INTER-PROVINCIAL TENNIS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 906, 25 February 1930, Page 13

INTER-PROVINCIAL TENNIS

WELLINGTON OVERWHELMED CANTERBURY

FRANCE AND MALFROY IN FORM From, Our Resident Reporter WELLINGTON, Saturday. Wellington’s overwhelming victory against the weakened Canterbury Wilding Shield team was no more than was anticipated. Canterbury men j showed great form and frequently | fought every inch of their matches, | but the three top strings of the Well- | ington team were too sound. Both Don France and Malfroy have j tightened up their game since New Zealand championship time, and Malfroy now is playing as well as ever he has done. Against him, T. Rhodes Williams took almost a set to get going and the second set of their encounter was studded with brilliant drives by Williams, and recoveries and volleys by Malfroy. The Wellington man was usually forcing the pace, but Rhodes Williams, by the way he hit out when a chance of game presented itself, carried the crowd with him. Much of his driving, particularly on the backhand, was brilliant. Slowness of foot seemed his trouble, but often he had Malfroy defending for all he was i worth. FRANCE’S UPHILL FIGHT Don France, against Angas, made his traditional bad start and virtually gave Angas a handicap of four games. It was only then that the Wellington man showed the form that later gave him the match. Angas gained the first set, but France had outplayed him from the moment that o—4 was called and got to within a point of making it 4 —5. The beginning of the second set saw France persisting in the same, care- ( fully hit shots which made Angas do all the running, and low, angled shots which beat him when he took the net, or caught him at his feet. Angas seemed' unable to hold the net and had to abandon it, as it was too expensive. France was driving past him as if he were not there. * There never was any fight in that set, which saw France always on top and hitting fearlessly. Bad luck dogged him in the third set, which made his win all the more creditable. A ball which he let go in the opening game (the second of three such balls) fell just over the line but was given in. This was at gamepoint and Angas ultimately got the game and the next for a 2—o lead. Then he went on to win the match in sound, workmanlike style. Angas lacked some of the nip his game possessed at the New Zealand Championships, but France was much sounder all round. Wilson only just scratched home against Glanville, winning the first set fairly comfortably, but finding Glanville right on his game and being unable to do anything to stem his advance until he was down 3 —5 in the final set. The Wellington man led for the first time in the final set at 9 —S and just got home on a last burst of speed which found Glanville unable to last the pace he had set, which was a cracker. UNORTHODOX METHODS Patterson was sorely puzzled by the ; unorthodox methods of Sandral, who doubted his ability to last three sets so threw the second when IkLtterson established a winning lead. Patterson hit out freely, but Sandral was always seeking to get properly onto his back hand and managed to do it after being down 2—4 in the last set. Sandral finished with three love games in a row and a fine burst of form at the net, scoring ten aces in three games. The match between France and Malfroy and Angas-Rhodes Williams was simply a massacre, the Wellington men never being extended. For the doubles, the wind dropped and i they were played in still weather and bright sunshine. Wilson and Sandral were lucky to get home against Patterson and Glanville, for they never played like a winning pair. Wilson lost numerous service games and seemed stale, and Fiandral only just managed to win out by marshalling Wilson through. The Wellington men led 4 —2 and 40 —0 in the third set, and even then threatened to throw the match away.