Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20

| love-game; sixth, Morehead vantage. game;
| seventh, Morehead; eighth. Morehead, van
| tage game. Set won by Morehead, o.
Morehead won the match. 60 81, "a, g.
| No sooner had the last set closed than Mr..
| Morehead's friends attempted to close in upon
| him, but he was too quick for them and
| showed his abilities as a sprinter. He made
| his escape to the club house, but his friends
captured him there and returned him to the
| court on their shoulders. He modestly re-
| ceived congratulations, but positively refused
| to m Ike a speech, and shortly returned to the
club house.
S. w. B. Morebead is a small-sized and ex-
| tremely quiet young man of 20 years. He is a
| son of Major Morehead, the iron manufac-
| turer. He has just finished his junior year at
Yale. Morehead has been playing tennis fer
| five years and has greatly improved over last
years form. Before playing tennis he did a
| great deal of sprinting and evidently has not
| forgotten his old training. He worked hard
| he received.
Marshall Cristy. the dethroned champion, is
| resident of Sewickley and member of the
Sewickley Tennis Club. He is splendid tennis
player and will doubtless be after the cham
| pionship again next season.
| Lack of tennis facilities and the inconven-
| lent distance from their homes lead three
| membe of the Pittsburg Cricket Club to form
a club devoted exclusively to lawn tennis, and
| SO was organized in the early part of 1883 the
| Pittsburg Tennis Club.
| At first it was expected to belbut small
| local club and few invitations were sent out,
but as players from the city and Allegheny
| saw and used the courts applications for mem
bership came in until July. 1883, 15O names were
| enrolled. The dues for new members were
| then raised to $40, only one person Joining
| after that.
The first year seven clay courts were laid out,
| care being taken to have them built and sur
faced as perfectly as possible, and it has been
| and Is now the boast of the club that 1t
possesses the finest courts in this part of the
| country, one or two equaling the best of the
Eastern courts, if the opinion of persons having
| used the best of the Eastern courts can be re-
| lied upon.
The grounds are beautifully situate on Craig
| and Neville streets and Center avenue, the
| fourth side being bounded by the lovely woods
| OF the Aspinwall place. About Is acres are
| embraced in the grounds, dotted here and there
by large and small trees and traversed by two
small streams. The club house. long, low
| frame structure, nestles among group of
trees between the two runs. about 100 yards
| from the courts. 1t contains four rooms,
the western end for lady members
the center for the gentlemen, while the
eastern end is divided into a bathroom
and room for the use of the ground man.
| Seldom is such really wild, naturally beau
t1ful spot foupd as these grounds, the place
itself proving almost as attractive TO many as
the courts.
Seven tournaments were given in 1888, two
open, two club and three mixed doubles, all
developing good tennis.
In 1889 the membership list showed about l23
PAID members and about 60 from the year
| before, who neither paid nor resigned. This
season more tournaments were given, among
tnem the nrSt annual tournament, during
which the Grogan Challenge cup was played
for and won by Mr.. Marshall Cristy, of the
Sew1ckley club. This proved to be the largest
and best tournament ever held in the western
| part Of the State, entries from Altoona, New
Castle, Oil City, Beaver. Salisbury, Indiana,
Sewickley and Allee heny competing.
SO far this year the paid members number
| over log, with many applications for member
| ship, The dues were altered again to So for
| ladies and $40 for gentlemen,
The membership list contains now almost
every well-known local tennis player. both la
| dies and gentlemen, except, of course, the
Sewickley players, who have their own club
and facilities.
The names of four ministers, IL doctors and
| probably 30 lawyers have appeared upon the
members roll, showing that tennis is enjoyed
| by the professional men as much as by the col
| over the former.
This club has never been incorporated, but 1t
has been go successful that scheme is now on
foot to organize it into a stock company and
make greater improvements on the grounds
A large and splendidly-built clubhouse is now
pictured in the minds of many of the enthusi-
astic members Of the CLUB, and there is every
chance that such building may be had.
The club has large number of lady mem
bers, who are expert tennis players, and the
probabilities are that a tournament open to Ia
dies only will be held the last of August or
first of September. There are a great many
anxious for such a tournament tor champion
ship honors. 1t is now in order for some pub
lic-spirited business man to donate champion
ship emblem for the ladies to battle for, and
the tournament would be an assured fact and
q great event.