Lawn Tennis

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 31, 31 October 1928, Page 9

Lawn Tennis

(By

“Forehand.”)

THE BRITISH VISITORS

THE POSSIBILITIES

The' Wellington team, as regards its personnel, to play the British team, comprising H. AV. Austin, J. C. Gregory, E. Higgs and I. G. Collins, practically picked itself. No one will dispute that N. R. C. Wilson, D. G. France, C. E. Malfroy, and A. L. France, to name them in the order of their selection, are the four best players in Wellington. They are eclipse, the rest .are nowhere. These four make perhaps the most evenly-bal-anoed provincial team to be found in New Zealand, and New Zealand ■ itself would not be disgraced if it selected the four to represent it in an international fixture. But it is in their order of merit that there would be grave differences of opinion. It is in the placing that the responsibility of the sole selector, Dr. A. Park, was a great one. In his placing he lias shown great courage, and, what is of more moment, he has shown an honesty of purpose and sincerity of conviction that has unfortunately been lacking lately in Wellington selections. All four players have been given reasonable trials, and the selector has abided by the results of those trials. An Opinion.

The opinion I myself hold is that in a series of matches D. G. France would beat Wilson in the majority, and A. L. France would beat Malfroy in the majority. But on Saturday it was otherwise. Wilson decisively beat D. G. France in two sets, and Malfroy just got home against A. L. France 10 —8 iu the third set after each had won a set in decisive fashion. The wins were not chance ones, especially between D. G. France and Wilson. Wilson anti D. G. France.

On Saturday on the hard courts at Miramar Wilson played brilliantly. 1 do not know that I have ever seen him driving more consistently or more accurately. Occasionally, indeed, very often, France had Wilson running into the wilderness, but Wilson took a tight hold of himself ami never for a moment let up. He was helped in his victory by numerous mistakes by France when in a winning position. Nor were all those mistakes forced by Wilson. Many of them were such as one scarcely expects in first-class tennis more than as an isolated incident. It seemed to me that France was sacrificing his accuracy to speed. His overhead was unusually weak, and he netted bis volleys. Wilson scored a lot off France’s service. Although the service had a kick in it, the ball would come up well to enable Wilson to get right over it and drive it hard. He frequently caught France, who followed in, at his feet, or passed him down the backhand. His own service was in first-class order. His chief weakness was his old one —that is, overhead behind the service line. One would like to have seen his drives a greater length. They were frequently but a yard or little more beyond the service line. Had he been at his best form France would most assuredy have profited by them. Wilson was at his best iu his volleying and overhead close to the net. The amount of power he puts into his smashing from there is tremendous, while he can' play the most delicate of stop volleys off the hardest drives. Taken altogether, Wilson was more than ordinarily consistent in his play—at times he was brilliant —and France was not consistent. One brilliant shot and three faulty ones are scarcely the way to win matches. Malfroy and A. L. France.

The match between A. L. France and C. E. Malfrov was of quite a different order. Malfroy with a steadiness and consistency for which he is noted, aud France, who chopped and cut and volleyed from the service line, provided a striking contrast in styles as they did in play. There was none of the brilliant . driving and smashing and volleying that studded the game between D. G. France and Wilson. It was essentially a game of position and steadiness. France followed always into the service line, or thereabouts, while Malfroy played mainly from the backline, going in oniv when ho had forced France out of position. Malfroy played all his shots without “work” on the ball, while France was never guilty of playing a ball that had not “work” on it. Both kept an admirable length when playing from backcourt, and were safe overhead rather than spectacular. Winning shots overhead were made usually on placement after the opponent had been forced out of position and had sent up a lob in an endeavour to gain time-and regain position. It was a point worthy of note that Malfroy was consistent overhead even on deep lobs. The volleying of both was good, although both missed easy volleys from winning positions. Due to the position he takes upon the court France found himself having to plav a number of balls purely defensively. Malfroy was more accurate in his shots both back-band and fore-hand. France made mistakes when he ran round to take back-band shots on his fore-diand. He did this frequently on Malfroy's service from the left-hand court. Right throughout Malfroy served well and France also with bis service, which is now well-known and presents little difficulty to whosoever will play it carefully. In the first set, after the first game or two. France ceased to trouble. In the second set ho quite outplayed Malfroy. But in the third set, France’s condition was not as good ns Malfroy’s, and Malfroy was always able to hold the odd game.

How Will Wellington Fare? How will Wellington fare with the British team ? That the visitors should win is of course only to be expected, but in tennis very often the unexpected happens. Except that latterly A. L. France has shown that he allows some mistakes to annoy him, he lias the best match temperament of the four. Also he plays a type of game that’ demands watching and Is likely to give untold trouble to the strange. Higgs, who is a base-liner, and Collins who is apt to be spmewhat impetuous in a net attack, are likely to find a new experience In A. L. France. Of the four Wellington players he is the one most likely to win his matches. .Malfroy, steady though he is, lacks the pace to cope with Higgs I think. And Higgs, too, can be very accurate. He has a great idea of angles. Malfroy will not be able to take liberties iu getting to the net against Higgs. Also, it should -be made plain that the chief defect in France's game, hovering about the service line, will give Higgs grand opportunities to bring off his corner drives. Higgs is active enough to get to the net on drop shots, but how lie will deal with them as played by France is quite another matter. He should have more success with them however than Collins.

Both -Wilson and D. G. Franco will find in Gregory a hitter and also a volleyer. Gregory is prone to make many mistakes. So also are Wilson and France. I would give France a more even break than Wilson for the reason that Wilson has a tendency to stand too close in on the ball. Gregory’s strokes may be too severe for Wilson to preserve accuracy against them. France, if in form, and he steadys himself, should make a fine game of it for his stroke execution on his day ranks with the best. But will he be at his best? In Austin Wilson and France will find a player altogether different. They will find a player who is not a hitter, but one who depends on a marvellous accuracy and a deep strategy with every shot played in the classic style. Austin’s is the allcourt game at its highest perfection. No shot is wasted. The attack is not made from the net until .the way has been well and truly paved from the back line. His position for either play is strictly correct. He never finds himself playing the difficult shot and his footwork is brilliant. Of all four he is the man least likely to fall below form. Worth Studying.

All four British players will well repay a close study, and anyone who desires to base a game on the fundamentals that are generally accepted as orthodox ought not to miss seeing them play. The basis of their game may be seen in any tournament, but they bring that game to a greater degree of perfection. One gets the feeling in watching them that there are players here who, given the requisite practice against top-flight players, would possibly develop to be equally as good.. Whereas the Frenchmen who were here were purely individual in their style, the British team arc a type. Committee Resignations.

The’ question is frequently being asked what is wrong in the governing circles of Wellington tennis. At Inst quarterly meeting of the association, the chairman of the meeting, Mr. G. N. Goldie, seemed to infer that other resignations than that of the honorary secretary were impending. It is time that the tennis public were given to understand the causes of these disturbances. It is well known tliat the Management Committee has not shown any great tact in dealing with some of the clubs in Wellington on matters of administration. Indeed, certain members of the committee have been most obstinate, and later have had to bow to an undignified compromise. Circulars have been Issued and letters written that can scarcely bo. said to represent the decisions of the meeting. Also, it would seem that everything is now being sacrificed to. the claims of Miramar. Outside clubs now apparently exist for the sole purpose, of getting finance—urgently needed no doubt—for the benefit of Miramar. Indeed the whole of Wellington administration may be said to be bound up in the one word, Miramar. And so it will always be until and unless the ideas I outlined previously are put into operation. Now that there is to be another honorary secretary It is to be hoped the association will appoint one whose business will not prevent him from being at a fixed, place, whicli can be said to lie the headquarterg of the association. Lately it has been “a wandering boy.” Inter-Club Matches.

Last Saturday saw the commencement of the inter-club matches when die first round of the fourth grade was played. I do not intend to particularise on players, but the standard of play generally, even for fourth grade, was poor. This was due in measure to a failure on the part of contestants to observe the fundamental principles of the game except, in some crises, when they had no option. The chief defect was a failure to keep in position. Baselines wore too often caught perambulating inside the base-line, instead of malting their working base .behind the base-line and in the middle of it. This wrong position also resulted in the mis-hitting of the ball. Many players hit at the bnll as thoug’l they were afraid it was going to hit them. By adopting the correct court position I have mentioned, they will have a maximum time in which to'adopt the correct stance for their shot, and be able to time it correctly. Most of them, the ladies particularly, play their shots facing full to the not, instead of being side on to the net. Few of them seemed to keep their mind on the game, and their eyes continually on the ball, or a tight hold on their racket. All these things are essential to the playing of the game. With the men the chief failing is a tendency to indiscriminate swiping. There is one matter, however, that the management committee of the association will do well to take notice of. That is that there are a number playing fourth grade who last year played third grade, and. indeed are quite good enough for third grade.