaii for Auckland, and he should win both his singles. ■ /Morrison is the player who, defeated Bartleet ■ with bn - liant driving* in' the early rounds or the Auckland ohampionsMps. The Wellington team for Auckland challenge match will be D. France, A. L. France, R. McL. Feikms, and M. Smth.. soa is not available and, A Sandrals form has apparently not satisfied the selectors.' - Ferkiis,', befpre the- Canterbory 'match, had been runner-up in the Wellington championships, but Sandra l was* included in the. .team because in doubles pli>y he,, was; considered to be ' superior to Eerkinsfj ■ , 'y* ( ,■ D%Via bap Ohaillengerg., "fhe field,for the Davis Cup competithe year a^ter 1 , France yon the histone Cup from the United ; Spates. - Altogether •'l9 entries, hai?e, been filed -for the three zones m which, the. 19?1 competition will be played— in the European zone, two in the. North American zone, and five in the newly-created South' American zone. The lists are :— T European, Zone Great ■ Britain, Greece, South Africa, [Monaco, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, • Czechoslovakia, Htingary, Japan, and JugoNorth American .Zone-r-TJhlted.; States of 'America',''Canada.. ' ' -■ South 'American Zone —Brazil, Chile, Htuguay, and Paraguay. r • The rfmallp* European zone ' ijj 'explained,'by 'the, creation of ;, the 'Sohth American zone, 'the South of the*Etfuator "previously having competed ln'vEjirope. ; zone will-meetl'the winner of thfe North *■ American and- the'winner of that njaiteh will compete against the winner .;o'f thes-'European zone .for i" e right to challenge France for /the Cup. is scheduled for the TVinJapan; OtfMch again will compete 'in Europe Vltaly, Gfreat Britain, and the ; favourites to reach the 'After winning every one of the series sj&. played, in .the' ®nited, Stitefe against tto.ozccho-SlQyak-a&h< professional, 'JKarel Kozeluhj Wil* last • Wtfcthrfigaine' and-entered the' *6tv'. 'the. first>i/jhme'-thatrlie has xetired ,tS> "Ijejgin and it mafc-nbtjbe the last, thvlhe |fow«yerKAustralia as wmn/ioritiy Whether or Kotvheiwill make on which negotiations have' ahjeenaorjoceeding, se ve ral miame*/ The 6 x«atf»' t Tennis. Mswelrition; wafs be'Sqae more;libera! terms, Ahifl ii6w it "is STr- John W«n, of - Melbourne^.is negotiating pri'■vatoly: for '.the jvisifr'J the Association to hav^'Tildcil'" L in actisiVkiia. for' a two months <- tonrj-.>thei, suggestion being; that he should piayo|ix matches and possibly it ate. part,-in, an' kipen Championship of were also invited on -similar terms. Now there are - will' prpmote 'a lprivate carnival, with Tilden '^a^he ( : ■f Whethelr»it-i8 final ithp cham? intention'' to retire 1, has caused tegret not < only in England >but r in every country in which he? has 'payed. " won- the Kpionship , Wimbledon-in JO2O. <and "1921, last when, after a,lapse of sine years, he,made a remarkable come-back. ,He held the tUnited' States singles title' from 1920 'and. ,he |ias i played for, : America i^^|s^Cup ? , i - saving ! hia country [fiom disaster on numerous 'occasions; Major D. B.'Jjarcombe, manager of the AljtiEngland Clnbi' Wimbledon, said that 'Tilden'sF abseflce the 1931 "chapipionships Vould-be- a."terrible loss.'.'He . added; "Til'den best Was the finest playejr'the world> has eves -seen.- We 'in -this' country hope sincerely that he »wiU, be induced to reconsider, his de- •. cision yta retire. His > winning of ' the ehampiohßhiJ at 'Wimbledon .last July, . when he was 37 years «£ ,wak'wonderfpi. 5 !? i-Mr- 'Percy t W?< Boothflmj councillon of tho/Xavn. tennis Association, tiat r no finer coach in the wprld than tilden. "He 1 has the Jiappy' knach ,o( impasting his knowledge, to beginners," he' added. "If he .would tall4 v u'p" edaehing I'Relieve that lavrn tennis would benefit more-than it could by witching' him," Mr L. A. Godfree, 'the British international who has played Tilden in u doubles matches, said: "Although, past his .aftpitbi I do' Jnot think 'Tilden^is, done jfM' y«t»« »Vk«. a 'undoubtedly the greatest world.V SlatrTop Racquets. ,» 4 habit of using an xiitifMt' gtilt ' J % 1 1 1 i j f,v

persists in Australia. The New' Sopth Wales champion and Australian Davis Cuppliyer, J. Crawford, caused a mild sensation by using a racquet of this type in the North Suburbs championships recently. Although there,, might not be any special rnqritin a flat-topped racquet, Crawford said that. it. suited him 'excellently. Iteside* having apparently greater strength -at the top than the oval-shaped - it also gave a 'greater margin for error .in peryice. He also considered that the iUt-jiop facilitated picking up ball Jdose t^;'lA%,groond;- > 1" > -<f 7\ ■„ Australia; has'lately*, acquireda Ibull, a 21 years 'old player of Adelaide, i Last year he defeated Schlesinger and p. o>Hara Wood, and this season so far hu von svetjp] title -iuoc South Australia. ' % k i if r 1 ~*