THE REAL TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1643, 9 January 1913, Page 8

THE REAL TENNIS.

I' ■ ; -'....y ; AT THORNDON. BRITISH ISLES MEN AT WORK* S ' ' LOCALS BEATEN. ;■ ..,/r 1 -• •- .-.■.••• ! , CAPITAL EXHIBITION GAMES. '.: if t ■■■, f ;] [, More brilliant tennis was, seen on th< Thorndon court yesterday after'noon, wlidr tho British Isles team, ti;o holders ;of. th( :,-DaTO'Cup, appeared for tho second tim< in Wellington. Tho weather wns agair ; beautifullyj finoi' and, as evidence of ths •: interest takeri;'in ;• the ,visit; of. the team, i several hundred'spectators again filled the . ~ special accomriiodation . pn ..the frtnnd./Hds Excellency the Governor (the . . -Earl of .Liverpool),and party, again at tonded to witness..tho. play. ■ ; ' Another test.match—Parko and Lowe • (B.I.) v.-Swiristo'n:'(ind. Ollivier (N.Z.)— •way woa by tho visitors", who got through eomo really .. brilliant X at times, t ' though a' necessary, to decldo tho match. . i -; Subsequonlly exhibition games - were ;■ ■■ played' 1 by■' memlersvof .'the team,-., arid -.-the standnrd of tennis seen;.in these wns of delighted tho. onlookParke defeated-Dixon, in tho singles —two sets—and then/Dixori and > • OBeamish'<proveil :superlori,to.: Parke'and Ixiwe<iii threo l : ''<."p." This'• doubles contest was the event: of the' day,' arid: ,'seveirai; of tho- gaines ; pror .V.vdnei^^islc '.roiistd.-Meii' i :. ; thrisiasral to a'high pifcli.., .' !' . i'Generally, the. day's play was brighter ' all roarid.'.than ■: that .'of the pperiing, l day. >'V; j .iL'verypne' presdnt seeriied - wellpleased iwith the- dayls,sport, provided. As to the ; ! educativo .indl.b.cneficml on New Zealand ;tenriis, -.there, are,- of course, not :• , ■ ;.v. ; , FINAL TEST. PARKE AKD LOWE IN DOUBLES. ■ : -Play .commenced, shortly alter -! p,ra, ■whQn.Parke.and Lowe,came, out to meet Olliviert in ..the doubles— tho final..test..;Lo^e,;, serving, .lost u love k . game,, hia'. partneir. [putting' the. first", shot over the ba"so.'-line, "andi' Lowe-,himself i ' making threo,mistakes in su'ccessipu.v' Thc second game off Swanston's service went fii- 1 - : xo British "Isles, mainly, owing, to brilliant <lrives :by ;Parke—one aU.: New J Zealand i won off, Parke's Service to 30,. and J again i off Ollivier's service to 15, Swiinstori wajr^ mg brilliantly :in. the rallies, : 3— :' leads.; ;Off ,-Lowo'S' service, •'Britishlsles 'won^to .80, .Lowe scoring the: last pomi ■' with' a ! brilliant fprvjco about ■.■•.•which • : Ollivier knew . nothing. Something/bril liant was seen .when tho Britishers sei out to gaia-',the-first pbint in the. sixtl game. "lu;a, great -fally,'. the', ball, nevei touched the ground after the service until ii had crossed the net : about "a':(lozei ... times. Parke, finally, gained ' the poinl ' - /with a boautifill' drive, to the side line The visitors won the game to 30, making . : :j -the score 3.:a11.'i/.olf Parke's'service, 'the * New.v&alanders .'wori a/.dcnce game, am, led-4—3. ; ilt _was. 4. all,' 5 all, G all;. and 1 all, but :the Bfitishers' Uieri took twe running, andAwon the. set, 9—7, the lost , shot '-by -Parke being a wonderful ;• drive, . which "lifted the; paint; .off the, side line, Lowe's service was proving , difficult foi i. thovNow Zealanders to and off'il : British Isl?s won the opening:game in the eecond-'setc On the other'hand,, Olliviei was.weak in the New, Zealand team, and . he' loiit: his ' service .t0,39,: British "Isle: -""leadirig two love. Brilliant play by .SwanFtori'.Vdn the third game for Now; Zea i •• landjiarid^the-fiiirth—off Swanston's seri. went.to the: local men, makina tho score two all., Lowe's service did nol ! > , oime off; soiearly in thei fifth game,-but, ; a.:ter detice-had ibeen called, the. English•Hian- put in-' two very- hot ■ balls,,' the , one- curling off Swanston's racket e,ver th< >: 'fence/ and the:.next,-boating Ollivier''all ! thoiway. •) Thelocal meii won off Ollivier': . ser.vico—3 all—but, Parke served, out,some -warm goods in the next,''and.the British ers :'again*.. ; dedi ,4—3. ..Deuce .wn; called three :times in . the-': eightli srarco 1 before •; New - Zealand . wor ::through '. Parke putting: the •: last shol - 'into -the net.The;visitors ; tookX another .'" "■l »a"ie -Tow's ..fnrvice and again ■ led, ; Ollivier's play was now im- , '•' tiroving and oft', his service the .New,. Zed; landers -made : tho scores S rail,'; andf'takto'tls,iiled:by.6:to 5. Swanston's'service ended in a love .game ;in favour 'of .British -'Isles, 1 G all.,- l'wq ■ dauQe., games followed,* both falling : to Swanstoil; and-,.Ollivier, who: played' al- . IE, most/:above-:themselves; for the' time 'be- ; - ing,',, Swanston especially {shining in the rallies. New Zealand thus won the set B—6. r . ......'i' j . Tho' Britishers won tho first game .in : .the deciding set, off Parked service,' to 15, i but - tho New ; Zealanders, playing . nght up to, their best, took tho 'next," and ,had a :commanding lead ' in • the '/third game, until, the Britishers rccovered 'arid :■,...■,• the score road 2—l,- British :Isles lead. Tho following two games also, went-'to!the i Tisitors, but tho- sixth game (Syahston serying)„was, won bv New Zealand after • , deuce had. ■been > .called three times ', and Now. 'Zealand .al.-jo won. off I^we's-service, • , • deuce ..game,. 3—4, ..Britsh Isles Ilqad. . Still.another deuce, game ended in'favour '' oa ' an d . and. loud applause:,fol- . Jotve>d:,the calling of four all. , Swanston ~ showßcl; sigrir'of Agoing J off V in' the.'!; ninth game ;and~made--several .weak-returi) , s'. the- Britishers winriinß a lovo game- off , ~ Parke's service, 5-4 British- Isles lead. -■- ■■ -.'Now Zealand .won the first aco in-the ■;. -next game, but Parke made it 15 all, with .... ■ -nr soft shot' just over the net, and the .Britishers then went Tight cut, fakinp the game to 15. the'set G—l, and the jnatch 9—7, o—7, (s—t .V '■'■':■ ■■ 1. THE CUP HEFfo. • ':. ~ - PARKS DEFEATS DIXON.' ' «V : Parke, who is known best as'the con . . .queror of BrookeJ in the Davis Cup con ■ test, upheld his reputation 'by soundjj trouncing his '.captain.in two straight sets . 6—2, 6—l. .Both"the ooritestani") gave,i splendid display ofi their,- best .shots, bu i' 1 , youth -.will be'served, and when youth ii accompanied by a swift, Mow,: and deej ;; back-hand drive, such 'as Parke carrie: about with him, then youth will triunipl :OS easily , as Jflrke^yesteTday^' BRITISH DOUBLES," ' \ FIVE SETS THAT THRILLED. '■■■■■;. ' Five sets , that 1 thrilled the' onlooker . : ffero closely :contes_te[^' by the visitors a a final exhibitibn' for the crowd. Park' and- Lowe ma.y,.;have.been ; at.o disadvjnt ' age. in that they had played against th .'••New Zelandew, earlier in the day, but i so they only succumbed to,the attack o «•• Dixon and Beami.sh after a very sten "' " 'struggle. An early tasto of brilliance wa • ' ■ seen in the fourth game of. tho openin set, when a lightning-like rally took place 1 .the ball being volleyed- ten times' acros •i'-Vtho-net at short range before'the par :. ticular point: was., decided., After , th ' first set had been-4 all,'"Dixon and Beam ■' : ; .-ish . won; 6—4, arid . they. also took th : Vmext ,s«t, B—6. Parke- and Lowe lei ' throughout the■ third set, :Lowe : doin >great work, niid won G—3, and easily'car tured the fourth, set, 6-7-1, Tbe.conclud ' ing' set' saw moro capital, tennis, 1 and ,'ei citement ran high' when the score* was nil, but Dixon and-Beamish then too , the next four won ..the se jt - and tho match,: 6—4, B—G, 3—G, I—G, G--5 ENGLISH . CRITICS., THEIR, DICTUM ON PARKE. ""•/By S. N. Doust. iii "Sporting Life.") ■ Not tho most r sanguino; of the Britis ream's supporters'ever thought that tn "mighty" Brookes would have to lowc his colours to tho Irish champion. 1 thought that tho hard, dry court wero not favourable to Parke, who alwaj : plays his best on tho wet land sodde courts, like those wo had, in, England 1 1912. Evidently' he has swtcd his game t : tho conditions,, and gained confidence !) his winning the Victorian championshii :• V when he defeated in the), final one'of hown teairi, Lowe. . :-'v-• ••■ ■' ' • j - •••, - Parko presumably has -cd«n® on to h '• own.brilliant game, and perliaps ht ■ been able to brirnr off his Irish drive

with frequent success. The dry ground would certainly give him opportunity to use his wonderful footwork, and when tho story is told I shall not be surprised to hear'that it was this that-played as grout a part in his defeating Brookes as any othor points.of his play. ' Dij.on, I am "{lad to see, decided to play himself. It" was thought that,' after boing defeated by. Rico in the Victorian championships, ho would bo inclined to loavo himself out. At Wimbledon, just ten days before the- preliminary roynd of the Davis Cuj) tie against France., he' was beaten by Ritchie, but in tho Davis. Cup'match lie played superb tennis, and defeated both Gobert and Decimis. History ■ partly repeated itself at Melbourne.- . To: defeat Heath at Melbourne is'an excellent performance, because Heath ori his. own'.ground is a, much superior player to Heath in England.' .Still, it was always prophesied that Dixon ought to' and would beat' Heath. ; ' To bo . leading by 2 rubbers .to 0 on the first day has come as a surprise, and passed our .highest expectations. .It only shows that English lawn-tennis is not. as bad as the critics assert'. It may not bo-brilliant and showy, but it is steady, and. what is more, scientific/ Aijyhow, it wins, and it is tho aim of all lawn tennis match players, especially when playing for. ones country, to win.