OVER THE NET

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 908, 27 February 1930, Page 6

OVER THE NET

By

"DEUCE"

Matches Against Australian Team The display given by the Australians last week against the Auckland players provided the best tennis seen in Auckland since the Davis Cup contest. The visitors came with great reputations. Kaims and Sproule were up to expectations, but Donolioe and Teague were a little disappointing in their singles play. Brilliancy of Kaims Kaims is undoubtedly the most brilliant and spectacular member of the team. He provided the public with many thrills, especially in his volleying and smashing. Rarely did he fail to finish off a ralley with a clean ace whenever he got a loose ball in the air. His ground shots are not orthodox and are the weakest features of his play. He seems to hit the balllate and uses a great deal of wrist.To an experienced player it is obvious that by reason of the nature of his grip he is not comfortable when taking a low ball on the backhand and this is his most vulnerable spot. Those who watched his play carefully must have noticed how he frequently volleyed balls from the back of the court which most players would have allowed to bounce. By doing this he gained just that extra time . which enabled him to catch his opponent out of position This shot is not an easy one, but when played by such a master at volleying as Kaims is; it is a most useful one for pressing an opponent. . Kaims delighted the gallery with his powerful smashing in the doubles and the way he hit apparently good lobs for outright wins was a revelation. Sproule’s Deadly Accuracy To the casual onlooker Sproule’s game may not have appeared anything out of the ordinary. It was obvious, however, to an experienced player that he possessed such an upcanny control over all his shots and his placements were so accurate that although his game was not spectacular, yet it was very solid. He is regarded as one of Australia’s coming players, although It is only 18 months mgo since he made an appearance in first-class tennis, llis team mates have a great opinion of his play and regard him as almost a certainty for the next Davis Cup team. His passing Shots are wonderful and time after time he left Bartleet and Sturt standing when they took the net even on good length drives. He plays to draw his opponent into the net with a view to winning the point outright with a well-placed return. After losing the first set against both Bartleet and Sturt lißv showed good judgment by using a chop drive which had the effect of breaking up their driving game. Teague’s Amazing Volleys Teague brought off several amazing short cross court volleys in the doubles matches. Several times in the course of a fast bout at the net he clipped a volley across court almost parallel to the net and produced what almost appeared to be an impossible shot. According to the other members of the team he has not yet shown his best form. He hits all his shots hard and has a very free style. One can picture what a dangerous opponent he must be when he has a day on. Donohoe a Good Doubles Player Donohoe is recognised in Australia, as being much better in doubles play than in singles. In the doubles match with Sproule, against Bartleet and Laurenson, he did not lose a game on his service, and this contributed to a great extent to their win.

Laurensorvs Good Showing By beating- both Donohoe and Teague Laurenson showed that in spite of lack of hard practice, he is still a very hard man to beat. He was very fit and his backhand was working as well as ever. Donohoe apparently failed to pick Laurenson’s weakness on the forehand, -and this probably cost him the match. Laurenson appears to have lost his smash, for which he was so famous a few years ago, but no doubt he would soon recover it again with a little more practise. In the writer’s opinion it is still correct to say that Laurenson has the best backhand in New Zealand. Stedman Back to Form Aucklanders were naturally pleased to see Stedman, the youngest member of the team, score a win in both his singles matches. The courts were more to his liking than they were earlier in the season. His forehand drive was coming off the court with a great deal of pace, and he frequently aced his opponents with this shot. He merited his inclusion in the North Island team which is to mept the Australians at Wellington tomorrow ' and Saturday.) Further experience against these players will benefit his game, and tend to develop the tennis brain which is only acquired by a careful study of the game and match experience against better players. Sturt’s and Bartleet’s Uphill Fights Both Sturt and Bartleet were up against better players than themselves, and had to fight all he way for the games they took off Kalms and

the set they took off Sproule. Sturt and Bartleet both, played many tine shots, but they were not consistent enough. They were certainly good enough to make their opponents produce some great tennis, and their play should benefit as a result of the matches. One usually learns more from a beating than a victory too easily won. Some Lessons Gained The value of the matches will have been lost if tennis players have failed to learn some lessons from watching the Australians play. Kalms has shown the value of a good service, and crisp volleying as the foundation of a strong attack. Sproule has shown that a chop shot is a very useful one to have in' the locker against hard drivers, and that accuracy counts for more than mere speed. All the Australians have shown us that they have a greater knowledge of the doubles game than the local players. sThey adopt a formation which is rarely used by New Zealand’s leading players. When one player is receiving service, the other takes up a position about the service line, and not at the back of the court, as local players usually do. This formation is very frequently effective where one’s partner is able to make a good return off the service, as the server, rushing to the net, often puts back a weak return which can be killed by the opponent standing about the service line. The Australians make a point of getting close up to the net at every opportunity, and do not loiter about the service line. There is just a chance that the Australians may be seen in action again at Auckland before they leave for home. Many people would be glad of another opportunity of seeing them play, especially, those who missed the matches through the strong counterattractions which prevailed last weekend. PASCOE CUP FINAL . The final of the Pascoe Cup lawn tennis competition for business houses was played last evening, the Lands and Survey team defeating Milne and Choyce’s representatives. Following were the results, Milne and Choyce players being mentioned first: —Milne and Lucas lost to Aldred and Roberts, 5—7, 4 —6; Inglis and Olsen lost to Storrey and Webber, 4 —6, 2 —6.