TENNIS.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 December 1927, Page 1

TENNIS.

(Australian & N.Z. Cable Association -MELBOURNE. Dec. 29. I he Australian Lawn Tennis Association are advised that the French tennis players sailed from San Francisco by the Alakura to-day and arrive at AYellington on Kith .January. DOM INION ClI AAIPI ONSHIPS. CHRISTCHURCH, Dee. 28. The third day's play o£ the New Zealand Tennis Championships was lull of exciting contests. In the men’s single, Ollivier beat D. G. France decisively in three sets. After hard fiveset matches, Bartleet heat Alalfroy, Stuart heat Seay, and Laurenson heat D. J' ranee. In the last-named match the iinal set went to twenty-eight games before Lnurenscn won. He had lest the first two sets hadlv. To-morrow, Ollivier plays (Smart, and Laurenson plays Bartleet in the semi-final.

The contestants left; to fight out the ladies’ singles are: Miss Spiers v. Airs Macfarlane and Airs Adams v. Miss Knight. In the final of the ladies’ doubles. Misses Spiers and Partridge meet Mrs Adams and Miss Tracy. The eliminating of Ollivier and Scav in the men's doubles, caused surprise. The next round should lie interesting. Men’s Singles (fourth round): Partloot beat* Alalfroy 2—(i. G--8. o—4. 0- 0, o—2 ; Ollivier heat "Don Franco o—l, o—o. o—2; Lauren*an heat !,. G. Franco I —C, 2—o. 6--4, o—l. 15*—13; Stuart beat Seav B—o, 2—o. 6—4, 3—o, o—o.

Ladies’ Singles (third round): Airs Adams heat Airs AKOxly o—, (i—o: Afiss Spiers beat Aliss Traev 6—o. 7—5; A 1 iss Knight heat Aliss AVake I—(*. 6 —l. o—2 : Aliss Alacfarlane beat; .Miss Pattivon o—2, o—2. Ladies’ Doubles (fourth round): Misses Spiers and Partridge heat A 1 Kites Alacfarlane and Knight 5—7. o—2. 7—o; Airs Adams and AILx Tracy beat Alisses AVake and Andrew o—3. 3—6, 9—7. Combined Doubles (second round): Miss East and Greenwood heat Aliss l’attisoii and AljeDougall o—o,0 —0, o—2. .Men's Doubles (third round): Stuart and Knott heat Fulton and Poddy o—4. 4—o. o—3. 4—6, 6—4."

New Zealand Plate (second round): Knoit heat Wallace by default; Pearce heat Smithson o—3. 7—5. 6—3; R*. AYilson heat Parker o—3, o—2, o—4: AValker heat AfcDougall o—4, o—3. ' o—o. Third'round* To it heat Afunns 6—2, C —2, o—2; Kngas beat Barlow 6—3, B—o. o—4. Boys’ Single Championship <second ’round); Cant heat Slade 6—o, 0—1; TTow-o* heat Griffiths o—l. 6—2; AfcC'askey beat. White 0— 1, 0—1; Barnett heat Daly o—2. 0-4. Girls’ Singles (second round): Aliss Longmoro heat Aliss Bluiulon 6—l. o—l : Aliss Dill! heal Aliss Blundou o—3, 0—O; Afiss Fleming beat Aliss Donaldson li—l. 0—•'»: Aliss Rudkin heat Miss Smithson o—3.0 —3. o—-5.

COMMENT ON FLAT. Commenting on the play oi Mnlfroy, the “Lyttelton Times’’ of yesterday states:— Malfroy, the shrewdest head for his years in New Zealand, was listless under the heat at the start in his game with IS. R. I.oughnan. The iirsl set was a service duel with Mnlfroy arcing down the centre line, and Loughuan getting the corners. The game produced few rallies, and the set went to .AlallToy. The next set was better tennis, .Malfroy going for the side lines and spoiling Loiighnan’s game with the unexpectedness of the return. A\ ith both sets against him. I.oughnan slowed iiis game with the exception of his serve, and the play became uninteresting. The rallies were long, both playing without pace and very little purpose. Malfroy seemed content to pick up an odd game now and again, hut this proved disastrous. Coining; to light with two strong games. Loughuan ran out 0-4.

After the ten minutes interval, and with new.balls, Louglmnn ran to 3 love, mostly on Malfroy’s errors. 111 order to get a length Malfroy was forced to lob, as his drive hardly over passed the service line. 111 spite of this, he gradually improved the scoro willi better angle 011 his shots, getting his opponent running. The AVellington hoy, when he had overhauled his opponent’s score, went for rhis shots and ran out G—4. The score was G—3, I-...;-,. 4 G, (5—4 in his favour. PLUCK ANT) BRAINS.

Malfroy showed yesterday that he lias pluck as well as brains’. There were some who said that he should never have started his doubles match with Lainpe against Poar.se and Melody. His arm was troubling him considerably. Tn his match with B. B. Loughuan earlier in the day he had sprained a tendon. Tt became very painful, hut the youthful player refused to allow the doubles match to go I,v default. Play had advanced a fair stage in the first set when Air AT. E. Benniston. chairman of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, who was umpire, adjourned the game and called the players together. Me said that M’alfrov was not in a fit condition to play. He urged him io abandon the match. But Lampe wanted to continue and Malfroy declared that his

arm was not hurting much. Afr Denniston knew otherwise and he refused to continue to umpire the match. I’iay was resumed with a new umpire despite the suggedions from spectators that Alalfroy and his partner should pull out. They mot the opposing pair with a dogged determination to get through. Lampo relieved the younger man <;f as inveli work as possible. Every stroke meant pain to Alalfroy. That was strikingly evident as the match advanced. Spectators urged his father to call on the oung man to throw in the game. But Alalfroy always replied that his arm was not troubling him much and he continued to play.