N.Z. TENNIS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 622, 29 August 1933, Page 7

N.Z. TENNIS

the first ten . ^ i » NEW NAMES APPEAR ON ' NATIONAL RANKING LISTS. * ' THE WOMEN'S LIST. Two new names hreak into the I first ten in men's tennis this year, | H. C. Bowlands, the Auckland hitter, | and R. McL. Ferkins, Well-ington's | fourth-string Wilding Shield player whp ran G. Angas hard at the nation- j al meeting last January. 1 Bowlands reaches 10th position on the list through his remarkable form in the Wildinig Shield contest between Auckland and Wellington. He defeated both N. R. C. Wilson and Ferkins, and beat them all the way. Though he did not play in the New Zealand championships, the Ranking Committee considered his form so definitely .high that he could not be ignored. It was much more convin- ' cing than that of his team-mate and peer in ability, M. M. Morrison. Ferkins reaches the top flight in New Zealand tennis after a varied career which began bi'illiantly and was set back by a long absence in country school-teaching. Last season he improved so far as to threaten Wilson's position as third man in the Wellington team, and he has victories ■over W. R. Robinson, D. G. France, 1 Wilson and A. L. France, who .dis- j appears from the national ranking j list for the first time since it was started. In the men's list there are marked changes, and thc principal alteration is due to the return of E. D. Andrews and C. E. Malfroy to New Zealand. Naturally, as winner and runner-up in the New Zealand championship, they take first positions on the list. Beyond th'e rating of the first two players, however, few will agree with the order in which the committee has placed the men. The arrangement makes the First Ten the most controversial ever produced in the New Zealand Association. The following are the names, the figures in brackets giving the position of the player in the 1932 list: — 1. (0) E. D. Andrews (Dulwich)/ 2. (0) G. E. Malfroy (Wellington). .3. (4) D. G. France (Wellington). m. 4. (1) C. E. Angas (Canterbury). ,t , 5. (10) A. C. Stedman (Auckland). 6. (2) II. A. Barnett Canterbury). 7. (6) N. G. Sturt (Auckland). 8. (3) N. R. C. Wilson (Wellington) 9. (0) R. McL Ferkins (Wellington) 10. (0) H. C. Bowlands (Auckland), E. L. Bartleet (Auckland) was not j rariked because of insufficient performance. It is obvious that the ranking committee has taken into aceount a wide range of matches, some of them three-set affairs, though its principles are supposed to exclude these. For instance, D. G. France may have taken place ahead of C. Angas on the strenlgth of a win in the Wilding Shield match (though Angas was upset by f oot-f aulting) . But Stedman can hai'dly have risen above Barnett, who beat the Aucklander in five sets in the New Zealand championships l and Ferkins cannot have moved ahead of Bowlands unless three-set victories have been considered. Sturt's appearance above Wilson for the first tims is no mystery, however, as the ( Wellington player is now definitely on teh downward grade in singles and Sturt's game has improved season by season. The Women's * List. There are also new names in the women's list, the ehief newcomers being the Canterbury players, Misses lEdna Rudkin and Thelma. Poole, who j. revealed exceptional promise at Wel- | lington, after playing their way into j big tennis just before the national 1 meeting. iMss Poole is placed 10th, ' equal with' iss D. Miller. Miss Rudrating by defeating Miss M. Whyte j kin is eighth place. She earned this and coming near to a win over Mrs. D. G. France. In this list, also, there are mysteries, and one of them is how J Miss M. Wake (Canterbury) can be ; ranked ahead of Miss D. Howe (Wellington). They met twice, once in the Nunneley Casket match and once in the New ZeJaland champioi^shiip and Miss Howe woff both matches in straight sets. The full list follows, last year's ranking being given in brackets: — ' " 1. 1) Miss D. Nicholls (Wellington) 2. (2) Mrs. H. M, Dykes (Wellington). 3. (3) Miss Marjorie Macfarlane ^ _ (Auckland). 4. (5) Miss B. M. Knight (Auck.) 5. (6) Miss M. Wake (Canterbury.) 6. (8) Miss D. Howe (Wellington). 7. (8) Mrs. D. G. France (Wellington) . 8. (0) Miss E. Rudkin (Canterbury)-, 9. (0) Miss.M. Whyte' (Wellington) 10. (0) Miss D. Miller (Otago), and (0) Miss T. Poole (Canterbury). There is little chanige at the top of the list, the main alteration being 1 due to the dropping of Mrs. W. J. 1 Melody, who last year filled fourth position and totally failed to hold her place iii match tennis last season. In th'e New Zealand championship she was beaten by a young player. Miss M. Whyte. i*eturns to the list after an absence due to the fact that she did not concentrate upon he game as intensely as usual. Miss Rudkin and Miss Poole were the two finds of the season and few who saw it will forget the way in which Miss f Poole hit around Miss Whyte for a straightsets victory, extended Mrs. Dykes, in the championships, and defeated Mrs. France and MisS Whyte in the Nunneley Casket doubles.