Sturt in Last Four

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 239, 29 December 1927, Page 13

Sturt in Last Four

BIG TENNIS AT CHRISTCHURCH

Ollivier’s Brilliance

AUCKLAND GIRLS IN SEMI-FINAL

Ah TER a brilliant victory over Don France, Ollivier, six times ch&mpion of New Zealand, meets N. Sturt, Auckland s young player in the semi-final of the singles to-day. Sturt upset Ivan Seay in five sets yesterday and Bartleet seems to have been lucky to get past Malfroy (Wellington). The Auckland champion meets D. Laurenson to decide the hnalist.

Auckland s two women, Miss Marjorie Macfarlane and . ISS I Ber y l Knight, have qualified for the semi-final of the singles but they went down in the doubles in a crisp game to Miss May Speirs and Partridge. The best tennis of the tournament is said to have been provided in the doubles match between Knott and Sturt and b ulton and Boddy.

Press Association.

CKRISTCH'UPICH, "Wednesday. The New Zealand tennis champion*“lps were continued to-day, and altnough play had to be adjourned for naif an hour In the morning owing to rain, there was no further interruption, and games continued until after eight o’clock. The feature of the dav was the outstanding form of G. Ollivier, who de- | feated D. G. France I with the loss of ! only six games in the fourth round. So accurate was Ollivier that France scored out eight points in the second set. Ollivier played Wonderful tennis, and showed splendid D. France generalship. Ollivier plays N. Sturt (Auckland) tomorrow in one semi-final, and Dr. Laurenson plays Bartleet. Sturt’s victory over Seay to-day was due to the latter’s lack of physique for a five-set match.

Laurenson to-day lost the first two sets badly to France, but then his staying powers told. Finally he won the last set, 15 —13, amid tense excitement, after France had had at least three match points. It was a sensational contest, for Laurenson had also had two match points. Bartleet also had a five-set tussle with Malfroy, but the young Wellington player faded out at the finish.

BARTLEET’S WIN In the first set of his match with Malfroy to-day Bartleet was outplayed, and lost the set, 6 —2. In the second set Bartleet began by making numerous errors, but recovered touch, and evened the score at two-all, mainly by neat volleying. His returns of service were magnificent. Bartleet led 5—4 by beautiful driving to corners, but lost on his service, and the scores were five-all. Deadly serving gave Malfroy the eleventh game, and he finally took the set, B — 6. Bartleet won the third set at 6—4 amid applause. Just before going for the last ball in the fourth* game of the fourth set Bartleet lost the use of his right hand from cramp. He played with his left hand softly, and won the point amid gasps from the spectators. After a brief spell play was resumed. Malfroy served in the fifth game, and led 40 —15, only to lose it. Bartleet served at his best, and made it a love set. Poor tennis was witnessed in the final set. Malfroy had lost all his former accuracy and vigour, and Bartleet won, — 2. OLLIVIER V. FRANCE Every seat in the stands was filled to watch Ollivier play France. The game began quietly, both men going for position. With angle shots that ■ ■ ■ were models of

precision Ollivier went off with a 3—l lead. He showed uncanny intuition, and re - peatedly France was caught on the wrong foot by what seemed simple shots. Ollivier won, 6 —4. In the second set

France was outplayed, and Ollivier won, 6 —o. The third set provided more excellent tennis, though France could secure only two games. Sturt began better than Seay, and took the first set, B—6.8 — 6. He showed great agility, but was always sure. In the second set Seay executed many punishing drives, and made few errors. He won, 6 —2. Sturt took the third set at 6 —4, after an exciting display, full of fast drives and rattling network. The fourth set went to Seay at 6 —3, but in the fifth set Sturt was not pressed. WOMEN’S DOUBLES In the semi-final of the women’s singles Miss Spiers plays Miss Macfarlane, and Mrs. Adams plays Miss Knight tomorrow. The final of the ladies’ doubles is between Misses Speirs and Partridge, and Mrs. Adams and Miss Tracy. In the men’s doubles Bartleet and Laurenson meet Peacock and Wilson in one semi-final, and Knott and feturt meet the winners of France and France v. Lampe and Malfroy. L. Franco surprised most critics by easily accounting for Laurenson *n the first two sets. Laurenson only began to show occasional flashes of hi 3 old brilliancy in the middle of the third set. He won the third and fourth

sets and the last, which was the most gruelling seen here for years. Miss Macfarlane, as expected, proved much too good for Miss Pattis on, the Otago champion, and lost only four games. The Auckland player will prove a formidable opponent for Miss Speirs. Although Miss Wake dominated the first set against Miss Knight, she could not keep on top. Miss Knight improved greatly halfway through the second set, and won from then on through steadiness and brisk overhead work. Capital tennis roused the enthusiasm of the large gallery that watched the women’s doubles between Misses Macfarlane and Knight, of Auckland, and Misses Speirs and Partridge, of Canterbury. Not only was the volleying sharp and crisp, but the exchange of hard driving between Miss Speirs and Miss Macfarlane resembled a hard men’s singles. Results are as follow:' MEN’S SINGLES Fourth Round.—Bartleet beat Malfroy, 2 6—B, 6—4, 6—o, 6 —2; Ollivier beat D. France, 6 —4, 6—o, 6—2; Laurenson beat L. G. France, I— 6, 2— 6, 6 —4, 6 —4, 15—13: Sturt beat Seay, B —6, 2—6, 6 —4, 3 6 —o. WOMEN’S SINGLES Third Round.—Mrs. Adams beat Mrs. Melody, 6 —l, 6 —o; Miss Speirs beat Miss Tracy, 6 —o, 7—5; Miss Knight beat Miss Wake, I— 6. 6 —4, 6 —2; Miss Macfarlane beat Miss Pattison, 6 —2, 6 —2. MEN’S DOUBLES Third Round. —Sturt and Knott beat Fulton and Boddy, 6 —4, 4 — 6, 6 —3, 4— 6, 6—4. WOMEN’S DOUBLES Fourth Round.—Misses Speirs and Partridge beat Misses MacFarlane and Knight, 5—7, 6 —2, 7—5; Mrs. Adams and Miss Tracy beat Misses Wake and Andrew, 6 —3, 3 — 6, 9 —7. MIXED DOUBLES Second Round.—Miss East and Greenwood beat Miss Pattison and McDougall. 6 — o, 6—2. NEW ZEALAND PLATE Second Round.—Knott beat Wallace by default; Pearse beat Smithson, 6 —3, 7 —5, 6 —3; N. R. Wilson beat Parker, 6 —3, 6— 2, 6 —4; Walker beat McDougall, 6 —4, 6—3, 6—o. Third Round.—Tait beat Munns, 6 —2, 6 —2, 6 —2; Angas beat Barlow, 6 —3, B — 6, 6 —4. BOYS’ SINGLES Second Round.—Cant beat Slade, 6 —o, £—l; Howe beat Griffiths, 6 —l, 6 —2; McCaskey beat White, 6—l, 6 —l; Barnett beat Daly, 6 —2, 6 —4. GIRLS’ SINGLES Second Round. —Miss Longmore beat Miss Blunden, 6 —l, 6 —l; Miss Dini beat Miss Blunden, 6 —3, 6 —o; Miss Fleming beat Miss Donaldson, 6 —4, 6 —5; Miss Rudkin beat Miss Smithson, 6—3, 6 —5. TO-DAY’S PLAY MIXED DOUBLES RESULTS Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, To-day. The tennis championships were continued in hot weather. The courts were very fast. Results: MIXED DOUBLES First Round.—Miss Andrew and Seay beat Miss Dallas and Hay, 6 —2, 6 — l; Miss Myers and Lampe beat Miss Wake and Walker, 6—4, 4—6, S— 6. Second Round.—Miss Tracy and Wilson beat Miss Ramsay and Pearse, 6 —l, 6 —3. BOYS’ SINGLES Semi-finals.—Howe beat McCaskejy, 6—l, 3—6, 6—3; Barnett beat Cant, 6—l, 6 — 2. GIRLS’ SINGLES Semi-finals. —Miss Fleming beat Miss Longmore, 6—l, 6—4; Miss Dim beat Miss Rudkin, s—o, 6—5, 7—5. NOTES ON THE PLAY (Special to THE SUN.) By “WAYFARER” CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. I threatened yesterday to discourse learnedly on the foibles of umpires, but I will content myself with but ihree samples. One umpire made a most serious mistake yesterday in the Mal-froy-Bartleet game, a mistake fraught with such far-reaching results as to make it possible to say that the result of the match could quite reasonably have been the other way. Malfroy was two sets in, and leading in the third. He had been playing with mathematical accuracy, hitting the, chalk on many lines, and seemed to be able to put the ball exactly where he wanted. There was a ball lying on Bartleet’s court, just outside the service line, and it seemed to catch ••Cam’s” eye, for straight as an arrow flew the ball in play from the youngster’s racket to strike the dead-ball on the court. The result was that Bartleet could not get near the proper ball, which cannoned violently away, the umpire at the same time calling against Bartleet. Malfroy called, “Oh take it again.” and the umpire, changing his mind, said, “We will play it a let.” Bartleet’s conscience and knowledge of the rules caused him to utter a protest. Malfroy on the replay lost the *oint he had properly won, and later the game which he would not have, and then as if utterly to seal his fate he did what some said was a sporting thing, but which was really a quixo-tically-idiotic thing. During a rally Bartleet was seized with a sudden cramp in his right hand and played a weak shot with his left. QUIXOTIC MALFROY

Malfroy could have. indeed must have, won the point, but with the score at 40 against him he deliberately hit the ball down on the ground and the umpire called; "Cam# Bartioet,” in

this he was quite correct, but in his first ruling he utterly disregarded rule 21, which reads: ‘ln case a player is hindered in making a stroke by anything not within his control, except a permanent fixture of the court, the point shall be replayed.” Now a ball being one of those in use on a particular court is within a player's control, and it has been ruled that it is his duty to remove any such obstruction. Therefore the umpire erred and sadly so in replaying the point. In a girls’ match in the morning one competitor ran into the net before her return, which her opponent had no chance to get, had hit the ground a second time, and thereby became dead, with the result that the umpire correctly gave -the point against her. The same point cropped up in the Olli-vier-Seay, "Wilson-Peacock double, when Wilson, having made an unreturnable smash, banged into the net. The umpire hesitated and apparently decided that the ball was dead before Wilson touched the net. It was open to argument. Well, well the unexpected happened, for did not Noel Wilson redeem himself and with his partner Peacock vanquish the Christchurch pair. The lack of a killing volley in Geoff’s equipment permitted his opponents to return many shots they should not have got, to his own undoing. STURT, “THE DARK HORSE” Norman Sturt is a dark horse, for he ran Ivan Seay all round the place and won the last set at six love, Ivan seemingly throwing in the sponge. Dr. Laurenson and Len France played stuff they called tennis for about five hours. Their game aroused about as much enthusiasm as would a, Chinaman’s funeral in Iceland, and I know there are no Chinamen in Iceland. I pray to high heaven there were no overseas visitors to witness the exhibition for which both were to blame. France is off the map now in the singles as Ollivier sent Don home in double quick time. Perhaps my dark horse already referred to, may do better. While France, and the doctor were chopping about on court one, Marjorie Macfarlane and Beryl Knight and May Speirs and her agile partner, Miss E. Partridge, were putting up a fine exhibition of sparkling tennis. Crisp sharp volleys, keen deep driving, heady serving and great recoveries kept the crowd on tip-toe. The Auckland girls had no luck and had bad luck to lose, but the Christchurch girls went well, Miss Partridge coming clean out of her shell. I don’t think May Spiers realises what a valuable asset she has in her partner. It will probably prove an interesting experiment in tactics when the Wellington pair, Mrs. Adams and Miss Tracy meet them in the final.

It was a thousand pities that the best tennis of the tournament was played before a thin crowd. Boddy and Fulton, Knott and Sturt, put up a splendid exhibition. It was great stuff; Sturt excelled himself despite his hard match with Seay.

ROTORUA EVENTS

THOMPSON WINS SINGLES RAIN STOPS PLAY (From Our Own Correspondent) ROTORUA, To-day. Rain caused the abandonment of play in the Rotorua tournament to-day. The women’s championship doubles were concluded. Misses M. Payton and Richardson beat Misses Asser and Wilson in the final, 6—3, 3 —6, 6 —3. The final of the men’s singles resulted in H. O. Thomson (Auckland), beating N. W. Smith, 6 —4, 3 —6, 6—2, 2 6, 6—2. This was a very fine game, both players hitting hard. True condition was the deciding factor in the game. _ The women’s championship singles lies between Miss M. Payton who plays the winner of Miss "Wilson and Miss Mellsop. Miss Mellsop created a surprise when she defeated Miss Richardson, 6 —3, 6 —o. MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES Semi-final. Thompson beat Elliott, 26, 6 4, 7—5 ; Smith beat Morpeth, 2 —6,’ 6 —l, 6 — 2. _ ... „ , Final. —Thompson beat Smith, 6—4, 3 6, 6—2, 2—6, 6—2. MEN’S HANDICAP SINGLES Semi-final. —Richardson beat Allison. WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES Miss Wilson beat Miss Sherrett, 6 —o, 6 —3; Miss Payton beat Miss Matheson, 6 —3, 6 —2; Miss Humphries beat Mrs. Roberts, 6 —3, 6—o. In qualifying for the final, Miss Payton beat Miss Humphries, 6 — 2, 6 — l. WOMEN'S HANDICAP SINGLES Miss Richardson beat Miss Manson, 9 3; Miss Higginson beat Mrs. Tonks, 9 3; Miss Melsop beat Miss Humphries, 9 7; Miss Matheson beat Miss Asser, 9 MIXED CHAMPIONSHIP Mrs. Tonks and Thompson beat Miss Dannefaerd and Grant, 6 —2, 6 1; Mrs. Brown and Brown beat Mrs. Hay and Ha.y, 6 —l, 6 —l; Miss Mason and Robinson beat Miss Hale and Oakley, 6 —3. 6 —2; Miss Asser and N. Bowden beat Miss Lee and Tukere, 6 —5, 6 —o. WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES Misses Asser and Wilson beat Mrs. Tonks and Miss HiggVison, 6 —2, 6 —5; Misses Payton and Richardson beat Misses Matheson and McKay, 6 —4, 4— 6, 6 — o. Final.—Misses M. Payton and Richardson beat Misses Asser and Wilson, 6—3, 3—6, 6—3. WOMEN’S HANDICAP DOUBLES Mrs. Burke and Miss Sherra,tt beat Misses McKay and Matheson, thus qualifying for the final. MIXED HANDICAP Fourth Round.—Mrs. Allen and Allen beat Miss Adair and Rolenby, 11—4; Miss Parkinson and Reed beat Mrs. Leggatt and Leggatt, 11—10. MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES Smith and Dannefaerd beat Mason and Grant, 6-— 3, 6 —4. Smith and Dannefaerd are in the final. MEN’S HANDICAP DOUBLES Fourth Round. —Thompson and Bowden beat Tukere and Royal, 11 —5; Stedman and Stedman beat Morton and Piper, 11— 6; Horton and Morpeth beat Robinson and Robertson, 11—S. TOURING FRENCHMEN By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. Reed. 9.5 a.m. MELBOURNE, To-day. The Australian Lawn Tennis Association has been advised that the French touring team sailed from San Francisco in the Makura to-day and will arrive at Wellington on January 16.—A. and N.Z.