AUCKLANDERS COMPETE IN SOUTHERN TENNIS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 571, 25 January 1929, Page 6

AUCKLANDERS COMPETE IN SOUTHERN TENNIS

MISS MACFARLANE BRILLIANT (From Our Resident Reporter) WELLINGTON, Thursday. I During the holiday tennis season quit© a number of tournaments have been held in different centres, the l most important being the North Island championships held at Marton. The Wellington championship tournament has not been the success it was expected to be, mainly bej cause the principal local players pre- ' ferred to play in other parts of the Dominion in preference to turning out on behalf of their own association. This was somewhat unfortunate, though it allowed some of the lesser lights to make good. With Cam Malfroy, Len France, Noel Wilson and T. Tlhodes-Williams out of the men’s singles, that event was robbed of much of its interest, but by their inclusion. in the North Island singles that event was increased in importune© accordingly. Don France was able to win the Wellington title, defeating J. Ross G—l, 6—l, G—l in the final, and a new lady champion has arisen in Miss Dulcie Nicholls, a sister of Mark Nicholls, who needs no introduction to New Zealand. Dike Don France, Miss Nicholls had very little opposition, as Mrs. Melody, Mrs. Adorns and most of the heads were away .at Master ton contesting the North Island events. AUCKLANDERS DISAPPOINT The North Island championship tournament did not draw a great number of players from the larger centres, except from Wellington, and those who did make the journey were somewhat disappointing. For instance, Auckland sent the Stedman brothers and Entwistle, and prior to the opening it was thought that these players would play a very material part in the final decision of the titles. A. C. Stedman did beat Noel Wilson in the fourth round of the North Island singles, after having previously defeated J. Warsaw and "Welch, two small town representatives, but in the semi-final Malfroy, who eventually won the title, was far too strong for the Aucklander and won G —3, G—2. Two Wellington players contested the final, Len France and Malfroy, but the latter proved to have the better scoring shots and won G—l, G —3, 4 —G, G —4. It is some time since France has been able to beat Malfroy in any match of importance, the younger player having played so often with France that he has now got his strength and understands exactly what his next shot will be and is therefore more or less prepared. MISS MACFARLANE WINS The winner of the North Island ladies’ singles came from Auckland, and proved to be Miss Marjorie Macfarlane, who already holds the New Zealand title. She met Miss Myers in the final, and though both played a sterling game. Miss Macfarlane drove with greater power and accuracy, scoring some very clever winning shots. Miss Myers was successful in winning the first set 6—3, but the next two sets went to the New Zealand champion, G—3, 6—2. OX the Aucklanders who have been touring the North Island, most was expected from the two brothers Stedman, but they have not fulfilled their early promise. At the Taranaki championship tournament, held at New Plymouth, Len France beat A. C. Stedman G—4, G—3, after a match in which there were many faults on both sides, but the Aucklander was more patchy and disappointing than the Wellington player. In the men’s doubles A. C. and J. E. Stedman were defeated by A. G. Wallace and G. Wells, in a match which showed that Wallace had not lost a great deal of his old-time dash, especially in the doubles play, at which he was at one time an acknowledged expert. The Stedman brothers won the first set 6 —3, and fought hard in the second set, but it went to their opponents 9 —7, the final set being won by the same players 6—2. In the mixed doubles Miss Andrew and A. C. Stedman were defeated by Miss Gibson and T. Rhodcs-Williams, 6—B, 6 —4, G—4, but this was hardly a fair test, as the Aucklander and his partner had only just won a gruelling semifinal match when they were called upon to play in the final. Their opponents gave most of the work to Miss Andrew and devoted themselves to keeping the ball from Stedman. with the result that he could do little to stall off defeat. C. Entwistle, another Aucklander, also appecired at New Plymouth, but he was put out by T. Rhodes-Wil-liams, G —3, 6 —3, after a match which was most notable for the amount of ground covered by Entwistle, often in a futile manner. TWINS CONTEST TENNIS FINAL IN NEW PLYMOUTH

M AN Y unique happenings occur in the field of sport, and tennis in this direction is not much different to other forms of athletic amusement, but it is not very often that twins are seen contesting the final of a match, tennis or other game. This, however, occurred at the Taranaki tennis championship tournament at New Plymouth during the holiday season. Miss Joan Ward and Miss Jean Ward advanced through the different rounds of the girls’ championship singles until they met in the final, much to the interest and amusement of those attending the tournament. So much alike were the two girls that the umpire could not tell them apart, and in order to simplify his work they wore coloured ribbons on their dresses, which added to the general amusement, as it sounded strange to hear the umpire calling “Blue leads 5—3” or “Game to Red..” In the final Miss Joan proved the steadiest of the two, and won the title 6—3, 6 4. Their game was as interesting as the fact that they were twins. Both were ready to advance to the net at the least provocation in an attempt to out-volley her opponent and both were experts at lobbing. Miss Joan Ward was the most successful from a turnament point of view, though her sister was not far behind her in this respect. Miss Joan won the ladies’ handicap singles from the receive 17 mark, but *Miss Jean was prevented from meeting her sister in this final only by the fact that she was beaten in the semi-final. The twins also won the ladies’ handicap doubles from the receive 20 mark, beating the scratch players—Misses Ramsay and Matheson—in the final. Their appearance was a notable and interesting one, not only from the point of view of their youth and the fact that they wars twins, but because they showed themselves to be well on the road to becoming experts in the game.