NO WEAK SIDE

NZ Truth, Issue 1194, 18 October 1928, Page 16

NO WEAK SIDE

English Tennis Men Can Play

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Tennis Correspondent.) : Blooded by their clash with the brilliant Frenchmen who visited New Zealand last season, the Dominion representatives will have to face another test of their mettle this month. when they, meet Gregory^ English team. TT is no weak , si.de that- England has sent overseas, for it noids England's hopes, Austin and Collins, and Higgs, the finest stroke player m 'the Old ,'Land. Its three matches m New Zealand, mean that our tennis best .will, be at full stretch when the balls' are flying. The French -match was a hurriedlyarranged affair, with . neither side at full strength and it was against the champion country of the world. Nerves, the absence of. "Buster" Andrews, .Ollivier's flop and the shakiness of Knott made it an exhibition rather than a contest. This visit is another matter and constitutes New Zealand's first- real test with England since the days when Wilding's name headed the world's ranking. • • ' , It's a confident man who imagines that because of the relatively . poor showing of the Englishmen at

Los Angeles the other day they will, be easy mutton. v Fair game for the South Island" side which they meet at ' Christchurch shortly, after their journey .; over the Pacific., the Englishmen will be harder when they reach Wellington and fully iii" f orm by. the time that they. face the New Zealand team at Auckland! That match is' timed for November 5. • ■ "'■' • Never, before have . the provincial teams' of the country been of such nicely-balanced strength and when they meet the positional play of Jeff. Ollivier and the raking, drives -of Ivan Seay at Christchurch the tourists will be merely getting a foretaste of their opposition throughout the /tour.- v - Nevertheless they are good. * > Frail, "Bunny" Austin may be, but he has at his belt the scalps of men like H., K. Lester, and, Cro]e r ßees,.of England, and George Lott and J. if. Hennessy, of tlie. American Davis Cup team, and he' has carried, the mechanically perfect Lacoste to five sets at the' last Wimbledon party. \ ■■■■'.' ' . • : The rugged, slashing Collins, young and virile, has held off all-comers m the Scottish singles and ' doubles for the past two years and counts. among •his victims Austin and Kingsley. If Austin fails to mature, Collins is England's next favorite. ' Higgs, stubborn, technically excellent, is England's /first man and would stay first if he did not beat himself.. Gregory, the most seasoned member of the team, : a thorough; spqrtsnian, a glorious hitter; has thrashed Austin, , Randolph Lycett, A. «H. = Lowes and W. H. Powell (who beat E.D.. -Andrews this season). Last year's Wimbledon saw him fall to the solid Francis T Hunter 6-4, 5-7, 2-6; 6-4, 3-6 -" •

The' official ball selected by the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago Provincial Lawn Tennis Associations for 1928-29 is the Ayres' Championship Stitchless Tennis- Ball, and will be used at; their Championship Tournaments.* i