TENNIS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 October 1924, Page 10

TENNIS.

The season has been given its initial impetus by a most- successful opening at the Park on Wednesday, and today the Hawera Club are having .a. similar function at their- pretty central courts off Albion Street. Prospects for both clubs are of the becst.

The Park Club were very fortunate in secuirng such a remarkably fine afternoon for their opening. It must he that the presiding genius, looking down on the ;gay assemblage preparing,-resolved to give them of the best he could supply. It certainly mad© their. function, and was extremely remarkable, coming as it did between two very unfavourable days. ' The Park Committee are looking some day to have a much-needed addition to. their courts in the shape of a grandstand. They should discuss at once what means could be devised, and perhaps if they show a progressive spirit and , a determination to raise funds, the Council might he moved to assist them. HOW ENGLAND STANDS. MR F. WILDING’S OBSERVATIONS. Interesting comment on the state of sport in England was made by Mr F. Wilding, K.C., who returned recently from a trip to the Old Country. Mr Wilding has made a thorough study of the position of lawn tennis. “The interest in tennis is greater now thsm it has ever been before,” said Mr Wilding. “Royalty, statesmen, dukes and earls are amongst those to he seen at Wimbledon.” ..The average standard of the players in England has improved very much, he said, and for one good player that there was twenty years ago, there are probably twenty now. However, the best men twenty years ago were quite as good, if not better, than the best men now. Colonel Kingscote 'was, perhaps, the" strongest English player. Mr Wilding had seen him on many occasions, and thinks that- there is a similarity between fhim /find Laurie Doherty, but few old tennis players would hesitate to place Doherty on a higher level than Kingscote. Good as the colonel certainly is, he is not in tlie same class as Doherty. When one saw him play close matches with the French and American champions, one could not help drawing the conclusion that the best-"men of twenty years ago were, if anything, superior’. ‘‘That is my opinion, based upon personal observation of the play,” he said. Brookes, when in form, was still very good for a couple of sets, and at his est he would be- superior to Kingscote. As a doubles player he had no superior, excepting, of course, one or two Americans. Speaking of the popularity of tennis, Mr Wilding said that there were tennis courts everywhere. Red brick dust courts were to I>3 found all over England. If kept in good order these were delightful to. play upon, but they required a great deal of attention, not-, so much, .of course, as a grass court, hut they Ixad to be rolled and watered in dry weather. LAWN TENNIS ON. THE STAGE. Th-e experiment of turning the stage into a temporary lawn tennis court has proved successful at the Coliseum. Demonstrations of the game are given and actual matches played by some leading professionals, as part of the variety entertainment programme. The- stage has been very cleverly adapted to its new character, and the court seems to be of regulation size, with the one drawback that there is very little space between the back line and the wall of the stage. In spite of this handicap, however, a series of exciting matches, both singles and doubles, have been played, and the examples of different strokes were ospecially interesting. The whole demonstration was far more attractive and entertaining than could have been expected, and the audience was not only pleased, but obviously excited.