NEVER COACHED, NEVER TRAINS

Evening Star, Issue 23378, 22 September 1939, Page 5

NEVER COACHED, NEVER TRAINS

A KING OF THE TENNIS COURT KEN. BRYAN, OTAGO TITLES HOLDER PLAYED FOR 20 YEARS—AND STILL GOING STRONG When Ken. Bryan, first string in the Otago tennis world, was a longlegged lad of seven years_ of age his leisure hours were divided between hitting a ball about with a cheap racket and watching with boyish enthusiasm Oamaru’s best players in action. Now others watch him, and marvel at his courtcraft, his easy style, his agility and stamina, and above all his temperament. It has been agreed by shrewd critics that Bryan, is armed' with all the qualities of a match player—plus sportsmanship. But it is not generally known that in a tennis career extending over 20 years he has never received any coaching. His lessons have been learned watching other players. Bryan, in short, is a natural tennis player. His is a remarkable record. For instance, the only titles that he has not won in Dhh«din are doubles —the mixed (M'Millan Cup) and the men’s championship event of the province.

A particularly unassuming player, Bryan plays tennis mostly for fun, and certainly not for the honour and glory of having his name engraved on trophies. It would seem that a provincial champion would be the product partly of the coach’s skill. But besides giving the lie direct to this assumption, Bryan also explodes another recognised and orthodox theory. He never trams, but he is always fit. His occupation involves long walks daily, and so he is in first-rate physical condition all the year. When he was nine he thrilled to the excitement that is part and parcel of competitive tennis. All his shots were developed quickly, but he learned the finer points through a study of style. Then came his first of many triumphs. Bryan represented North Otago when he was 16 years old, and took his first title in 1929 by winning the singles championship. The following year he also collected the North Otago title, and again in 1932. With Gallagher he won the doubles championship for tour successive years from 1929. There were at this time (and still are) many firstrate players in Oamaru, and among them was George Sumpter. Ken. Bryan broke his list of successes singles titleholder for six years. After leaving Oamaru in. 1933 he did not play championship tennis for a year,_ and he admitted in an interview with the ‘ Star ’ that the rest probably refreshed him. A FORMIDABLE LIST. It was five years ago that Bryan came to Dunedin. He has played superlative tennis ever since. His record! alone points out a list of triumphs. that very few (players in the Dominion could show. For consistency in performance Ken Bryan is amazing. Roslyn is his club and his .name has been at the head of the ladder there for five years. Only once has he been beaten, ana that was by the next best player, R. G. Sincock. This is a record I Repeating the successes of this clever tennis champ, is like repeating the number ox races Defaulter has won in his career on the track. Bryan has been the champion of champions of Otago in 1935, 1936, and again last season, in 1937 he was beaten by W. Smith, or Varsity. Then came his most important title. He won the singles title of the nr ovine© last season. Associated witii Miss R. Wilson, of Southland, he won the South Island doubles title in 1936, and he has also been runner-up in the South Island men’s doubles with it. A. Pearce. Last season he won the.mixed doubles event of Otago with Miss Wilson, and when it was held in 1936 m conjunction with the South Island titles they were successful again. When the Wilding Shield was in the custody ot Canterbury in 1936, George Pearce, a former Otago champion, and Bryan brought off a sensational win against Don Angus and Dymond. The Otago pair were unused to a grass court, but. so confidently and assertively did they play, that the Canterbury men were rather out of their stride. What has been Ken Bryan’s most exhilarating experience in the many years he has been in big tennis. It was when he was hopelessly outclassed by Vivian M'Grath, the Davis Cup player. Bryan stepped on to the Logan Park court with one idea in his mind. The public had come to see the Australian’s curious backhand shot, in which he brings both hands into play. “I played to that shot,” said Ken Bryan, and, although the match ended in the biggest ‘hiding’ I have ever received, it was also the best tennisI consider I have ever played.” MARATHON TENNIS, What must he one of the longest tennis finals played in the Dominion was fought out in Oamaru between Gallagher and Bryan and George Sumpter and Robertson (Timaru). The titanic struggle lasted for four hours! It commenced at 4,30 one afternoon, and continued until 7.30, when all four agreed that they should try to reach finality the next morning. Another hour decided! the result. There were 85 games in the five sets, which works out the best of 17 games in one set!

Tennis is on the backward move in Otago, especially in the case of women players, considers Bryan. One reason why the women players were not as good now. He thought, was because mixed doubles in interclub matches had been dropped. Then when it came for championship events to b« decided the partners were expected to understand one another’s styles without having, prhaps, played together before, at least not seriously. The absence of grass courts, too, was having a detrimental affect on the standard. However, there was compensation in the reflection that in the Logan Park courts Otago had the best of that kind in the Dominion.