This May be Auckland’s' Year

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 545, 24 December 1928, Page 8

This May be Auckland’s' Year

Review of the Prospects FIS should be Auckland's year for the New Zealand tennis championships. Playing on home courts, the Aucklanders should show up prominently in all the senior events and perhaps they will shake off the bad luck which has dogged them in the pursuit of some titles.

Last year there were three of this province’s representatives in the semifinal of the men’s singles, E. L- Bartleet, N. G. Sturt and Dr. J. T. Laurenson. but Geoff. Ollivier came out and won the event for the seventh time. First of all he beat Sturt, who played at the top of his form in Christchurch, and then he fought out a great battle with Bartleet —the best match of the tourney. Bartleet went down gallantly, the score being 6—l, 4 g, 6 —3, 3— 6, 9 —7; once more he had reached the final and lost th© title. WELLINGTON'S HOPES Laurenson, it will be remembered, retired in his single against Bartleet, but registered a defeat over the city s top man in the Auckland championships. He is a canny player, still to be reckoned with. Wellington’s hopes are laid in C. E. Malfroy, who is young, stylish, game, but without great power of endurance, and the veteran chop-expert Len France. Malfroy, who beat Bartleet in two sets in the Wilding Shield fiasco at Miramar, may go a long but a forceful game is sure to account for Fraaice. Noel Wilson and Don France, second and first respectively on Wellington’s ladder, are notable absentees. Canterbury’s team is a slender one, Ollivier, Seay Walker all being missing from the draw for the'first time in years Charlie Angas, who now ranks top at Christchurch and . who took the plate last year, beating Wilson m the final, has achieved the honour of being a seeded player. He has a remarkable eye and confidence to beat the world,

so that he may be a dangerous contender, The only other southerner of parts is the veteran, D. F. Glanville, who seems to have recovered from a playing slump. He is a fighter, but other qualities are necessary in a champion. That just about covers the top flight. A. C. Stedman (Auckland), of forceful style, may surprise by beating some of the older men, and E. W. Griffiths, is an unknown quantity until he strips for the fray. Rhodes Williams is fifth on the Wellington ladder. Everything considered, it seems that the best chance of taking the undefended title belongs to Bartleet. Malfroy, Angas and Sturt should be next in the order of favouritism with Laurenson somewhere at hand. THE BEST WOMAN

Thece is iid doubt that the woman who wins th« singles title will be the best in the Dominion. The strength of all provinces that count will be here. Miss May Speirs is the defender and three times champion, having taken the event in 1923, 1925 and 1927. She did not like Auckland in 1926, the year

that Miss Arita Howe, now Mrs. Adams, 'of Wellington, won the title. A born player, who was the best woman in New Zealand three years after she took up a racket. Miss Speirs hits out like a man and never gets frightened. There is yet another exchampion in the ruhning, Mrs. W. J. Melody (Wellington). With old-style

tactics she took the title in 19:24 For the singles Miss Marjorie Macfarlane must be Auckland’s chief hope. Like Bartleet, she has come within striking distance time after time. Last year, by an unfortunate draw, she met Miss Speirs in the semifinal instead of the final, and strove in a marathon, played in terrific heat. The Canterbury girl was lucky to win, 6—3, 11—13. 7—5, and then she went on to the final to have an easy win over Miss Beryl Knfght, an Aucklander who is absent this year. Miss Knight had beaten Mrs. Adams in the semi-final. It is probable that Canterbury and Auckland will fight out the final again. Wellington’s contingent is strong, consisting of thh first three women, Mrs. Adams, ~ Miss Tracy, Mrs. Melody and the sixth and seventh players on the ladder,. Miss E>. Howe and Miss Duleie Nicholls, but it does not look strong enough in the first round. Canterbury’s second string, Miss M. Wake, has a big chance of going down in the first round to Mrs. Napier (Miss Briar Witherow), who reached the semi-finals in 1926. Auckland is strongly represented with Misses Marion Macfarlane, P. Miller, B. Newton, J. Ramsay and B. Miller, and Mesdames Shroff, ScottWatson and Robson, all capable playMEN’S DOUBLES The one title which came to Auckland last year was the men’s doubles, and the winners, Bartleet and Laurenson, who unseated the champions, Knott and Sturt, in the final, are together again. Their main opposition is gong to be in the pairs of Sturt - Malfroy, France - Angas, i Lamps - Rhodes Wililams, and Gianville-Lcwry. Lampe and Malfroy played together last year, running Sturt and Knott to five sets in the semi-final. Peacock and Wilson lost the other semi-final in five sets, but this clever pair is absent this year. Youth has a habit of being served, and Sturt and Malfroy should go together extremely well. It is quite on the cards that they will be the new champions. The field in the doubles looks rather weak compared with the array of tried combinations which used to muster for the event. WOMEN’S DOUBLES Wellington had a walk-over in the women’s doubles last year. Miss Speirs being so knocked-up after her single with Miss Macfarlane that she retired in the second set, letting Mrs. Adams and Miss Tracy win. The champions are defending the title, but they are up against a harder proposition. The Misses Marjorie and Marion MacMiss Macfarlane farlane - are a stronger pair than Misses Macfarlane and Knight, a combination which lost the semi-final in 1927 after three sets, two of them advantage. Miss Speirs has changed her partner to Miss Wake, a more cautious player than Miss Partridge. Mesdames Scott-Watson and Shroff are Aucklanders of proved strength, and so are the Varsity girls. Misses P. and L>. Miller. The only other dangerous pair is Misses Nicholls and Howe (Wellington). Altogether the prospects for the province are bright in this event. THE MIXED There has been a general mixing of partfiers in the mixed doubles, and the only surviving pair of strength is Mrs. Adams and France, who went down in a three set final to the other Wellingtonians, Miss Tracy and Wilson. Miss Tracy plays now with Malfroy. May Speirs reached the semifinal with Bon France, but she has changed over to Angas, an inferior doubles man. If her partner, Macintosh, is on his overhead game, Miss Marjorie Macfarlane may shake things along. Miss Dulcie Nicholls and # Sturt, Mrs. Scott - Watson and Stedman, Miss Wake and Glanville, and Miss Howe and Griffiths are strong pairs. Miss Whitelaw and Turner know each other’s play perfectly, and may surprise the critics. H. A. Barnett (Canterbury) is coming up to defend his title of boys’ champion, and in the first round he meets the Remuera B grade player, Milne, in what should be a good match. Howe (Wellington), who was the run-ner-up, is also in the running. Auckland’s best chances seem to be in Brownlee and Milne. Neither the winner, Nancy Fleming (Otago) nor the runner-up, Miss Bini (Canterbury) is to put in appearance in the girls’ singles. The girls’, boys’ and mixed doubles are innovations and events upon which few would like to bet.