LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1043, 4 February 1911, Page 12

LAWN TENNIS.

(Bi Side-like.) Manawatu Annual Lawn Tennis Tout* nament at Palmerston . North, February.17 and 18. Entries close February 1L Inter-Club Competitions. Local routine tennis starts again t<* day with matches adjourned from Decent, ber 10. Men's A grade matches finish, and, in. the men's B grade, the second round bei gins. Play jn all grades is to be started at an. interesting stage, and some reversals of form may be expected. Day's Bay Courts Allotted. Men's B Grade.—Petone v. Victoria College I, on courts 5 and G. Ileus C Grade.—Kilbirnie v. Brougham Hill 11, on court 4; Oriental v. Trinity, on court 10; Petone v. St. John's, oa court 12. Men's D Grade.—Oriental v, .Victoria College 11, on court 2. Ladies' C Grade.—Oriental v. Kilbirnie, on court L Canterbury v, Wellinjton. For two reasons last Saturday's tennia was disappointing. The first,'and perImps natural, reason is that Wellington was not successful. But the second waa j.by far tho greater-Wellington was not given its full chance by the selectors. When Fisher and Brown unfortunately: dropped out of tho running—tho first on. « Usmess: the second through 111-heaKh—there was surely a better pair th™ ir°i !° r Y rong end of the k™ than Didsbury and Young. On the day, neither was in anything like the "class". vUI c^. n }P, aD J' 'o which they were elejated, Didsbury played rather below form, while Ijoung certainly played a plucky game; but a look at' the score suf» nceth. Hawkins would, if picked, have almost to a certainty won hit- single, in which' case Wellington, would have won the match. Laishley was not given the optica of a refusal yet this player would have given good figures, and even out of form as a single, can always put up a fight m a double. " . Whilo it is no use crying over spilt milk, since Welhngton was .well beaten, the following individual figures are worth recording.. They denote the games won by each player,in both doubles and singles:— CANTERBURY. .WELLINGTON; Games. Games, Borrows 33 Salmond 35 Airer 31 Smythe 34 Oihvier 25 Swanston 31 G°ss 24 Peacock 24 Pearse 24 Young - 10'• White Parsons 2i. Didsbury 6 The final figures were in favour of Canterbury as follow:—Five rubbers to 4 rubbers; 13 sots to 9 sets; 115 games to 102 games. The Canterbury ladies were-completely : overwhelmed by the Wellington quartet, Miss Cotton taking the only set for her team in tho singles from Miss Williams. The analysis of the match shows that Wellington won by 78 games to 32/ which is the. best, criterion of the merits of the players. The Play at the Meeting. Tho chief interest naturally centred on the Ollivier-Peacock match.- It ia certainly a feather in the Canterburyplayer's cap that he should have .so • completely demolished the New Zealand, champion; and, this being the second, win in two years over the same player, it shows that, all things being equal, there is fair ground for supposing that he is somewhat the better player; by how much it is certainly difficult to rightly appreciate. It is safe to. say that, hardly \once,. . did. Peacock, drop into* ; game.: Thftti this'was partly due r to 01?' livier's style is undoubtedly true—hia anticipating being very clever and hi 9 plncing at times effective—but it was probably more duetto the fact that he' had little varied practico since the. New Zealand meeting. In all tennis—and ill fact in all gamea to a lesser degree—it is just the little difference between nlayers that makes a great difference in the result. This was • exemplified last Saturday. Ollivier has been in continuous touch' with players of. all styles and tactics for a mouth, and has an according advantage! : On the day he was the better man, his ser-J vice seldom going out or "netting," while Peacock (more than usual) sent in a host of double faults-

The Goss-Swanston game was the best worth watching of all the singles, if only for the spirit of bustle that was woven into the game. Gossgot going from the jump—real ring • tactics-rand, desnite & rather weak service, practically slammed his opponent off the court. Swanston was compelled to keep to defensive play the whole of the firsv set, and often during the succeeding two. , Swanston's steadiness and staying power won the match, Goss showing the effects of his hard game before even the end of tho first set. It may be said that steadiness won "Wellington's three singles; Salmond wearing Borrows down, after the latter had put up a heady and plucky fight; and Snathe killing Kiver's brilliance by solid driviug. The other singles were not interesting. Tho double Peacock-Swanston v. Ollivier-Goss wag closely watched, and really nrovided more excitement than anything dse during tha whole day, all four players.at times.keeping, up long rallies of volleying when close up ,to the net. The losers of a stroke Teally showed as much enjoyment as the winners. Ollivicr had to run a lot to save'his, and, consequently, was often out of position to Wellington's advantage. • Peacock did some pretty cross-court work, and overhead was aeain sure. • The Salmond-Smytho v. BoTrows-Kiver double was just a good, steady-going battle, hardly fought the whole way with little to pick between the pairs. The issue was in doubt up to the last service. The "Wellington pair on the play should have carried it off, but they unaccountably failed at times, while their opponents made some fine recoveries. Other play was not notable for anything in particular. The Canterbury men were steady-going, and did not have to extend themselves. So their capacities were somewhat hidden. Y Some General Items. C. C. Cox has just left Wellington* after spending his holiday at Rona Bay. ■ G. Ollivier may bo giving up the game, or, at least, may be dropping, out of Sight for a while, it being his-purposo. (o "go on the land" somewhere in from Wanganui. The Lower Hutt are withdrawing their C Grade team from the competition. •