SNIPPETS FROM
FIVE British players, houded by H.
W. Austin, were left in the last sixteen of the men's singles in the lawn tennis championships at bledon on Thursday, June 29.
Wim-
Cup
Another of the "seeds," i. Tloczynski (Poland), fell the previous day, Ghaus Mohammed, the Indian Davis player, beating him 6-0, 6-3, 6-4, 80 that there were only five of the eight men chosen by the Seeding Committed still in.
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the It is rather a commentary or quality of men's tennis generally that 44-year-old Jacques Brugnon, one of the famous four French "musketeers," who gave up any aspirations as re- gards singles play years ago, was still there, and waiting to do battle with H. Henkel of Germany in the fourth round. Brugnon beat G. de Stefani (Italy) yesterday by three sets
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Nineteen-year-old J. Drobny (Bohe- mia, Moravia) gave Austin some an- xious moments before he retired at the end of two sets with an injured arm. Austin was then leading 7-5, 9-7, but in each of the sets Drobny had a point at 5-4 to win them. Luckily for Aus- tin, Drobny hit out on both occasions, and had no further opportunities.
Drobny, a left-hander, had plaster on his racket arm, and he felt the spot tenderly once or twice. Nevertheless, it did not affect his play unduly, ex- copt that he could not serve as fast as usual. He used instead a high- kicking ball with a leg break, and Aus- tin was never happy with his re- turns.
It was this defect in Austin's play. which enabled Drobny to make such a close fight of it, but when he had failed to get the second set he realis- ed that his chances were negligible.
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WIMBLEDON
KAY STAMMERS in determin- ed mood-in-an-early-round-match- at Wimbledon.
fifth, and finally batterol down' the defensive tactics of Cejnar.
M. D. Deloford put up a mugnificent AUSTIN is not by any means thor-fight to retrieve a dangerous position oughly wound up yet, and he has when he was: 0-3 down in the final set not regained his old command of to beat D. Mitic, of Yugoslavia, who length.
was seeded last year. Another fine English fight was that of L. Shaffl, Davis Cup player. He did splendidly to take a set from Henner Henkel, the German, whose powerful serving even- tually_subdued Shaffi.
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A. J. Mottram, the young Midland-
THE CHINA MAIL, JULY, 15, 1939..
sixteen, with others certain to join them to-day.
k
NEARLY all time records were brok- yesterday
when three singles matches were 'com- pleted in two and a half hours, and the last one proved to be the most ex- citing of all, for Madame Mathieu al- most became the first seeded woman to be beaten. Sho scraped through a three-set match against Hungary's 26-year-old No. 1, Miss C. Somogyi, 0-0, 0-8, 6-8,
The French champion looked like having a runaway victory when she polished off the first set in ten min- utes, but Miss Somogyi's form was too bad to be true. She Improved tre- mendously afterwards, and had she been able to move around the court more quickly she might have
won Miss Somogyi, a tall, heavily-built girl, Kave Madame Mathieu more trouble than she has experienced for a long time, with a stream of drop shots.
Madame Mathieu does not like a lot of running, and it looked as though she might be drop-shotted out of it. She took a 4-1 lead in the final set, but more drop shots upset her, and finally Miss Somogyi had two points to square at four-all. She failed at the crucial point, and the match was virtually settled.
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MEANWHILE, the most remarkable match of the championships BO far was in progress on an. outside court, where Ghaus Mohammed (In- dia) was playing O. Szigeti, a Hun- garian-left-hander. They battled for two hours and twenty minutes, and Mohammed won after losing a second set of thirty games, 6-4, 14-16, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Mohammed showed himself to be a
fine volleyer, and it says much for his stamina that he was able to win after being two sets to one down.
Szigeti, of much heavier physique, was frequently caught unawares by a donkey-drop" service of Mohammed's. Instead of the Indian delivering the ball with the usual punch, he would send it over the net in pat-like fashion, leaving his opponent standing well scored numerous points like this.
After winning the first set, Moham med had a chance of taking the sec- ond, for he led 4-1 and 5-4. Along drawn-out struggle ensued up to 14- all Szigeti broke through the ser
KUKULJEVIC, the Yugsolav F.
left-hander, again hammered his way through, and this time his victim was W. C. Choy, China's No. 2. With the possible exception of Eugene Smith, the Californian schoolmaster, er, who had done so well to get thr-beaten at the baseline. Mohammed Kukuljevic is the hardest hitter at ough two rounds at his first Wimble- Wimbledon this year, and he is hav- don, struggled vainly against A. D. Russell (Argentina), who beat him ing such a run of success that he capable of a surprise.
10-8, 6-4, 6-1.
is
His punching forehand and service "aces" were just enough to turn the
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27.
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A
SPORTS PARADE
FTER rather a leah period, Hong
Kong is about to enter a virtual festival of Interports. Firat will proba bly be the swimming contest which is" scheduled to take place in Shang- hai early in September, followed by lawn bowls.
And then--the biggest drawing card of the lot the soccer Interport, also due to be contested in Shanghai,
These functions Aro more or less definite but yet another contest, at which the two ports are due to try conclusions, is cricket. Like the swim- ming, for various reasons no contest has been held for some years--the last occasion was
1936 in Shanghai în when Hong Kong were badly beaten in a match featured by a solid cen- tury by E. F. Fincher of Kowloon Cricket Club and some-marathon bowl- ing by veteran Interporter A. R. Minu, and R. E. Lee of Kowloon Cric- ket Club, malding his debut.
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The following year when Shanghai were due to come down here, the Sino- Japanese hostilities commenced and definitely washed out any possibility of that eventuating. Again, last year, all arrangements were in hand to send a Hong Kong team north. An ex- tended programme of trials, greatly interrupted by rain, were held but when matters had just about reached.' the final selection stage, the Septem- ber crisis in Europe came along, Army. leave was stopped, and Hong Kong Cricket Club, with great reluctance, was forced to advise Shanghai of yet another wash-out.
By all rights, Shanghai should come having down here in November but regard to the situation in the north both political and from a point of view of business, it seems hardly like- ly that they will be able to do so.
One can well understand Shanghai's feelings on the matter. Cricket Inter- ports and the trip down here might be very pleasant but after all there are jobs to be considered and I am quite certain there will be, a great deal of reluctance to ask for even the brief fortnight that the trip would entail with business in the north as it is.
I feel that if the Interport series is to be continued and I am certain all
tide against Choy's more delicate NE of the surprise victories of the vice in the 29th game, and managed] cricketers would regard the discontin-
strokes. The service is Kukuljevic's greatest asset, and he makes full use of it. In more than one game he served at least three "aces," and to- wards the end, too, he produced some sizzling passing shots.
R. L. Riggs, America's No. 1, won a long and arduous match with C. E. Malfroy, the New Zealander, 8-8, 11-9, so 6-2. Riggs did not allow himself many moments of relaxation, although the wily Malfroy got away to flying starts in the first two sets. Each time Riggs pulled him back, and then in has built up his reputation, but he still does not look consistent enough to win
de the championship. Malfroy was feated as much by his own tiredness as anything else, and could offer no resis tance in the third set.
A three-sets victory over the diminu- tive J. Siba (Bohemia Moravia) en- abled R. A. Shayes to qualify to meet Riggs in the next round. In one game last year in the United States Shayes took Riggs to five sets.
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day was in the women's doubles, to hold the next for set-all.
Mohammed looked a beaten man uation of it as a major tragedy-Hong Miss K. Stammers and Mrs. S. H. Hammersley (Freda James), past when he lost the third set, but he Kong must spare no effect to send a
side up there in September. holders of the championship, knocking proved himself to be a great little Hungar- out the seeded pair, Miss J. Jedrze fighter. By cutting off the jowska and Mme. R. Mathieu, the lan's returns at the net Mohammed IT is of course rather early to discuss French champion, by the easy margin easily took the fourth set, leading--all of 6-8, 6-1. The British pair were the way. They were two weary men back to their best form, giving their who had to contest the decider. Szigeti opponents no chance in a hectic spell got within striking distance at 4-5, over in but the Indian clinched the tenth game of volleying, and it was all
for the set and match. less than half, an hour.
The two Scots, D. MacPhail and I. G. Collins, were both beaten in their second round ties, the latter by J. S. Olliff and MacPhail by Puncec, who, incidentally, defeated him last year.
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OVERSEAS players were the first singles on June 30. Five Britons bat- tled for the remaining places in the last eight. One of them is certain to reach this stage, for the match be tween H.-W. Austin, our No. 1, and D. W. Butler, will be a clash of home interests. In the other three encoun- R A.Shayes each meets foreigners,
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such matters as yet but there is every likelihood that any Hong Kong team that is sent north will contain a larger number of new caps than usually the case. Having regard to the vast improvement in Club de Re- crefo, who are the possessors of the certain THE, two English girls, Miss. Denise Senior Shield, it is almost
the Huntbach and Miss Diana Wood, that, provided they can obtain who earlier in the week had beaten necessary leave, and I see no reason Miss Jean Nicoll and Miss S. Panne- why they shouldn't Recreio will be tier, France's No. 2 respectively, both well represented.
E. H. L. went out yesterday, Huntbach,
EUGENE SMITH, after the victory ters: J. S. Ollif, M. D. Deloford, and opening set, only to lose four games how these two very fine
the previous round over: R
Menzel, was looked upon as certain of beating F. Cejnar (Bohemia Moravia), but he had to go to five sets before winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 1-0, 6-1. Smith eased up in the fourth set, but he again started on the attack in the
WHAT FUN!
The women's - singles are not quite so far advanced, but four British play- ers Miss K. Stammers, Mrs. E. G. Macpherson-Géant (Miss E. N 9. Diekin), Miss Valerie Scott, and Miss Jean Saunders are already in the last
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a row...
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Cheshire County player, could north-stantly come to raind a . Ozorio in- stand the more accurate volleying of lony opening bowling combination. Re- Mrs. Sarah Fabyan, American Wight creio's success last year, whilst being man Cup player, and lost 6-2, 6-8, to a great extent attributable to their while Miss Wood, a Devonian, cracked remarkable fielding, was, largely due after a promising start to lose against to the record-breaking performances would Mrs. H. Sperling, the Danish seed, of Gosano and Ozorio and it 6-3, 6-1. Miss Wood led 8-2 in the be interesting, to say the least, to see cricketers would fare in the realm of Interport Miss Kay Stammers took only half cricket. an hour to beat Misa Nina Brown, 6-2, 6-2, on the Centre Court, and Henner Henkel (Germany)-following A Recreio team, we have sprerade on needed only ten minutes more to put paid to the chances of 44-year-old partures on leave and for various other Jacques Brugnon, 6-1, 6-8, 6-0. reasons who will be extremely dimanlt Henvyrain delayed play for an hour to replace. Among those who came late in the day, but the programme to mind are Harry Owen Hughes and Ernie Fincher, whilst although I have was not seriously hindered. F. Puncec, the Yugoslavian "seed," was one of been unable to confirm the fact as ret, those held up, and after the rain he went on the court and beat A. D. Russell, of the Argentine, by 6-8, 8-6, 8-1.3
:
THE price of Peter Doherty, Man Tchester City'e frish international im- side Boccer forward, is $15,000. Thie valuation was made, known when: Ldy- erpool, in their search for men to take them out of the rut into which they
instad
GAINST possible new in the
have heard a strong rumour that Alec Pearcea logical choice for cap taingand the best bat in the Colon is under medical advice to lay off all sport for a period. Whether that per; lod extends beyond September remains to be seen. All local cricketers, will
one that it doaan t
WHATEVER the dificulties, how- ever, I feel that they will if not from the prove unsurmountable if there Aclent kee ass, and am sur
sentiments of that they be voicing
with one keters
added really
trans-| send a
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deter