Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Monday 7 July 1913, page 12


GREAT TENNIS MATCH.

World's Championship.

Wilding Defeats McLoughlin.

LONDON, July 4.

The match for the lawn tennis champion-ship of the world between A. F Wilding and M. E McLoughlin took place at Wim-bledon to-day McLoughlin had won the all-comers' singles, thus entitling him to challenge the holder from the previous year, A. F. Wilding

Before play started 10,000 spectators

thronged the famous centre court at

Wimbledon, and several thousands were unable to gain admittance. McLoughlin commenced well, and secured the first two games, his cannon-shot service being used to advantage. Wilding, however, quickly mastered it, and nonplussed the American

by the brilliant manner in which he picked up and returned his terrific smashing drives. ' The New Zealander's service proved un-takeable. McLoughlin led at 6-5, but lost a chance of winniug the set, which went to Wilding at 8-6. The latter dominated proceedings in the second set, and appeared to be master of the situation McLoughlin seemed quite at sea in dealing with his opponent's service, and his own delivery lost much of its sting The third set was

very exciting. The American, with many ' fine strokes, took tho first two games Wild-ing, however, showing wonderful resource

and activity, won the succeeding four games, McLoughlin then won three games. Wilding, however, won the tenth. A tena-

ANTHONY WILDING

cious struggle followed, each winning his service alternately, until McLoughlin led at 8-7. At this stage, however, the American showed signs of distress, and Wilding's physique triumphed, the set being won by him at 10-8.

'Ihe critics who had hailed McLoughlin as the finest player the world had yet seen express surprise at Wilding's compara-tively easy victory, and admit that he has greatly increased his reputation. It was an instance, they declare, in which an all-round expert defeated a specialist in volley-ing and serving, just as H. L Doherty in 1905 easily defeated Brookes, his then chal-lenger

Wilding had apparently closely studied McLoughlin's methods of attack-defence he has practically none-and shattered his opponent's game by a style adapted for the occasion, and met McLoughlin's tremen-

dous services with a whip-up forehand shot which was brought off with clockwork regu-larity. The American, finding his most aggressive shots successfully negotiated, gradually lost faith in himself, and his ser-vice gradually became weak and harmless. The match provided a fine contrast between a man's coolness and a boy's inexperience

England Retains Doubles.

In the challenge round of the doubles championship H Roper Barrett and C P Dixon, the holders, were opposed by the German pair, Ralie and Kleinschroth, who had won the all comers' doubles The Englishmen retained their bile, winning with a score of 6-2, 0-4, 4-<î, 6-2.

Ladies' Championships.

Mrs Lambert Chambers scoured a walk-over in the challenge round of the ladies' singles championship, Sirs Larcombe, the holder, having sustained an injury to her eye on the previous day

Misfortune also attended the challenge round of the ladies' doubles championship, in which Mrs Storry and Mrs Lambert Chambers, the holders, wcro challenged by Mrs McNair and Mi«s boothby The for mer pair won the first set, but in the second Mrs. Storry sustained a sprain which ncces sitated forfeiting the title

PLAYERS COMPARED. New Era in Tennis.

Those w ho saw the Irish champion, J. C Parke, play the Australian champion, N E Brookes, here in November last will prob-ably have a fairly good idea of the style of match played between McLoughhn and Wilding Tim New Zcalandei s game is bused on t)he same principles at Pnrkc's, though ho excels the Irishman in that he has a command of certain phases of the game which Parke has not Parke s pow cr lies m his driving Iles serving is weak His volleying is oidmary, partieu lariy in singles He defeated Brool ps in the Davis Cup match through sheer driving, I and nothing else Wilding drives probablj

as well as Parke, or icrv .neailv bo while I at the same time he has a magnificent sei

vice, which is delivered with a lot of pace I and top spin, and he is a baiflicientlv strong. \ ollcyer to be able to go m to the net in i

single m order to finish off i rally when ' ever he lins forced his opponent into diffi cultics Wilding linn always shown a pre-ference for the back line game m singles,

and has made this ri allj the bxsis of his ' game but, mihi e Parke, he can adopt the net game when he wishes diese two points-his service and his ability to plaj.

the volleying .nine - account for hisi suncnontv ove- the Irishman

McLoughlin on mc omer non« adopts,

verv fimilnr tictics in a single to those pur I sued bv Biookes tliourii be applies them some«hit dillerentlv lie follows all his services in to ti« net ind relies upon his wonderEul power is a volleyer lo rairj him thiou(,li when he gets lhere HeFcrvcs md drives with more pace than Braol es, and he i f ir better than the Australian in kill ing overhead ball In fact, bus smashing is piobably the most soverr and the most spectacular in the vvoild But he has little of the di lioacy of toucli the dues c, and (he command of short eros1- court volleys which earned the A ictonan at hi best the title of el ( upton of the world bclore there was,

t\ sn (ide v\o Ids championship contest. Wilding is a man who trains assiduously lol hib important mulches and as he 1ms' a n elarallv strong ph} si pie he is able to m-iintam a ten iii pace right throughout the longest championi-hip As holder of the title he was not called unon to play through the prchmm irv rounds and w is thus able to íindcryo ins piepai lùon bv 1115 ing as much 01 is httl" is he wished, while at the same time able to study the

Ami ricin's niethc ds

Hie championship just concluded mirks a ne« era in the historj of the game lhe Enghbh championships w hieb were in auguiatcd m 1877, and have ever (.ince be« n controlled by the All England L i O and pliijed on its histouc lawns it ?Wimbledon have foi nianj jears been un oflieiilly lecogmsed as Hie championships of the vvoild, although they have ahvijs been oflicmlly termeil simply ' Hie Chain pionships" In March of this ve« how ever at a meeting of the nettly formed In tciuational Lawn lennis Federation, held 111 Pal is, it was 11 sah ed to institute world s championships on grivi, hard courts, and

coveied coulls

As a compliment to the English L T A the championships on grass were offered to and accepted by that body in perpetuity lhe All-England Club, nmvrtimately, had

controlled the championships for many years prior to the foi uintion of the L f A , and havo never relinquished their right U> control and ninnnjrc absolutely these events, with the result that the club has become cxtrcmelj allluent and mu might almost BiLv, at logan«, while the association has until quite reeentlv, been a body btrngfflm. for existence lhere wen not wanting many people including YA.Hi* Mveis the vieil known viitir and contributor lo the

I îeld, ' who for.'old a .crious bru ich be-lyuen the club au the association . v con be_ucncc of the new di v lopnient bl t this has fortunately been obviated A (onfer ence between the two bodies was held, ind li hilo the club ritiins the executive con trol of the championships and does not re nouncc nnv. of its piiscnptivc lights the association is now dncetli icpiestlited by three or foui of its members on the com ' inittee of management 1 he simple titles of the various events remain unembclhslied,

hut i note is added to the piogramnio stat I mg that the vinous events can> with them' the idditional title of the worlds cham ' 1 pionslnps on gross flic associ ition will

provide gold medals for the winners and| the ordmary prizes Cups given bj the

club will be continued

1\tc mixed doubles championship, for inerly decided at the northern tournament and the ladies doubles championship are ! now also included in the programme, the

challenge cups foi winch liave been pro vided bj the association.

Wildings fine win in straight sets while it greatly discounts the comment, of Mr

. L Crawley m the Pill Atdll Guette' to the effect that McLoughhn w as the finest

player even been at Wimbledon and con , finns the opinion recently expressed by' S N Doust m a ni lvate letter that AVilding i could easily hold his own against the best American plajcrs, is adequate proof that I the New Zcahmdcr is jusllj entitled to the

honour of being the first holder of the world's championslup on glass, as be already is of the same event on hard courts It remains to be seen whether he will com pete for the cov crcd courts title, to be con tested at .lockholm from November 2 to 0 next

Anthony 1 roderick Wilding, who was horn on October 31, I8S3, at Ciinstchurcli,

New fcalmd has held the title continu ously since 1910

The success of Rahe and Kleinschrotli m Setting to the challenge round of the

oubles marks the third occasion only since the inception of this championslup m 1879 that the issue has been contested by a ' foreign" combination Brookes and A\ _d nig gained the championship in 1008, and Dectigis and Gobert won it in 1011 but were ueatcn lo_. year bj Dixon and Roper Barrett Rahe and Kleiuschroth met Dccngis and Gobert in the thud round in 1911, and Wallis Myers wrote of this match as follows - _t vi as the best exhibí

lion of sheer sustained bnlhance on the p nt of foin men at one time el cr seen at Wimbledon, and the fierceness and rapidity and cotitinuousncss of the nttuck quite blinded everybody to the fact that there wns no defensive stroke played m it from start to finish The Frenchmen won but there was nothing in it, although they won 1_-10 7-5, 0-3, and the result might just as well have been the other way "

Mrs Lambert Chambers, who secured the championship on a walk over from Jlrs | I al combe, was first successful as Miss 1) K Douglass m tins event m 1803, and ilso held the title m 190-1, 1900, 1910, and

lill