LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1907, 15 November 1913, Page 8

LAWN TENNIS.

[By Bacriianp.} general news & notes. Dec. 26, 27, 29, and 30,— New Zealand' Cliaiuinflnsliips, at Eden and Epson; Courts, Auckland. Tho Perth tournament. At the present time the Australasia-is-Championships aro in pi-egress at Perth, ' West Australia. Seutti Australia is bo* ing represented by u strong team, while li. A. Parker Went across to do battlo for Now South Wales. It was aiiticiBiitod that A. 13. Jones and Doust Would lio.tp Jiim on their arrival froni England, but though tiio two Davis duj> 'player* -reaehed' Vi-euaatle last T-uosda} , , tho tablogram (jid not toil Vis whether tliey would remain in tlio West for the mooting, or hasten on to Melbourne to prepftro for tlio Victorian touaiamont, which opens next week. Their prfiseneo at tho Perth iixturo would, of course, inake a deal of differeneo to its result liujanoially and otherwise. J,n conncetion with tho -big 'Berfh meeting, ft k interesting to lisrte that, for the first} .time in tlio' history of tho game in tho Western Slate, there Was ■ to be a match between' South Amitiatia, and West Australia, iio test will probably become an an.uua! one. Victoria and Now South Wales. Tho interstate match New South • AVales v. Viotpria. will be played; on Kovciubor 21 and 22, and already Victoria, i lias selected her team., which' is a very stifliig ono. Brookes, 3>uitlop. t and Heatii are a powerful trio, with; A. o'l'laia Wood, Cam-pboll, ami Baird to-(.■u.niplot-0 tho list. Tho lolicwjng havo been selected to practice, witlt a view to iiiclusion jn tho team to represent New South Wales :— Chirk , ., Poilstj A; B. Jo.iies, Jordan, EJidston. Marsh, jtetcalto,* Piirlvcr, Bice, 0. 'i?odfl, and L. Todd. AVrigljt .and j. 0. Anderson havo notified; tlial thioy will not be aMo to play. Paite., Jonss, and. Dousfc aro certain of inclusion,on theft return from tho West. Indian Team to Visit Australia. Lawn tonnis in India hasreached Siicli a high.stajidni-d that players Who have, already tested their eilieienc.y agaittsb prominent English players are anxious to enter the international arena. In a let-tor to A. W. Kuylop, tli© crack Vio toriau plaj-er, Md. feiya? IS, Shevwani, of Agra,, recently wrote:—"l am tabmg a- tennis team (the All Indian tonnia team) on tour in almost every : part of tho world where tenuis is pished, and hono to leave India some time jn tlio middle of the utsx-t year. Tho first country wo will laud in will be Australia. I hear you are making another trip to England, gcing first to Ceylon. You will ho quite eloso to litdiaj so may Fask you to visit India alsS, and especially Agra, Which is famous for ate. buildings in the world. You could compete in tho All Indian tenuis tournament. Which is open to all comers, and is playod in tho month of Becembei every year." Spllied Shp.es. . The , qudstion "jpf. the use .of spiked shoes has of lato been- .receiving qonsiderahle attentibii in tenuis ■.circles :n Sydney'i-says an exchange).- The cause. of the discijssipji was that'the metropolitaii clunnpibjiships. ;tfcre played on, greasy courts, and in 'many cases tlio players found it almost impossible to keep their feet'. Tho Boiisensus of e.pinion'iii Bydftey is that spiked shoesshould bo allofed. It is thought that plain rnblier shoes arc moro injurious to tho surface than spikes, in that they, frequently cause tho removal of whale strips of turf when a plisyer happens to ■ slip: 'Oil the oiheV ! ' -"liiihti, fllthough' , spikes -scratch the griiss a g*iod rolling removes tho injury vmy quickly* 'ine. samo tjnestion received considerable attention in connection with tho Uatis Cup mtttch.es playod in England, _ The Americans, who aro in tho habit or using them whether the courts aro wot or dry, found that they were not allowcdon the centre court at Wim-bledon unless- miu midored yla.y impossible witltotit them. AVhilo atlmittiug. the power to .enforce this .regulation in the Al}-i»giand clia:mpionshi.p.s, tho Amcnca»s ass.erl.ed- their right to wse spikes in tho Davis Cup nja-tciies, but refrained ffom cmployihg them in some ot tho matches in deference to the wish o£ the All-Ku£laii(l"Glu ; b, Rules and Unwritterr Laws. Lawn tends audi golf are m.arls«dly dilVerent iii moro than onoJvay. . Q-olt is a game hedged in, , crampetl > ..a»d i»iy-h-iiod by a m-iiitiplici-t.y of. rules, whipU n-i-ust b'e observed to tho letter jf the jnoseribed iie.iialtics aro to bo avoidedi.' Lawn tennis, on the other hand, is sometimes too freo easy 5 its rulss. too often made a dead letter, llii-a applies to both tho written and Unwritten rttles. Wo iiialvO a practice ot stoppijig, with the- hand o.i' racket, bail.'B. whidi wo tliiiik sro going out of court, aiul no penalty follows 5 -but who .has not boon annoyed by players who thus stop balls which miglit net have go.ni? put? Wo, or many of «s, tet-fanlt habitually, touch tho iict without taking the ipraalty, :play balls that wo think are going out, aiid take tho point by erjliig ''out." We frequently fail to ac- ' ce.pt tho dscision of tile umpire of lines' men, either changing it by agreement or vitating it. by tin-owing away im next point to eveii'iiiiitiers. IVO. .pky aa "lets" balls' 'that make points, jusit.-tc show that wo .are not ''too teelmical. ■ And bo it .gfjcs. I'erspnall.Vi wo believe in livmg up to the rules, preferring to err ott the sido of .tcwindaljty. rather than he too "libcriil." ' . Of even greater importnu.ee:, we think, Si«o the iuiwri-tten laws ot lawn ts.iinis. Who has not played vyMi-a liiatt who is constantly violating them, and thereby spoiling tho -game, instead ot making at a pleasure to both players? lliero aro such "comparatively innocent t-huigs as rotimtmg a faulty -sertfic.e, instead of hitting it down w Jetting it pass,.; at serving tho sucohd ball top. sofi'n? or lotting your opponent do more than hjs slii'H-o of tho Work in rotrioviUg tho balls. MiKslj m.oro serious and amioyiug is tlio h'tvbit-of atiestibuing decisions, of seeming to dquut tho faiw-i.esg and flceuracy of one's opponent. There ar*> men who are noto ioiis in «no :<j.r inure ai those r'*p o .cts, while others arc so cven-teinpei-ed aiid just that it dispute 'never arises. I* i$ not -drilicult to', toll which players aro most sought when mate-lies aro artituged. It 6boujd always ho boriio in mind that the pleasures of tho game- aro -grca% enhkiice'd wheit ■the playerii do everytlii»g in their power to prevent delays and -avoid differences.. .tJo i-c.ady to serve <<at receive) when your opponent is reads , J use by preterenee three 'balls .instead -of two (iiev'or due) wlian serving s don't chase a faulty servico α-nd dekiy tho delivery of tho second one; don't return* or stai-fc to put in play, a faulty scxyke if you ■can possibly avoid, daing «a) donH knock tho balls all over the cy-urt when the service .changes, but return them to the plityer who is to servo (see ho-* , many tiijvcß you can hit tiiem -over right into, his hands, :so iiß won't have to move for them); don't leavo him iii doubt as. to whether a shot is "fli" or "out," or fail to call' to hiti) "Hot up" when you scoop a ball and i.iris-s it. J.n short, play t-ho game as a gc.nflemail's game, doing unto your ojipoiimrt as you Would have him do unto you-,--'—Americaii ' v jLfiwrt Tomiis." '