TENNIS CHAMPIONS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1638, 3 January 1913, Page 6

TENNIS CHAMPIONS.

TOURNAMENT REVIEWED- . r / 1 .— . | PARKE'S METHODS DESCRIBED AUSTRALIANS LOSE BY DEFAULT. (By Telegraph.—Special Oorroapondenit.) . Hastings, January 2. resuUsVertainlyjUstiflcd^iliß,,action

l . J)f tho NewiSeataiid Lawn Tennis Associa- .:... - tion in allotting this year's championship to the Hastings' Club:, That organisation': . is at the lpresent timo one of the livest ■ ,; - -ot all our-'athletics organisations. Its '•■■■.", ~- inemliorsiiip runs well litto tne .Hundreds,; ana' its aitairs are- managed liko tnose of ■ r .linst-class institutions. ; ' omcers. real.v.'j. '; : ised/t.hat^hft.hblding'.pf-an/Australamatt: ■ .championship', tournament:- was no lignt.. undertaking, and months ago ■' they, laid . tWiiiselvtfi put. to do the -thing thorough- ' ly.' Additional courts-wero got ready, so i:- :■ tnat practice could he gone on .with \hth- « : ■■■■■■.' out touching tho< areas reserved tor tne etai*'matches;'-.»;Wieri".jtne : ; tournament) • : opened the courts were' in capital trim, - f,: .' ' .and though/they: showed' signs ot \vear as i i - the week went; by, r - they .never 'became 1 . .wholly bad. - . ; In.: their handling ;.of, the 1 visitors, the r. slub showed that tney.'had'little.'\it anyifc'v i thiiig,:to,.learn. from>older .organisations.; r.' ■ Xhe Hon. I'. M. B. "I'ishor' stated that i;;, after attending rsuch'tournaments 'tor. 17 j years he could recall .no': occasion, where ■; the visitors were, quite, so well treated as f:t ; they. <had« been in Hastings. »As 'regards ,| -, the actual , conduct cf - tlio -. tournament,-, this was placed'in the hands,of the a6SociE,, ;., 1 . ation's'very.-capable'.secretary,- .Mr. Petti-. I - crick, ,and with, the assistance ot the J- ;: , -'club's 'officers rhe. had the• arrangements ir , right up -to concert pitch. Taking, : ono;. i. xthmg with Another, the Hastings folk can i !: > 'certainly claim to have their progressiva [ the:f ron t ran k - i'o r co n - ?.:/ ■ Bideration when the location, for filturo , championship tournaments is under con- i fiy'-'^i-sideratiori^ [ * No Budding Wildings.

Eegaiding the play so much has already appeared tflat'tnerois'not milch, left to ' I«oord, ■; The New Zealand championship .failed -toV provide; special ; reaSou.:for; grati-; " v iication on the part of tennis'enthusiasts. ' Those who look'ior bndding .Wildings or Parkes must have .been wofully (lisap- : i "pbiiited. ? 1" sh6riis; T "of' 'bourse,': brilliant * - . enough to :satisty the cravings ;of anyone' ,who desires brilliancy, not even the Brit•:w. ishers'displayed tho variety ofhis strokes, but-the 1 day seoms-to have gone-by when io might'm) oxpected to ovolvo the steadiness so necessary to,a champion. Cham- . .pion Swanston-Tvus "neither. ..better' :nor : Worse': than we. havo '/ secn hiin,', before. . Certainly "he was as'fit•' asv any 1 athleto sould be.- Ollivicr showed so many varieties of form as to bewilder his supporters.' i Amongst'the distinguished .veterans present wero Messrs. Harman and Goss. 'ihe 1 - ' former, who' held' tho J Canterbury cham- : pionship for>about a score of yearsi can ..-: still put ,up a good game, whilst : Goss, - a youth'by'comparison,'- ; played as well -ashgi over did innis life, To attain cham- . -pion'ship honours at -this stage :in,his, ■ - career is a most 1 creditable achievement,.. : Amongst , the ladies,-Miss: Travers was exceedingly disappointing, .whilst Mits ' Gray has evolved a wonderful accuracy m , getting every thingback that will'.win her far 'more games than'-;,shej;is 'likely- to' lose, v Miss . Hartgill played ' eey^i'&rfinG7, : dashing,game3 l '" pufc ■. iincUnedJ,to:.for.ee.'.the.'pace,-;even'-own undoing.

• : No Australians - Present.' ...; The' Australasian .championships'^,wore •'. notable 'for-tho fact that. ..no Australian .'participated therein. Presumably there• - / pas some ■ reason for' this, , but yit seems scarcely.'in accordance with sporting tradi-,; ■■ tioflstnat ■ none of the "other-side'- cracks ■ -would 'cross the water to defond their v- titles,' and .incidentally; to lead interest -to; ""the figure,' It is seldom that we New Zealanders fail to':send to 'v-' : Australasian fixtures,,, wherever •. held, when wo have any worth sending, and, • . there-should be reciprocity' in theso matters.'-Ono 'has only .to, ponder for. a. moment to realise what a;meeting; ifcwould' 'havo been, had Brookes, Dunlop,- Heath, - and ' Jones'; been ■ present,to-.,.-,faoo-- tho ' Britishers on 'the 'court, i;.; i, ;.ii; :

Parke's - Tinder the ciroumstftnces Dixon and:,his " : team had rcomparatively :.tame ; ; sport,-land-' ,;- r-.-Vere >compeUea-..0f,: necessity'ito/fight ..out; ; i.i.: the . issue among themselves.' Each' oi-tho .luartet showed - ceneral form not much inferior to Ills follows, aiul tliey inay ivell bo described as-a sound lot.. -Parke - vas ! ; certainly thfe ,f daddy". of:.tho lot;. Tlicro - is nothing sensational in-the-stylo, of his - play.- Ho has no fancy-shots, but he plays ';.tho.'game, for .'all ittisv-iyorth; ; and; takes, .- the ;points,'as;ryeitltedy ; ;ahd :;_a]mosti;as, - ■ accurately as-a machine., Ho is a great, racef ou.the court, and when.-put..to,-it ■ can 1 cover ten-'.yards in about six seconds: V- tWhilel,t&^llirig!atithat;;ga^;hi''Miiire- v turn-a fast •drive. and not . merely get it ;> ; ove*rV -but",send it. .well ;placed to his op- '.., ponenfs;'back line.;' 1 -If- 'it 'is forehand ;or : '-backhand, the.odds that ho will.perform " 'tins are just as well. Parke, however, : dofs'not;rely- 'on his great :.6printing • i-ability. -Ho usually- arrAnges for. the other , " fellor-to do the running. Ho can do fine work'at the net, but bo prefers to mako .-'-' liis ' jnp -ball after -ball< to the far; corners. Ho displays endtess patience in getting his ; opponent out of step. -.- The; moment that happons,. ,h'diJsends! a,.ball. charged., yntli, o',. iiglitfling.^and..the.,point; is gained/; vTho impression-Parke,-gave at .Hastings.. that,,h<J' ;w«s .rieyer -really;,^extended, • for • although given--'a-great-run j in-'the-final, of tho singles.',, hp; '.was; ;sO'nie,what ,'off;, his; . gamo.on tho day,;.- j ■. i- Bearish—Littlo Behind. ; ! ißeamish ''is:little behind tho champion |n tho art cf playing a.finished,-game' of. tennis, and tho difference..- seems ; to. be largely ono of temperamont. Parke is the :' '■' greater .general, and".probably tho more determind.- Walking on to tho courts for the final-of the- singles/on- Wednesday,■; ~ Ijoth attired m whiW flannels and jackets, they >'er6;'C handsome 'and; strik-;; : -ing pair.': ' l 'J.':? Neither Dixon nor Lowe were qiiito, tip to the v -standard; ,of . -the other - two ' Britishers in.tho singles, but Dixon gave v a great-exhibitionun.the,.doubles,-.;, ; :As sportsmen, the ..visiting-team, created -a most favourable-iihprOSsiin,': and tlieir visit will bo the subject' of pleasant memories with Hawke's Bay - enthusiasts ; for many years to coino.'; ■-