BRILLIANT VISITORS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 38, 15 February 1932, Page 5

BRILLIANT VISITORS

AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION

TENNIS AT MIRAMAR

Brilliant in stroking, with, positional play that was usually a model of court tactics and placing that eclipsed anything in New Zealand, women's tennis,. the Aus- ■• tralian ladies' touring team made its debut at Miramar Tennis. Grounds on Saturday. The occasion was one of exhibition . matches, the programme being designed to show the Australians in action in a series of different combinations/and in bad circumstances the visitors revealed admirable form. The day was hot and 1 almost windless, a southerly breeze making .itself felt early in the afternoon died completely, away, but the players met on courts dead and sticky from four days of rain. The condition of the courts was unfortunate, for though the spectators saw some good tennis they were robbed of - the opportunity to witness even better jplay. Some of the local players, notably the North Island champion, R..A. Court, were unable to show themselves at anything luce true form, while the conditions were, of course, very strange to the Australian team. . In Court's case ,he was carried through the fluctuations of fortune of a long mixed double against A. L. France and Mrs:. H.. M. Dykes only by the skill and getting-power of Miss N. Hall. ■' ■•■■.•■• ■.■■■■-.. • The exhibition, matches clearly showed, fowerer, that the Australians are strong in those vital points of tennis, speed and placement. All four apply consistently harder, pressure; than .any^ New Zealand player, all seek shots, are able to launch; a net attack fandjplay a forcing game, not waiting for the errors, but seeking to bring them up promptly. :■/'.'.:;',■'■;':;•■ '-the'best.; '■;,..■ ■■;■■■ Of-the team the greatest in strokes and; generalship certainly is Mrs. ;M. Molesworth.' She has a range of shots, a • skill of execution, and a shrewdness of judgment; which are quite evidently a flight higher than those of any of her team-mates. Though defeated by Miss J Hartigan, the New Zealand singles'champion, Mrs. Molesworth, during^ the two occasions when-she was at her best, made Miss Hartigan look almost like a novice. At cio stage Mrs.'Molesworth. took eight suc-v^ya. games from the younger'player, and .even after a serious lapse she thre;vv,;ne,d.to. i pulL the match out of;the nre. Mrs. Molesworth. has a fast, well;.controlled service ball, a devastating' low drive, almost as fast as that of y Miss. Hartigan, though played with, less ;. effort, a backhand that, is firm and well controlled, and a very useful chop which she exploits with discretion and which' is ■ a.prolific points-gatherer. At the net she ; is deadly, strong smashing alternating with : B"ort, sharp volleys, and she rarely misses • a kill. Her' tactics are; those- of an ex- ' Vperienced and proved player-^-on Saturday;' i for instance, she caught Miss Hartigan by -short chops, outlobbed her when she took •the net, and concentrated her attack .on ' her backhand, switching, suddenly to the /forehand with hard sideline drives for f ' aces once the position came up. Her - failure in the match after , winning the ' first set and leading in the second must . bs set down to faulty racquet work. For • a stage she seemed unable, to control .the , ball at all or to get her opponent's court properly opened up,, a state of affairs' - which lasted until' the third set was past •;: the half-way mark, when she suddenly flashed to life again and played with fine ■ control.- Her <play/, top; is by an; .abundant vitality and bustling speed. ■•."■' .. FINE FOREHAND. ■ , _ Miss J. Hartigan, who gathered in the Aew Zealand singles championship at ,; Auckland ilast 'month, revealed a splendid ;; forehand, hit at the top of the bound, and perfectly flat. It is a powerful: weapon ■ • and would be so .against any player in ■; the world, but it is not carried on a basis ■:. of a well-rounded;game. Miss Hartigan's :„: use of this forehand is. admirable,, but on > shots where she cannot impart punch she i ,■' is apt to be. guilty of under-play, which ■ results in bountiful crops of errors. Her •;■"• difficulties with a low-ball are great, both :r, in, back-court and at-the net. -Her back- :, hand appears to be rather less than average k _in _ her.class. Her overhead, is. played for - "placemelii and not very speedy. Her service, a fine, fast delivery,' is. not always wellcontrolled, and is made with an odd . turn ."of "tfieTf66t''wliich"'i^r6b^bTy >:a*^ot':;: fault. But her forehand hitting is | exhilarating and her employment of it is ;■■ so good as to defend the weak spots in her h .game. This was why, when^Sirs., Moles- ■■' worth was stroking. well^.Miss ''armour proved frill of Sawsi'knd-'^hy.'-.onp'e; :-. the direction went fromMrs.'Moleswofth's; I-;,' attack Miss Hartigan swept up the' tWb ;;.'. final sets of their encounter in bursts of ■■ brilliant hitting. ./■':■... :.;,■■.-. I; TOO FORCEFUL, '^f i; Miss U. Valkenburg is the greatest allI; round hitter of the team, dazzling-at the ~ Bet, where she can more like a" flash to ; cut off returns with swift angled.,volleys, ;;; but apt to be over-strong with ier groimd- ■.. : strokes.'. Her : game is very vigorous and '' gives the impression that with a trifle \ more control she would be even more 'for-. :,! midable. She never defends, but carries the attack to her oppbnent every moment. ; Herservice ball is not quite so strong as ;v that of Mrs. Molesworth and Miss Harti- .'; gan, but it is by no means weak. Her • forehand is fast and played with a slight .'. slice. Her" smash, is spectacular-and so ,; are her, straight shots, played down the line.., i.Like. Mrs. Molesworth she is very. ' fast- on. her; feet, and, like her again has a wide range of .shots, most of which are played with all possible speed. . s ... Miss N. Hall>'who beat Miss: Valkenburg ~ m straight setsy 5 is youthful (she has just ■ emerged from the';juniors), slight and gift- ' ed with great determination and a sterling defence. Her game is very different from that of her companions, for she relies.-on' placement mbre than on speed. Her shots are played without the arm fully extend- ■! Ed, their' trajectory; is higfiev. arid they ■; are not so hard to dig up' as the hitting v of the earher mentioned players. But in '■:". placement Miss Hall is a match for anyone in the side and her shots are far from =, slow. Her. great asset is Her power of re-:.-;'trieving shots _which "appear to haveher on the defensive—her. speecl in covering / the court. She does this without any ap- }; parent great exertion; 'she has an "odd appearance of never hurrying, and yet' is always there. In some ways her game is reminiscent of that of Miss Daphne Ak : hurst when she was moving towards her /first Australian title. •• . '.': .' '. THE MATCHES. •' The exhibition included' fourmixed doubles, two singles, and men's and' , women s doubles, jthejast mentioned' be- ,'■ mg an all-Australian event. In the mixed two Australians met;with defeat, Miss Hall partnering R., A. .Court in adversity against A. L. France and Mrs. H.M Dykes, losing' 6-8,; 10-8, 1-6 after haying <-. led 5-3 in the first :set and 3-2, 4-3, and 7-6 ;•■ nithe second, while-N. R. C. Wilson arid Miss Valkenburg, after a'good opening against D. G. France and Mrs. W: J. Melody, found the' local team growing stronger and stronger/and did not have,a chance of winningrthe second and third ? sete, leading only at 2-1 in the third set," •;■ after which Miss..Valkenburg dropped her service. France was'in fine form 'and' deadly at the net, while Mrs. Melody also played well. The" 'other mixed doubles '. were abandoned when set-all to make way for the final doubles'in which Mrs. Moles-i worth and Miss; Hall; a shrewder cony bmation, beat Misses Hartigan and Valx kenburg in straight, sets, while the France brothers disposed of, Wilson and Court in \ two sets after drbp'ping a 5-1 lead in the . first set. ... ;.. ■■■ '-v : ■.'■'. . DETAILED RESULTS. Results were:^— . . " -h-MIt S: J-'Hartigan (Australia) beat Mrs. M- Molesworth (Australia), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Miss N. Hall (Australia) beat Miss U. ..; Valkenburg (Australia), 6-4, 6-4. . Mrs. Molesworth and Miss Hall (Australia V beat Misses Hartigan and Valkenburg (Australia), 7-5, 9-7 r^-fi-J™^ <««l-Mrs.'W..'-J. Melody (Welhngton) beat N. R. C. Wilson (Weloc^V '51 d Miss valkenburg (Australia), o-b, S-4, 7-5. . ' /w \h .FfW e and Mrs. H. M. Dykes (Wellington), beat R A. Court (Hawkes Bay) and. Miss N. Hall (Australia), 8-6, - 8-10, 6-1. ! N. R C. Wilson (Wellington) and Miss J Harngal^(Australia) and A. h. France and Miss ;D. Nicholls (Wellington), 7-5, : O-7 (unfinished). «. A. Court (Hawkes Bay), and Mis. M. Moleßworth (Australia) and D. G. France and Mrs. W. F. Sturman (Wellington), IM. 34 (unfinished). ' ■ V. G. France and A. L. France (Wellington) beat N. R. C. Wilson (Welline. ton) and R. A, Court (Hawkes Bay), 8-6, 6SI ■•■ ■ :• ' '■ ■ '■ - . .:■