TENNIS CHAMPIONS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 103, 25 January 1935, Page 13

TENNIS CHAMPIONS

4 Long Match in Women’s Singles Event NATIONAL TOURNEY Fortunes of Australians and Perry FERKINS HAS HIS REVENGE (fey Telegraph—From “Forehand.”) Auckland, January 24. Heavy clouds this morning threatened rain for the second day of the New s, Zealand lawn tennis championship tournament, but the afternoon was warm and bright. The strong crosscourt wind was again in evidence, and the play generally was of a Higher standard than on the first day. Some of the matches were long and there were some very bad umpiring decisions. Too many of the umpires kept the scores a secret. K. Ferkins had his revenge over NBedford for his defeat in the Wellington ranking match, earning the right to enter the third round after a long five-set battle. There was little between the players, the main factor in Bedford’s defeat being his impatience and over-mastering desire to drive for winners when' he ought to defend and await his opportunity. Ferkins chased everything and was very accurate. At the times when Bedford chose to play with restraint the rallies were long and' the placements accurate, each having to run fast. Bed ..ford took the net much oftener than Ferkins, but not always with happy results, Ferkins either passing him with an angled shot or a lob, or else Bedford missed his chances. The match occupied about three hours. France Without Confidence. If D. G. France wants to reach the final he will have to play a great deal better than he is at present. He is playing altogether without confidence.. Frequently he gets the position he wants and then loses the point by netting the easiest of volleys. Nor are his driving and smashing any more reliable. So it was when he met Mayson, of Auckland. Mayson plays a steady, placing game without any frills, and his shots do not carry , speed. 1 Playing his ordinary ’ game, France ought to have had no difficulty in Winning, but he was scratching about for more than two hours, and in the third set he led 5-I,' only to have Mayson take the set at 12-10. Eric Roussell, against M. T. Wilson, played one of his best games this season, winning in convincing fashion. The game was. one of hard driving on the part of both, with fairly frequent excursions, to the net by Roussell. where he did good work with excellent, sharply-angled volleys. Roussell Shows Discrimination. Both .players placed well to the sidelines, and besides maintaining the pace kept a good length. Wilson’s chief fault was that he tried to force matters, on every ball, and that involves making errors.'' Roussell used more discrimination in what shots to drive and when to play safe. A. R. Cant and D. I. Robertson had a baseline duel, varied only by Cant’s oe,casional so'rtie to the net, after driving deep to Robertson’s backhand. Both stroked freely and easily on both wings from the back of the courts. Cant's net attack was the deciding factor in bis win, as from there he was able to angle the volley sharply, giving Robertson no chance, or smashing to the corner. I. A. Seay, of Canterbury, is coming on to his form, his stinking against J. S. Wilson being very accurate, and his net attack sound. He made use of the whole court, having Wilson running about fast all the time. He meets Perry to-morrow. CoOmbe’s Heady Ganic. D. Coombe played a beady game against A. K. Turner, being content to maintain the rally until he got the right ball to hit, when he made very few mistakes. Coombe’s plan was to draw Turner in with a short one and then pass with a fast drive across court. His placing was accurate.- and Turner was liept moving fast all the time. Coombe was also in his best form overhead, his smashing of Turner’s many lobs being deadly. Turner deserves gteat credit for the fight be put up against a player who was his master in all departments. Coombe meets Knott to-morrow, and on present form ought to win. A. A. Kay, of Australia, and N. C. Sturt, of Auckland, had not the slightest difficulty with their opponents. Although R. W. Ewin, of /Australia, beat J. W. Gunn with seeming ease, his play is by no means impressive. He is expected to beat a junior with the inexperience of Gunn, but his play is below the standard which, from his appearance on the court, he endeavours to give the impression it is. His service was fast and accurate, although Gunn handled it confidently, but his was not as decisive as one expects from an Australian, and he made many mistakes in his driving. He did not often volley. Knott Defeats Lees.

L. G. Knott showed in his mat:h against R. I’. Lees that his style of game has not altered since he was in New Zealand. nor does it show any improvement. He had more variety in his game than Lees, but not always the same accuracy. In the fifth set therefore, he found himself down four-love. After that Lees lost his length and Knott, forcing the pace and volleying well, took the next six games for the match. The match between Miss Thelma Poole, of Christchurch, and Miss J. Ramsay, of Auckland, probably constitutes a record in point of length for a women s match in the New Zealand championship. Miss Poole led 4-0 in the first set, and Miss Ramsay won it 15-13. The second set was even all the way, and Miss Pome won it 8-6. Miss Ramsay led 5-0 in the third set, and Miss Poole won the next four, but lost the 11th game and the match. r „ The styles of the two were totally unlike. Miss Poole, intensely active, flitted about the court hitting everything hard, especially Miss Ramsay’s second service. Miss Ramsay cut everything, backhand and forehand. (Miss Ramsay’s Steadiness Wins. Obviously it was a game that Poole had never experienced before, bo long as she was prepared to play steadily along until she got a ball she could drive she did well, but she lost patience. To do that against Miss Ramsay is into 1 ’ fO 5 her game is just the one to break up a driving game. The rallies at times were long, with both players P'ac'OK we "; Sometimes Miss Poole 'vent to fn® and won many points with good voile,, ing. Her smashing was poor. Miss Ramsay battled along in her own grim style with no alteration in. tactics from first to last. She played just the same whether she was in front or was trailing. Altogether, she gave a remarkable exhibition of how to use the cut stroke. Indeed, it is the only stroke she ever attempts to use. She never volleys, but always waits for the ball to bounce. Miss Dulcie Niclioils simply drove and chopped Miss Betty Griffiths off the court, losing Only two games. The game between Mrs. C. Smith and Miss E. Rudkin was a baseline one of

placing to the sidelines to make the opponent run. But Mrs. Smith is not as strong as Miss Rudkin, and her twohanded backhand is weak against persistent attacks. Mrs. Smith’s serving is also weak. Mrs. Smith fought gallantly, but with not very much chance of success from the beginning. Bold, Driving Ganic. Miss B. Gould played a bold, driving game against Miss N. Beverley, and so long as the latter was content to play from the back of the court she quite neld her own. Her forehand especially was strong. But 'Miss Beverley, after the first set, adopted the tactics of storming the net, from where she gave the best exhibition of volleying and smashing of any woman in the tournament. J.he form shown by Miss Beverley makes her a serious contender for the women’s sin o 'lfis. Miss Graham showed herself a strong and steady player yesterday, but to-day she was outclassed by Miss B. Knight, who shares with Miss Beverley the distinction of being the finest all-court player among the women. Miss Knight made very few mistakes in her volleying and smashing. Miss Wake Goes Down. The luck of the draw brought two Canterbury players in the first round in Miss I. Poole and Miss M. Wake. Miss Wake, not having played niucii this season, and with an injured right hand, went down in straight sets. Miss Poole ran fast to everything and bit freely, and yet with judgment. . Later Miss Poole’s aggressiveness and speed about the court gave her the victory over Mies M. Purcell who places beautifully, has a difficult sliced backhand but is too elow in moving over the court. . Whoever plays Miss Marjorie Macfailane, who to-day is still New Zealand’s finest purely baseline player, must be prepared to run miles along the baseline. Miss V. Eccles was quite prepared to undertake the task and she did it to such good effect that she won the first set. Miss Macfarlane could not get her touch, while Miss Eccles drove down the line to the corners with great accuracy. Miss Eccles maintained the fight on almost equal terms in the second set but the effort took too much out of her. Though she fought gamely in the third set, Miss Macfarlane. who was now driving backhand and forehand like a machine, was definitely on top. Miss M. Sherris Defeated. One of the best wins of the day was that of Miss Ruth Taylor, of Auckland, over Miss M. Sherris, of Canterbury. The winner played with great confidence after the first set, attacking from the net at every opportunity. Seay and Brinsden were no match for Perry and France iu the men’s doubles, principally because Brinsden has been out of the game for s number of years and because he and Seay have never paired before. France was again in and out, the main execution being done by Perry, whose service driving and smashing was in a class of its own. In the mixed doubles Ferkins and Mrs. R. P. Adams had a difficult task to keep the ball away from Kay, of Australia, who played at the net and kept Mies Wake to guard the backline. Ferkins did very well and won snots with glorious angles, but be had to make mistakes *o do it. Mrs. Adams gave Ferkins sound support, her lobbing and placements making openings for Ferkins at the net to make kills. Kay smashed brilliantly but his poaching cost his side games. - Livingstone Down to Bedford. In the intermediate men’s singles N. Bedford decisively beat D. B. Livingstone. Livingstone has a fast, kicking service which he could have followed io the net with advantage. Because he did not do so Bedford was given time to place it. In the remainder of the game Bedford knew far more than Livingstone. Miss E. Stewart was steadier than Miss J. Burns in the women’s intermediate, singles. There were long rallies, many of which Miss Burns failed to win when she attempted to hit too hard. Many of the doubles matches, as usual with first round ones, have been very onesided. DETAILED RESULTS Men’s Singles By Telegraph.—Press Association. FIRST ROUND. K. Ferkins (Wellington) won by default from T. Rhodes Williams (Canterbury). SECOND ROUND. 1. A. Seay (Canterbury) boat J. S. Wilson (Auckland), 6-1, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1; G. A. I’earee (Otago) beat W. E. Butler (Auckland), 9-7, 4-6, 7-?. 6-3; It. W. Ewiii (Victoria) beat J. W. Gunn (Auckland), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; Ef A. Roussell (Wellington) beat M. T. Wilson (Auckland.), 6-1, U-2, 6-4; Ferkins beat N. Bedford (Wellington), 9-7, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 8-6; A. It. Cant (Canterbury) beat D. I. Robertson (Palmerston rtortli), 3-0, 6-3, 7-3, 6-4; L. G. Knott (Australia) beat R. K. Lees (Kangitaiki), 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4; D. C. Coombe (Wellington) beat A. K. Turner (Auckland), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5; N. G. Sturt (Auckland) beat V, G. Mabin (Nelson), 6-0, 6-0, 6-1; F. W. Jenkinson (Hamilton) beat G. Martin (Auckland), 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; A. A. Kay (Victoria) beat A. Porter (Auckland), 6-1, 6-1, 6-1; J. Stevens (Auckland) beat P. E. Potter (Auckland), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; E. L. Bartleet (Auckland) beat S. J. Robinson {Auckland), 6-2, 6-4, 7-5. THIRD BOUND. D. G. France (Wellington) heat .1. T. Mayson (Auckland), 6-2, 6-4, 10-12, 6-1. F. J. Perry (England) and D.G. France (Wellington), beat H. D. Brinsden (Auckland) and T. A. Seay (Canterbury). 0-0, 6-2, Women’s Singles FIRST ROUND. Miss I. Poole (Canterbury) bent Miss M. Wako (Canterbury). 6-2, 7-5; Miss. J. H. Ramsay (Auckland) beat Miss T. I’oole (Canterbury), 15-13, 6-2, 6-4. SECOND ROUND. Miss D. Nicholls (Wellington) beat Miss 15. Griffiths (Auckland), 6-0, 6-2; Miss E, Rudkin (Canterbury) beat Mrs. C. Smith (Wanganui), 6-4. 6-3: Miss I. Poole beat Miss M. Purcell (Wanganui), '7-5, 6-2; Miss N. Beverley (Matamata) beat Miss B Gould (Canterbury), 7-5, 6-2; Miss B.

Knight (Auckland) beat Miss A. Graham (Taranaki), 6-0. 6-3; Miss Marjorie Macfarlane (Auckland) beat Miss V. Eccles (Auckland), 4-6, 6-1, 6-0; Miss R. Taylor (Auckland) beat Miss M. Sherris (Canterbury), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Men’s Doubles „ first round. A. J. Dickie and E. Dickie (Taranaki) beat A. J. Brown and D. G. Thomson (Auckland), 6-4, -1-6. 4-6, G-3, 7-5;‘J. Roach and I) Seymour (Hamilton) won from A. R. Cant and T. Rhodes Williams (Canterbury) by default; J. AV. Neale and G. L. Brown (Auckland) beat T. AVylds and J AV. Neale (Taranaki), 7-1, 6-1, 8-6: D. AVilson and M. F. Lees (Auckland) beat Z. Roberts and J. T. Meyson (Auckland), 5- 9-7. 1-6, (1-4, 6-3. SECOND ROUND. A. A. Kay and R- AV. Ewin (Victoria) beat AV. G. Robertson (Timaru) and D. I. Robertson (Palmerston North), 6-2, 6-4, 6- Dickie and Dickie beat P. E. Potter and A. E- McKcowcn (Auckland), b-3, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. Women’s Doubles FIRST ROUND. Mrs. AV. J. Melody (AVellington) and Miss S. Whittaker (Australia) beat Mrs. Wilson and Miss I a McCready (Auckland), 6-1, 6-2; Misses B. Gould and E. Rudkin (Auckland) beat Mrs C. Smith and Miss M. Purcell (Wangauhi), 6-3, 8-6; Misses T. Poole and I. Poole (Canterbury) beat Misses A. Graham and M. Dickie (Taranaki), 6-2, 6-2. Mixed Doubles FIRST ROUND. A. D. Brown and .Miss B. Grltlitbs (Auckland) beat A. It. Cant and Miss M. Sherris (Canterbury), 6-3, 4-6, 6-0; A. A. Kay (Victoria) and Miss M. Wake (Canterbury) beat It. Ferkins and Mrs. K. I’. Adams (AVellington), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4; A. C. Johns and Miss R. Taylor (Auckland) beat A. Porter and Miss T. D. Newton (Auckland), 6-3, 3-6. 7-5; L. G. Knott (Australia) and Nile's B. Knight (Auckland) beat A. AV. Allen (Helensville) and Miss P. Cooke (Auckland), 6-1, 6-0. ' ' SECOND ROUND. F. J. Perry (England) and Miss S. Whittaker (Australia) beat R. K. Lees (Rangitikei) and Mrs. AV. J. Melody (AVellington), 6-2, 0-4; N. G. Sturt aud Miss Marjorie Macfarlane (Auckland) beat J. Roach (Hamilton) and Miss S. Dale (Tauranga), 6-1, 8-6.