Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Spike: or, Victoria College Review, June 1915

Tennis

Tennis.

Play was to have started immediately after the Reception, but owing to the sodden state of the Courts (grass) had to be postponed until the afternoon. Even then the Courts were very heavy and the weather still cold and showery.

It was realised from an early stage of the play—in fact before it started—that the real struggle for the shield would be between Auckland and Canterbury, but it was far from easy to pick the winners of the individual championships; Duthie for instance, who was tipped as "dead certainty for the Men's Singles," went down in the first round to Hawley of Canterbury.

One of the first games played was that between Williams and Wright of ours and Duthie and Ohlson of Auckland. Two sets of 6-1, 6-0 soon showed our men that they had much to learn of play on slippery grass courts. So bad were the Courts that only a few games were played that afternoon, and the majority of the preliminary rounds were played on Monday; this was most unfortunate as most of the students (including the writer) naturally wanted to attend the sports.

By lunch time our hopes were raised by the news that Atmore and Henderson had beaten Johns and Jacobsen (A.U.C.) 7-5, 6-1. Miss E. Cook had somewhat hard luck in that she met Miss Garrard after the latter had had a game on the treacherous courts, and had got the lay of the land—no need to mention the score. Miss F. Cook and Miss Sievwright easily accounted for their game against Misses Garrard and Latimer (A.U.C.), and page 62 then proceeded to beat our second pair—Misses Daniell and Still—to the tune of 9-2, both sides slipping gracefully. About this time we were regaled with the wonderful sight of a young lady player frolicing about the Court in shoes of apparently abnormal size; on inspection, however (our manager did it) we found that she had taken the precaution of encasing her feet in a pair of men's heavy socks ok her shoes—a device which proved very serviceable; the only member of our team to try it was Atmore, who failed to find a pair of socks large enough to cover more than his toes. Misses Hare and Cook just succeeded in "breaking their duck" against Misses Bain and Black (C.U.C.)—9-1, and Miss F. Cooke had but little better fortune against Miss Latimer (A.U.C.), although in the later games of this set Miss Cooke put up a great fight.

Tuesday, the day of the finals, was a beautiful day, and the Courts were in much better older. The afternoon's play was witnessed by their Excellencies Lord and Lady Liverpool, who appeared to take the greatest interest in the results of the games.

The most interesting game was that for the Men's Championship, between Hawley (C.U.C.) and Laurenson (O.U.). Both were apparently determined to win every stroke, and the result was long steady ping-pong play. Both admitted afterwards that they were scared to let out; nevertheless it was a good exhibition of careful steady play. Laurenson won, 8-10, 7-5, 6-4. A game in which V.U.C. people were particularly interested was that between Atmore and Götz (C.U.C.). The Hun (this a term of endearment, Mr. Editor, not of reproach, so you need have no fear of a Baeyertzian action) had a great reputation, and soon showed that he knew more than our man did of play on grass courts. Atmore, however, from time to time had him sprinting over the Court in a way that brought joy to our hearts. The Hunny net smashes were more than Atmore could manage, and the score ended 6-4, 6-3.

Miss Cumming was in the best of form and won all her games in a brilliant style. Gotz and Hawley won the

page break
V. U. C. Easter Representatives.

V. U. C. Easter Representatives.

page 63

only final for Canterbury, after a good willing go against Abernethey and Parsonson of the same College.

By winning the Ladies' Singles and Doubles and the Combined Doubles, Auckland won the Shield after an interesting and closely contested series of games. Of our own team, it may be said that truthfully they cannot at present be placed in the same class of players as the winners of the Championships, but they are all young players, and with more experience, to which Easter, 1915, must have contributed not a little, will make a strong team for future Tournaments.