Lawn Tennis RANKING MATCHES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 77, 23 December 1937, Page 11

Lawn Tennis RANKING MATCHES

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Form Displayed in Recent Games F0RTHC0MING TOURNEYS

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Last week-end a further seriea of ranking matches was played on the excellent coiirts of the Hawke's Bay Club. In assiembling a number of players on a definite. date the as3ociation m..ue another step towards the establishment of a sound provincial ranking system;. when each series of matches is played on a specifled day at one of the main clu&s, all the results are at one of the main clubs, all the results are at once available. After one of the men's singlea previously arranged, the players neglected to send in the result to the secretary of the Lawn Tennis Association, If all th© players concerned had been notified in reasonable time, there would have ' been a larger gathering at Marewa last Sunday, but some of the games played should afford valuable assistance to the provincial selectors. F. Forbes, number seven on last season's ranking list, proved that on present form he should be Tanked above E. H. Milburn, who was number three on the same list. Forbes heat W. Bead and led 5—2 in the third set against Sharpe, and his failure to win the match was largely due to fatigue after sit strenuous sets. On this occasion Forbes's always aecurate ground strokes were supported by a deadiy smash; in his third set agaipst Eead, and the first set against Sharpe, his tennis was of a standard rarely seen in Hawke's Bay. Milburn, who is at present right out of touch, failed to win a set from either of the two Hastings men, who found Forbes such a tough proposition. Eead, whose play this season has been erratic, is just getting back tq form, and his straight-set victory over Milburn should help eonsiderably. Dennis, of Hastings, whose play is arousing much interest, beat Best, of Napier, in two sets. As Best recently defeated H.'Elliot in a ranking match, this was a creditable win for Dennis, whose neat and aecurate ground shots are most attractive to watch. In a previous single Best played a good up1411 game to overhaul and finally to defeat Burnett. Despita this loss, Burnett is likely to upset some of the leaders in later ranking singles. Women's Matches. In the women's singles last Sunday Mrs Milburn was ontstanding. Both her opponents, Mrs Lambe and Miss Fryer, played tennis which was-- well up to Hawke's Bay provincial standard^ but ueither was able to win a set. Miss Fryer nevertheless put up a very good fight in the gecopd set of her single, which was finally won 11 — 9 by Mrs Milburn. After ioging the opening set 1 — 6 against Mrs Hall, Mi?s Fryer made a good recovery to win the next two 6 — 3, 6 — 1. Mrs Hall shows a commendable willingness to go iu to the net, but her volleys are not quite forceful enough to be effective. A Marathon Singxe. The single played lasl; Saturday between H. EUiot and E. F. Sharpe was a f'ladder" match, not. a club championship event as this writer thought. Thq game proved to be a real marathon, which was. won by Elliot, 6—8, 6—4, 12— r!0. In the course of tho strenuops final set the winter saved no fewer than six match points, and his own winning stroke came on the sixfch match point in his own favour. Elliot 's re? markable fighting spirit more than atones for the limitations in his stroke equipment. By frequent variatiens in his length in Saturday's contest Sharpe made his opponent run fast and far, but although Elliot tired he did not weaken The Tournament Season. Next Monday marks the oommencement of New Zealand'a tournament seagon, The date sqt asida fop tha five Hawke's Bay tourneys are &s follow:— - Hastings— December 27, ?8, 29, Napier— December 30, 31, and January 1. i Dannevirke.— January 5, 6, 7, 8, Waipukurau.— dannary 13, 14, 15. Waipawa— January 15, 16, 17, 18. The provincial championships have this season been allotted to the Hawke's Bay Olub, Napier. This club's eourts, although they have been in use for only two seasons, "are in splendid order, For some ireason they are much slower than the Hastings couds, but in Napier false bounds are very rare. Hastings ?4Wies. As these notes are written before the entries olose fer the Hastings championships, it is not yet knoxvn how many visiting players wUi be pfesent, Last year's champion, G. StrQmhqrn, is unlikely to compete, but the?4 ig a possibility thqt Defiis Coomhe will play m Hastings, The popular Max Fe.rkins, well kqown on Hawke's Bay eourts, is a definite ' competitor, and if Coombe does not arrive Ferkins might easily win the men's singlgs, 'In the women's singles Mrs Milburn, on her play in the recCnt ranking matches, should be too good for the other Hawke's Bay women, but if Miss Molly Bqdd oomes up from Wellington she will offer pienty of opposition to the Napier playgr. Miss Bufid, who is reported to be playiug very well, recent defeated Miss Eljzabeth Plummer in a practice game in Wellington. The latter, who was previously mentioned as an improying player, has been included in Wellington's Nunneily Gasket team for this season.