LAWN TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 19787, 10 February 1928, Page 12

LAWN TENNIS

[By Recorder.]

HONORS LIST. 1. Miss Keast (N.E.V.). Won aat three matches against Roslyn (A grade), 6-2, 6-3, 9-7 2. Colgan {Anderson’s Bay). Won his three matches against Wesley, 9-2, 9-S, 9-4. 3. Harris (Technical). Won all lAe games against Opoho. 4 Miss Colbert (Valley). Won hcv. matches against University, 6-2, 6-5, 9-3. Other playcis who won all their matches include Black (Valley, A grade), Barsdell and,Miss Pearce (Bay), Miss Lattimer (Technical), Mrs Cormslf. Misses Foster and Downes (Waimana). Connors, Smith _ (Valley), M'Dougall. Macpherson, Miss Pattison (Roslyn). The A grade match between Kaituna and Moana was adjourned in an interesting position last Saturday, Kaituna leading by i? sets to 7. and 5 games up, with one mixed double to be played. Guy and Clark wore even right up to the last game, the Moana, man just getting home, 9-S. It was mainly a baseline duel, with very little between the players. Davis played attractively to defeat Angel. 0-4, and this player should do well if ho can get the practice. Angel played some delightful backhand drives, but was very erratic with his forehand. Mrs Guy, who has had some good wins thii season, proved just too strong for Miss Anderson, winning 6-5. Tho Moana lady has an open style, and once she can get more pace into her shots should go up several places on the ladder.

Miss Sherritf prevailed against Mrs M'Kellar by returning practically every ball into court. Mrs M'Kellar was driving well, but found all her shots coining back. The winner has a good forehand drive, but does not use it nearly often enough. Miss Logan sprang a surprise by defeating Miss Heywood, 6-4. Kaituna has a promising player in tho winner. To win the match for Kaituna, Phillips and Mrs M'Kellar have to score four games against Gale and Mrs Guy. North-east Valley followed up their good performance against Cosy Dell by extending Roslyn in a fairly close match, valley scoring 7 sets to their opponents’ 3. The Roslyn players, however, were well ahead in games. Miss Keast was the outstanding player for the losers, winning all her matches comfortably. She played her best tennis with Miss Anderson in the doubles, this pair defeating a good combination in Mrs Tregear and Miss Sparrow, 6-3. Miss Keast played well at Invercargill at Christmas time, and she may catch the selector’s eye in view of forthcoming representative matches. Miss Sheehy outplayed Miss Bagley in their single, to win 6-2, the Valley player being too steady for her opponent, keeping her on the move, and returning everything.

Miss Pattison was too good for Miss E. Hinkle,y, who did not have enough winning shots to extend the Roslyn player. To defeat the Otago champion, a player must hit hard, and not be content to wait for mistakes.

•S, G. M'Dougall conHnued his sequence of victories in his singles matches, .scoring to love, against Morrow, The Roslyn player should be the first man to bo picked for the Canterbury match.

Wesley, who have bad a good record in C grade matches this season, had to lower their colors to Anderson's Bay last week, Bay winning by 9 sets to 7. Barsdell showed promise for the winners. defeating Nowbold in a good match. New bold has done well in matches for Wesley this season, but found his match in Barsdell. who lacked the speed of some of Newbold’s shots, but made up for this in accuracy. Miss Verngreen (Wesley) played well in her single to win from Miss Campbell; but failed badly in her two doubles matches. From mixed doubles results it appears that players do not get enough practice with their match partners. Teams should be selected ns early in the week as possible, and players should make a_ point of getting in at least one practice game with their partner before the match the following Saturday,

Technical proved too good for Opoho. winning by II sets to 5. Harris and Mrs Johnston displayed good form for the winners, while Miss Brown, playing first single lor Opoho, had a good win over Miss M'Lachlan. The Technical players showed a decided superiority in doubles play, winning seven out of the eight doubles games played. The New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association is to ho congratulated on its decision to enter a team in the Davis Cnp matches this year. It was pointed out in these notes a month ago that it was_ an exceptionally favorable opportunity this year for Now Zealand to enter a team, seeing that Andrew's and Peacock arc already in England. This view received confirmation when Borotra urged that a team should be entered from this country, saying that the standard here surprised him. The next matter is the selection of a team, and the question of expense is important here, as it will cost about £SOO for each player sent from New Zealand. If possible, an endeavor should be made to send Bartleet and Sturt lrom here, with Andrews to join the team in England. Bartleet must bo chosen first on his wonderful display at Wellington against the Frenchman, while Sturt, as a young player with considerable promise, appears a suitable partner for Bartleet in the doubles. He would benefit greatly from such a trip, and is to be preferred to Malfroy, who has plenty of Lime for such trips in the next few years. If two players cannot be sent, Bartleet and Andrews could play the .singles, and Bartleet and Peacock the doubles. Our team meets Portugal in the second round, having a bye in the first, and should win this match. Then they would meet the winner of the India v. Switzerland tie, and should again have a chance of getting through. Australia would then bar the way to the semi-final. It seems a pity that Australia - and New Zealand were not drawn in separate halves, and the New' Zealand Association should endeavor to get this done in future years. It is hardly seeding the draw', and the Frenchmen would no doubt accede to such a request.

The Olago team to play Southland at Dunedin on February 2u is a strong one ; and should give a good account of itself. The men. headed by Bray, Guy, and M'Dougall, will keep their opponents busy, and should establish a lead for Otago in this department. If our southern friends have their strongest ladies’ team available some excellent matches should be seen, and honors should be fairly even. The Otago Club is to be congratulated on supplying five players for the team, a record for that club. Many players are not available for the Canterbury match, and looking down the ladder one notices that number ten on the ladies’ ladder is the only lady of the first twelve available. The Otago team can hardly hope to defeat Canterbury in Christchurch at any time, but a match against South Canterbury is also played, and the learn available will find it difficult to defeat the Timaru players, headed by D. G. Johnstone and Mrs Scott. It io unfortunate that Misses Pattison, White, and Mrs Gale arc unable make the trip. Miss Eileen Ballantyne was married en.rly in the year to the Rev. A. Wat son, of North Taieri. She may b< available for representative matchoi in future, and would be a decidcc asset to any Otago team.

The following is a summary of all tho challenges played on the ladies ladder to date, together with both ladders as they stand at present:— The ladders were open for challenges on’ November 1, and between that date and December 20 fifteen challenges were played on the singles ladder and nine challenges on the doubles ladder. With the exception of four ladies, all have played a diallenge on the singles ladder, and although fifteen were played, only five challengers were successful: —■ SINGLES LADDER. 1. Miss Pattison. 2. Mrs Gale. g. Miss White. 4. Miss Bagley. ft. Miss Cook. 6. Miss Rotting. f. Mrs Jensen. 6. Miss Hey wood. 0. Mrs Evans.' lit. Mrs Tregear. 11. Miss Anderson. 12. Miss Ramsay. 13. Miss Sparrow. 14. Miss Hart. 15. Miss Finch. 16. Mrs Parker. 17. Mrs Roydhouse. 18. Miss Moloney. 10. Airs M'Kellar. 20. Airs Mills. doubles ladder. L.Alrs Gale and Miss White.' 2. Alisses Pattison and Cook. 3. Alisses Sparrow and Moloney. 4. Alesdames Tregear and Evans. 5. Miss Anderson and Airs Roydhouse. 0. Mesdames Parker and M'Kellar. 7. Alisses Ramsay and Finch. 8. Mesdames Jensen and Al'Dougall. 9. Misses Heywood and Hart. 10. Airs Guy and Aliss Sheriff. 11. Mrs Bell and Miss Rotting. 12. Airs Lanrenson and Miss Al'Cutcheson. .Misses Smith and Smellie.