LAWN TENNIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 292, 19 January 1910, Page 3

LAWN TENNIS.

TARANAKI CHAMPIOXSL' 1P SINGLES.

The following details of the play for the Taranaki championship singles ai'f •extracted from the Patea Press: Tile final match for the Singles Championship of Taranaki, postponed from the New Plymouth tourney held recently, was played on the Waverley courts on Saturday. The men left in were A. Wallace and C. J. Dickie, the two first men players of the Waverley Club'. They have been frequent rivals aforetime for this and similar championships, and the possible result of their meeting has been a topic of conversation among tennis players of the club to r some days. The general opinthat jjickie, the holder, won'd again vindicate his title to the cham- ! pionship, not so much because of his allround superiority as of the (logged persistency and pluck which have won him I some_reputation already as a match winner. The aforesaid general opinion i proved to be correct, but even the most I sanguine supporters of the older player i did not hope than his win would be .such an easy one. Perhaps twice during I .the inatch Wallace showed for a brief , space a little of his best form, but for I the rest of the time he gave only such a showing as might have been expected j from a much inferior player. At all times his play,,was neat and attractive, even more so than that of his rival, but I his flashes of brilliancy, were marred by 1 mistakes that showed conclusively that ihe was oft his game. Both men began • by playing a timid' pottering game, and j the first to find himself was Dickie. I Wallace, on the other hand, showed his best form only in exictiw rallies, at ■ the times, that is to say, when he could not think of the importance of the i match. Dickie was never nervous' after he had settled down to the game, and •he "decisively beat Wallace in every style of play,_winning the first three sets outright. His win wae certainly well mer- : ited, and at the conclusion of the final set he was heartily applauded by the numerous spectators.

THE PLAY. , Wallace took the first service. Dickie missed the side line twice in succession and Wallace scored the first two aces, but Dickie won the next two in exactly similar manner, - making the score CO all. Wallace again sent a ball out with ft Pack-hand drive down the side line, which stroke he followed by failing with a simple fore-hand shot, giving Dickie the first game. Dickie, in his service, won four aces outright, taking the next game, 2—o. Wallace had, little better luck in his own service, scoring only one point in the next game. Dickie 3—o. Dickie took the next game also, the only point scored by Wallace being a (loubte fault by the server. In the next game. Wallace, for the first time during the set, showed flashes of his real form, and won the game chieflv by accurate volleying and placing. The next game ended also in Wallace's favor.' The seventh game was more evenly contested, out_it eventually, went to Dickie, who. had to win eight strokes to take the "honors. 5—2.,. In the next, which proved to be the last of the set, the score was 15 a11,_30 all, and then 40—30 in favor of Dickie, from which position he won, taking the first set. 6—2. Wallace served in the first game of second set and Avon, his opponent failing to score a point. Dickie Eecured the leaa .again, however, by winning the following three games in succession. Wallace having relapsed again into only moderate form 7 Twice in his service in the fifth game Wallace required one stroke i to win, but he lost his advantage. and the game went to Dickie, making the score 4—l in his favor. Dickie lost the first three aces off his own service, won the next two and lost the next. Game to Wallace. The seventh was a love game to Wallace. Dickie 4—3. Wallajoe equalised ithe score by winning the next game brilliantly from 30—40. Four all. Wallace continued his successes bv taking ths neit game to love,' making the score 5—4 in hie favor. The next game, a hardfought one, was remarkable for good rallies and placing by Wallace, but eventually Dldvlie'y? steadiness triumphed, and he took the game. Five all. Dickie secured 1 the lead again, getting the eleventh game off Wallace's service and won the last game easily from 40—15, chieflv by hot services which his opponpnt failed to pick up. The result of the set was thus a win for Dickie. 7—5. In the initial game of the third set Wallace notched only one point and Dickie 'won. I—o. Wallace won the first stroke in the next game, and then Dickie won the next four aces in succession. 2—o. Dickie ran out in the next came from 30 all, thus gaining an advantage of three games to love. The fourth game also went to Dickie, his opponent winning only a couple cf strokes. Dickie won the fifth game to and the sixth likewise, takfnjr the set, 6—o, and the match. 1 6—2, 7—5, B—o.