TILE DAVIS CUP

Hokitika Guardian, 13 December 1920, Page 4

TILE DAVIS CUP

PREPARATIONS FOR THE MATCH. AUCKLAND, Dec. 10. The stands for the Davis Cup contest will be finished to-morrow, and all that now remains to be done is the completion of the committee room and tho erection of a reception room. It is only ten weeks since the first load of timber was carted on to the ground, and the builders have craried out their ’work rapidly. The stands contain eighteen tiers of seats, and each seat is numbered, so that there can be no misapprehension. There are six entrances, and these should give ample means of accerr. The courts are in excellent order, and have been warmly praised by both the Australasians and Americans. * * Both teams are in strict training, much to the chagrin of some enterprising hostesses who would like to tain them. A good story in this connexion is going the rounds just now. It is whispered that a well know n Auckland lady besieged Norman 1 Brookes with a pressing imitation for himself and the other members of his team to a private dance. Brookes pointed out that all his men must be in i lied by nine o’clock. The lady, however, continued her persuasive campaign until Brookes, who is the soul of courtesy, had a brilliant inspiration, jf the Americans would go to the dance, lie said, then bis men could go too. It is related that the lady in question saw ’ the Americans, and put the matter to r them, but Brookes knew his men, and : the dance, it is. said,, was not brightened by the presence of any tennis champions. Auckland’s fair sex is now be- ■ ginning to realise that playing international tennis is “not all beer and skittles.”

RIVAL TEAMS AT PRACTICE

PLEASED WITH SPECIAL CO.URT. AUCKLAND, Dec. 10.

The Davis Cup teams have altogether about three weeks to prepare for the great contest in the Auckland Domain, and in addition to hard practice at the nets hope to become acclimatised to the conditions of the Auckland summer The weather of the past few weeks has been particularly unpleasant. spell of warm bright days there was a change at tho beginning of the week, marked by a heavy fog that delayed the arrival of the visitors. Since then there has beeii a steady increase in humidity and tlie high temperature, with a light drizzling rain, has made conditions must unpleasant. However, both teams have been able to get some pi active. The two captains have expressed highly favourable opinions regarding the conditions of the special court prepared in the Domain. Mr Brookes’s first remark after a close inspection was “I don’t know how-you dfd it. We couldn’t have managed it in Australia.” Mr Brookes said that critics in Australia were very sceptical about the possibility of making a good court m the allotted time as climatic conditions, in Australia would have made it impossible to do it there.

Mr Hardy, the American captain, considered the court was excellent and that it would meet the requirements of his team.