LAWN TENNIS Easter Singles Title Won By C. W. Pritchard

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28260, 24 April 1957, Page 6

LAWN TENNIS Easter Singles Title Won By C. W. Pritchard

With his good all-round stroking ability and cool teinperament, but most of all with his ability to return nearly everything that was hit to him, C. W. Pritchard, the former Otago representative who is now living in Christchurch and playing for the North Linwood club, won the men’s singles title at the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s Easter tournament. In the final yesterday at Wilding Park, Pritchard, seeded second, beat the top seeded G. A. Burton, of Avonside, 6-2, 7-5. They are old opponents. Burton is also a former Otago representative. Burton this season has risen to second on the Canterbury men’s ranking list, and Pritchard is only one place behind him. Burton, noted for his habit of losing first sets and then screwing up determination to retrieve matches just in time, almost lived up to that reputation yesterday, and towards the end of the second set the contest seemed really to hang in the balance. Burton went hard to attack when his future seemed impossible; he survived two match points, but lost a third. Pritchard deserved a fine win, not least because of his steadiness and unruffled demeanour in the face of some forceful assaults. Miss Luxton Wins The women’s Easter singles title went to Miss L. Luxton, of the Opawa club, who has returned to her former top position on the Canterbury women’s list after a visit overseas. A year or so before that she was also fourth ranked in New Zealand. Like Pritchard’s, Miss Luxton’s road was not an easy one, and she was fully extended in the second set to b?at Miss A. Snow, of the Cashmere club, 6-2, 7-5. Ranked seventh in the province, Miss Snow gave a grand fighting performance against her formidable opponent, and for a time it seemed likely that she would win the seconcHset. Burton did not leave the tournament without a title, for with M. C. Healey, of Cashmere, he combined to beat two young players, G. Aldridge and R. Neumann, 6-3, 6-3, in the final of the men’s doubles. The women’s doubles was won by Misses Luxton and B. Webster. They beat the Cashmere pair, Mrs E. Campbell and Miss Snow, 6-2, 6-3. Sections Not Completed Even though several sections of the tournament will have to be completed next Saturday, it was a considerable feat to get what is a three-day tournament almost finished in two days. The tournament manager (Mr W. A. Clothier) said last evening that he wished to thank players for taking part in their matches with a minimum of delay. Although he was playing aggressively, Burton made many mistakes and the first set gradually

slipped away from him. They lost their own services until Pritchard took his to lead, 3-2, and he did not lose another in the set. Even then those who had seen the pattern of Burton’s games in the past knew that he might still have been the victor. Burton won his service for the first time in the match when he evened at 2-2 in the second set but Pritchard went on to win a seemingly crucial lead at, 5-3. For the next two games Burton reached his peak, for at a great psychological disadvantage he took the first to love and in the next evened at 5-5. Pritchard got his lead again at 6-5 and Burton struggled desperately on each of the three match points in the next game, following his serve to the net; he succeeded in all but one. Pritchard was the better player because he did not make the out or into-the-net errors of his opponent. He excelled with a pointwinning sliced backhand which barely rose from the court, he passed Burton down the sides, he placed cleverly and he took advantage of some slower services. Women’s Final Miss Luxton took her first set comfortably from Miss Snow but her straight-set win was far from certain. Miss Snow, in spite of having to do much of the running, held leads in the second set at 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-2, and 5-4 before her obvious fighting qualities were worn down. She made some magnificent returns at times which turned defence into attack and she won many points with shots pulled sharply across the width of the court. In the end Miss Luxton’s clean and strong ground strokes mixed with some successful sorties to the net won out and she showed her usual good grasp of the art of forcing opponents into leaving openings. Results:— CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS Men’s Singles Quarter-final.—S. L. Hale beat S. W. Bullen, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Semi-final.—C. W. Pritchard beat Hale, 6-2, 6-1. Final.—Pritchard beat G. A. Burton, 6-2, 7-5. Women’s Singles Semi-finals.—Miss A. Snow beat Miss L. Mardon, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4; Miss L. Luxton beat Miss C. Smith, 6-1, 6-2. Final.—Miss Luxton beat Miss Snow, 6-2, 7-5. Men’s Doubles Second Round.—G. A. Burton and M. C. Healey beat T. Le Comte and P. Steinmetz, 6-2, 6-4; J. Beatty and B. Crawford beat B. R. Judge and L. Walpole, 8-6, 0-3; G. V. Aldridge and R. Neumann beat P. Alexander and E. L. Martin, 6-4, 7-5. Semi-finals.—Burton and Healey beat Beatty and Crawford, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2; Aldridge and Neumann beat W. Pritchard and F. Scarlett, by default. Final.—Burton and Healey beat Aldridge and Neumann, 6-3, 6-3. Women’s Doubles Semi-finals.—Misses L. Luxton and B. Webster beat Misses P. Andrews and N. Behrnes, 6-2, 6-4; Mrs E, Campbell and Miss A. Snow beat Misses J. Andrews and B. Blackburn, 6-1, 6-2. Final.—Misses Luxton and Webster beat Mrs Campbell and Miss Snow, 6-2, 6-3. Mixed Doubles First Round.—E. L. Martin and Miss H. Hamilton beat B.' R. Judge and Miss B. Blackbum, 6-4, 6-4; E. H. Bryant and Miss N. Behrnes beat G. Freear and Miss J. Andrews, 6-4, 4-9, 7-5: S. Hale and Miss B. Mollison beat A. R. Taylor and Miss P. Andrews, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7. Second Round.—Bryant and Miss Behrnes beat H. J. Studholme and Miss K. Brander, 9-5; R. Minson and Miss A. Snow beat L. Le Compte and Miss K. Williams, 9-5; Hale and Miss Mollison beat Martin and Miss Hamilton, 9-8. Semi-final.—Minson and Miss Snow beat Bryant and Miss Behrnes, by default; Pritchard and Miss Luxton beat Hale and Miss Mollison, 9-5. JUNIOR EVENTS Boys’ Singles, under 19 Semi-finals.—W. Thom beat V. Hind by default; D. J. Marshall beat H. J. Studholme, 9-3. Final.—Marshall beat Thom, 9-2. Girls’ Singles, under 19 First Round.—C. Smith beat N. Behrnes, 9-6. Final.—Smith beat P. Andrews, 9-8. Boys’ Doubles First Round.—B. Lane and D. McNichol beat P. Muxlow and J. A. Watson. 9-2; J. B. Savill and P. Wilson beat P. R. Skelton and H. J. Studholme, 9-4. Second Round.—G. Moss and D. Jamieson beat A. Hatherley and W. Thom, 9-1; Q. V. Aldridge and R. Neumann beat P. Alexander and L. Martin, 9-7; B. R. Judge and L. Walpole beat Lane and McNichol, 9-2; D. Marshall and W. Thom beat Savill and Wilson, by default. Semi-finals. —Moss and Jamieson beat Aldridge and Neumann, 9-3; Judge and Walpole beat Marshall and Thom, 9-8. Girls’ Doubles Second Round.—K. Brander and L. Mardon beat J. Mollison and K. Williams. 9-8; P. Andrews and N, Behrnes beat H. Hamilton and J. Hatch, 9-6. Semi-finals. —Brander and Mardon beat J. Andrews and B. Blackburn, 9-3; Andrews and Behrnes beat Y. Jenkins and C. Orsbourn, 6-2. Boys’ Singles, under 17 Quarter-finals. —G. D. Moss beat J. Savill, 9-6; B. Judge beat P. Alexander by default; D. A. Jamieson beat R. Neumann, 9-6; L. Walpole beat D. Scotland, 9-5. Semi-finals.—Moss beat Judge, 9-1; Jamieson beat Walpole, 9-8. Girls’ Singles, under 17 Semi-finals.—K. Brander beat K. Williams, 9-7; L. Mardon beat Y. Jenkins, 9-4. Final.—Mardon beat Brander, 9-6. HANDICAP EVENTS Men’s Singles Quarter-finals. —J. B. Savill (rec. 3-6) beat J. Harris (rec. 15), 9-6; D. Forbes (owe 3-6) beat P. Muxlow (rec. 15), 9-2; P. Wilson (rec. 3-6) beat J. A. Watson (owe 3-6), 9-3; K. J. Blair (rec. 15) beat E. H. Bryant (owe 30), 9-4. Semi-finals. —Savill beat Forbes, 9-2. Men’s Doubles First Round.—E. S. Dixon and L. Elliott (owe 3-6) beat B. Southam and M. Urquhart (owe 30), 9-4; J. B. Savill and P. Wilson (rec. 3-6) beat P. Muxlow and J. A. Watson (owe 3-6), 9-3. Semi-finals.—S. T. Day and T. Burke (rec. 3-6) beat Dixon and Elliott, 9-4; Savill and Wilson beat K. J. Blair and G. E. Belcher (rec. 15), 9-7. Final.—Day and Burke beat Savill and Wilson, 9-8.