LAWN TENNIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 206, 28 February 1914, Page 7

LAWN TENNIS.

Tli* Taranaki Tennis Association was most unfortunate in regard to the weather when its train met tin* Aucklander*last week, but u<-v»-rtlu-li-s-i some interesting matches re.-iilteil before the rain intervened.

A great deal of inter,'-d. was taken in the match, which In the pi.il has generally gone to Tarau.iki. it was anticipated that this year the strength of the Auckland lady players would turn the scale in favor of the northerners. It is, of course, impossible to sav how the match would have gone had it been completed, but as far as ife went the Auckland ladies held a good lead. They Won two out of three jingles .mutches played, and were leading in two of the three unlinished games. They also won both the doubles matches. The match as far as the ladies were concerned, however, brought one great surprise, the defeat of Miss A. (Iray (Xew Zealand ami Auckland champion) by Miss firewater, the popular Taranaki champion. The Auckland lady showed disappointing form and soon tired, allowing Miss Brewster, who was steadily improving anil driving and placing well* to beat her easily in the last two sets. It was in the men's division that Taranaki showed up best, Xicholson. Dickie and Wallace in the singles, and Xicholson and Webster in the doubles, being mainly responsible. Nicholson! showed good, steady play in his match with (ioldsmith, pulling up well after the Ancklander had showed a lead.

The surprise packet of the men's matches was the defeat of Dickie and Wallace by McCutcheon and (ioldsmith. The New Zealand champions did not appear to combine as well as usual, and were very slow in striking form. It was not until the third set that the contest became at all exciting, the superior placing of the northerners having up till then proved irresistible. Solid combination, with occasional brilliance, won the day. Dickie and Wallace played better apart, for later each won his singles match. Speaking generally, the Aucklandcrs seemed at first ill at ease 011 the soft grass courts, but they soon found their feet. The Taranaki team did well in Waverley in closely contested matches, the ladies winning every match, and the men winning Jour out of the eight singles, and one of the two doubles, two being unfinished owing to lack of time. Dickie and Wallace won their singles the latter having a hard fight against Nicholson. None of the New Plymouth ladies lost more than four games in any one match. The chief feature of the dav's play was the fact that the Waverl'ey players had apparently somewhat underrated their opponents.