SEASON NEARING CLOSE

Chronicle (Levin), 7 April 1949, Page 7

SEASON NEARING CLOSE

"Strike One")

Final Games Set Down For Next Saturday .

(By

' With. the final matches in the distriet to-be played on Saturday,, Horowhenua softball has almost completed its season. Last Satur- . day saw the preservation of tro- ! phies won by the various teams. , This ceremony was earried Out atj] th)e conclusion of the knock-out > tournament staged at Kimberley. . The Centre Snield for the knock- j out competition was won by Wan- ] derers men, who were also success- : f ul in winning . the men's cham- 1 pionship and tlie McKinley Cup ^hat goes with it. Ajax team was i presented with the Trueman Cup for the most improved team. The ' Ajax Homer Cup is to be shared by ' Smith and Coombs, who scored 23 ( runs each. The Winter Trophy for . one Kimberley club was won by G. Rossen. Knock- oiit "Tournament. The results of the tournament were as foilows:— First round : Achilles A 10, Ath^etic 8; Wanderers 27, Achilles B 16; Wanderers women 23, Pirates 44; Ajax 15, Kimberley 9; Kimberley B, a- bye. iSecond round: Wanderers 14, Piiates 3; Kimberley B 26, Achilles A 27; Ajax, a bye. Third round: Wanderers 10, Ajax 3; Achibes, a bye. Final: Wanderers 13, Achilles 6. By the way, the Wanderers- Ajax >'ame in the third round was the best of the day. In the WanderersAchilles final, Achilles played their best this season, but failed to hold the strong Wanderers team. Players for that team deservihg special mention are Rose, Marshall and P. Winiata. Season Closes. Next Saturday all the women's teams will travel to Otaki for the women's knock-out tournament, while at Levin Wanganui Colts will olav Horowhenua Colts at Cam-

bridge Park at 1.30 p.m. This team wfil also play Achilles at 3 p.m. In California, from which most of the leading American players have come, a tennis player who shows some promise is taken in hand early . and his way is made smooth. In New Zealand we suffer frnn having ' too *few competent coaches. I have often seen people who know little about tennis trying to teach others how to play. They are very wel1 intentioned. but c?n do no more than impart their own limited knowledge. What we require is coaches who know the science of the game — footwork, strokes, courtcraft. We have in this distriet quite a number of 'players who could, if taken in hand, rise to the front ranks, but till they are coached systematicaHy they will not go very far. Playing by light of nature is one thing, but playing with a definite.idea of what to do and how to do it is another matter. Tc these young players, I would say: "Study your strokes and practise them constantly. It doesn't matter if, for a year or two, you don'1 win your matches. Winning wil come when you are equipped witb all the strokes, when ,you automatically get into position to take a ball and can hit that ball jusl how and where you wish."