Examiner (Launceston, Tas. : 1900 - 1954), Saturday 27 September 1930, page 3


LAWN TENNIS " The -Game and Its Players h (Notes by "Vantage") FIXTURES N To-day - Northern Championships commence. Nov.-North v, South, at Launceston. ri NORTHERN CHAMPIONSHIPS Except in the case of the "A" grade p women's division, which will open on n Saturday next, games in the northern championships will commence on the various courts to-day. This tourney, designed largely as a preparation for the North v. South matches in Laun- 7' ceston early in November, has attracted a satisfactory entry in all divisions, and it is clear that there is to be much interesting tennis, which will be a valuable guide to the Northern selectors. The draw and time-table for to-day wcre published yesterday. NO ITALIAN VISIT A. ?able received last .week. by. the 8 Australian Assolation.from the Italian governing body, stated that the latter body wias forced to refuse the invita- v tion to. send a team of two or three F players (one to be Baron do Morpurgo) t to play this summer in Australia, 8 TILDEN'S RECORD o When he again won the Dutch sin- a gles championship earlier in the year , Tilden put up another record. Some years ago he won 62 games in successlon.i' ai singles championship without losing a game, and in the recent Dutch event he ran to 61 before Timmer stopped the rot in'the 'semni-final, whichss Tilden won in straight sets. In the final' he dropped one set to young Men- 1 zel, of Czecho-Slovakia, who had defeated the German champion, Prenn. in four sets to reach the final. Tilden 5 and Prenn' won the doubles from Timmer and Diemer Keeool (Holland) in straight sets. The latter were the heroes' of a curious match in an early , round against van Oste and van der Heide. The winners won three of the five sets-and each of the three to love, whilst they lost a set at 6-2 and one at 6-4. DAVIS CUP TOURISTS J. Crawford, captain, and E. Moon, of the Australian Davis Cup team, returned last week. Their return inevitably brings up the annual question as to whether Australia should challenge for the Davis Cup next year, a question which will hbe decided by the Australian association in the next few months, altlloughl, as a challenge will not have to be lodged before the end of next January, it is not actually pressing. The L.T.A. of Australia is arranging to hold its next council meeting on the evening of the return of Willard to Melbourne, so that it will be able to got a verbal report and expression of opinion from the I team manager, as well as his official I written report. On hIis way through Melbourne, I Crawford said that the noisy barracking was decidedly trying in the Italian match at Milan, but that it was non- I partisan, but none the less disconcert- I ing, as the loudest shouts, whistles, I etc., seemed to occur at quite the wrong moments, as for instance when I a player was just about to smash, or in the midst of an exciting rally. The I onlookers were simp'ly ovr-excited. The Italian ilayers were much stronger than they were given credit for being. I I-Io thought that there were a number of fine young players coming along 1 on the other side of the world, and he felt that young Australian players would improve more quickly if they played fewer tournaments and spent more time practising their shots. Tour- I nament play would perhaps have the effect of cramping their style. Crawford feels that in matches played on neutral courts Australia would hold her own with any nation in the world, except America and France. Both he and Moon blamed the exces- I sive travelling largely for the failure of the team. The team' struck its form early, and it was only when the constant travelling and the strain of playing on different courts in different countries In rapid successlon began to tell, that form fell off. Italy was anxious to play against Australia as soon as possible, and thus the cup match was played with only about four days to eet ,seed to Italian conditions. Crawford thinks that Australia's only rhance of winning the Davis Cup is to send a team each year, or to bring out some 6f the "tap notchers" from the other side of the world, to give Australians practice against players from other countrles, with different styles and methods. The experience rained .by this year's team would be Invaluable, but .lt mliht go to nought if no further plhy ngalnst leading re ternationals were available for the next. few years." Crawford does not' think a team will be sent away from here In 1931.