Half Volleys

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 262, 26 January 1928, Page 7

Half Volleys

The men's singles title at. Waipawa, ‘Vs Bay, was taken by E. AV. (Auckland), who beat Bark(Wanganui). 6—3, o—3, in the (nil- .c isye Maori maidens danced a poi ■Le before the Frenchmen at the “T-., given in their honour at WellMr. Kinsi Tahiwi explained ’h»t such a welcome was given only Jr the most distinguished visitors. s*x A. K- Turner and V. X. Hubble meet the final of the ’Varsity singles, and having together, they will contest the Lai of the doubles with Nicholson and Hardy. _ _ In the final of the ’Varsity mixed doubles, Miss Whitelaw and A. K. -Turner defeated Miss Pat Miller and j Hun* er 1 6, 11 9. It was a ,J>ectacular match. Miss Miller was remarkably good form. and she joiased nothing. Turner gave a good account of himself, his overhead work being very effective. At the dinner, the toast of “The Visitors’’ was proposed by the chairman, Mr. Hickson, president of the Auckland Association, and vicepresident of the New Zealand Association. Their French visitors, he said, holders of the Davis Cup, and would not, he was sure, take anything which did not belong to them They were an absolute example in sportsmanship, and all the New Zealand players had learned something from them. When next they came here he hoped it would be to take the Davis Cup from New Zealand. Responding, M. Jean Borotra returned thanks to all for the kind words which had been said about them. England and London were the second homes, and if he might say so, “at home” they had often heard of New Zealand. They thanked the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, especially Messrs. Denniston, Murray* Kean, and Peacock, and “his good friend, George Goldie” and also to “the footfault judge who had foot-faulted him when the first ball had been a fault!” * * * Continuing, the courteous Frenchman said they had known that this country had given to lawn tennis the great Anthony Wilding, but they had not k»own that they were going to find such great tennis players, and they counted themselves lucky to have won so many sets. It was a great honour to have met so many fine sportsmen, and they hoped to meet them agian. rH Tti Paul Feret, the French lawn tennis player, who “went over” with Suzanne Lenglen as a professional to Mr. Pyle, the American promoter, a year ago, has; applied for and been refused reinstatement as an amateur. Mile. Lenglen is said to have n\ade a fortune in the States, but Feret says that he is little better off now than when he left France. His application was backed by Borotra, Lacoste, Cochet, and others, who succeeded in capturing the Davis Cup from America this rear, says a “Daily Mail” writer. * X * By the rules of the French Lawn Tennis Federation, no request for readmission to the amateur ranks can ba considered until live years after a player becomes a professional. Rumoura were current in Paris that Mile. Lenglen was only awaiting the result of Feret’s application before deciding whether or not to make one on her own behalf, because she is dissatisfied with the comparative seclusion which her professional status has imposed on her, and is anxious to appear In tournaments. This Mile. Lenglen emphatically denies. 7tz rJc “It is true,” said an official of the French Federation, “that Feret has asked to be reinstated, and has offered to hand over to us about £BOO that he earned as a professional. The reason for Feret’s change of mind is that he expected to malie a lot of money as a professional, but lie lias been disappointed. The only possible way Suzanne Lenglen could be reinstated is for her to offer to give up all the thousands of pounds she has earned in professional tennis, and this is as improbable as jumping over the moon.” ‘Surely, in a great sport such as lawn tennis,” says “Sporting Life,” "there should be no reinstatement of professionals as amateurs. Those who forsake the ranks of the unpaid do so ▼ith full knowledge of what they are doing, and with a view to benefiting themselves financially. If it were made abundantly clear that in no circumstances would there be reinstatement, it would act as a deterrent to amateurs not to take the plunge. Once * professional always a professional is good sports law. It holds in many <»f our leading pastimes, and it should do so in all.”