Half- Volleys

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 268, 2 February 1928, Page 7

Half - Volleys

The “play when you please” element about the Auckland championships caused a deal of annoyance on the first two days of the tourney.

Permission to play after 4.30 was abused in a number of instances, several players evidently forgetting that the tournament was being run on Sidey time. The willing horse, of course, was worked to death whenever possible. • * *

One cannot blame the referee, an organiser’s prime duty is to get a tournament finished as soon as possible. Grumblers were very evident at first, but everything was righted on the final days.

The public came along in fairly big numbers on Saturday and Monday, and the “gate” was a surprise. Probably the French visit has stimulated interest in tennis.

Certainly the ex-Aucklander’s champion’s display against Borotra at Wellington lured many people along. When Bartleet was duelling with Dr. Laurenson, a new arrival came through the gate and asked audibly from the back of the court, “Can you tell me where is the famous Bartleet?”

Tennis proved to be a poor rival to excitement of a fire. When the fire engines came down the hill into Stanley Street every spectator forgot the games and stood on the seats. Even the players stopped, Bartleet and Laurenson were in the middle of the third set.

When a column of smoke could be seen from the courts there was a general stampede and the stadium was practically deserted until the firemen had made a rather sensational save of a biscuit factory nearby. They were real enthusiasts who stayed in their seats. The break was annoying to the players.

The prize for the most original headgear of the tourney goes to M. L. Lampe, the Wanganui champion, who, by placing a handkerchief under his eye shade on the first day, got an excellent substitute for the kepi and flap of the Indian Mutiny veteran. E. W. Griffiths came to ight with an immaculate cap as white as a new ball, but its virtue did not last through to the final.

Umpires were few and far between, sometimes, and one of the tasks of Mr. Ohlson was the wheedling of his friends into taking the score boards. The standard of umpiring was high, and few players could plead the excuse of having been beaten by the scorekeeper.

Whether the three grades of championships were a suc9ess or not is a debatable question. One of the B grade players declared that the B grade event had been spoilt by the placing of the best second grade men in the A event, where they were merely chopping-blocks. On the other hand the C grade players, although there were not myriads of them, seemed verysatisfied.

The winners of the Canterbury championships are:—Men, Ivan Seay; women. Miss M. Speirs; men’s doubles, K. J. Walker and C.' Angas; women’s doubles. Miss M. Spiers and Mrs. Y. Pritchett; mixed doubles, Miss M. Speirs and T. W. Patterson; boys, D. McCaskey; girls, Neroli Smithson. THAMES VALLEY TOURNEY MISS SHAND’S “DOUBLE” (From Our Own Correspondent) PAEROA, Wednesday. Proving herself the outstanding player of the Thames Valley tourney Miss V. Shand, Paeroa, won both championship and handicap singles, beating Miss L. Lipsey in each. The scores were.—Handicap singles: Miss V. Shand (owe 8), beat Miss L. Lipsey (owe 10), 50 —37. Championship singles: Miss Shand beat Miss Lipsey, 6—5, 6—5. The women’s doubles championship was won by the Misses Lipsey, who defeated Misses K. O’Gradj' and Taylor I Paeroa), 6 —l, 6—l. In the men’s singles. Dr. A. S. Gray, Thames, meets Bush, Te Aroha, in the final. Other finals to be played are the handicap singles between Garland (Thames) and Reeston (Paeroa), and the handicap doubles between Steedman and McMillan (Paeroa) and Reeston and Bluck (Paeroa). An effort is being made to complete these games this week.

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