The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-03
TENNIS AND BADMINT0N.
.gE LATTER HAS NOT DRIVEN THE
FORMER FROM FAVO8.

.be Chsmpions-E ow to Play Bad
n,tnton-The Rules of the Game.
(Copvri0ht.)
NEW York, May 30.-The tennis season
,,r 1891 has fairly begun, and from present
a,oerances it will be the liveliest one that
tas aver been known in this country. There
ms a prospect earlier in the season that
A.d,ninton might supplant the older game
- favor. but every one concerned now
sconts the possibility Of such result. No
one naturally takes keener interest in the
question than tie makers of tennis goods,
md they report the largest advance sales
~ record. 1t is one of the not
n he forgotten consequences of the popu-
,.-itv of lawn tennis that the manufacture
and sale of nets, rackets, lawn makers,
.boes and uniforms has become great in
dnstrv. 1t is only very few years since all
,best, goods were imported from England,
tbe home Of the game; now they are practi-
csIlv all made here, and the business
om6unts to something like $40, 100000 a
Tasr TO the trade. This is looking at the
other side of the sport, but the point of
view is rot an unimportant one.
The clubs in and about New York are in
numbers almost legion, aud they are pre-
neriug busily for championship events.
Practically the season begins with Decora-
ton day; the month Of fine weather before
that date being given up to practice play
ing. OF course, play begins earlier south.
The Washington tournament for the cham
pionship of the southern states was held in
The middle of May Tomorrow the New
York Tennis Club will hold Its spring
games, aud from now to the end OF the sea-
son in October there will be a tournament
every day-for not a summer hotel of any
sze is without its tennis courts, the smallest
villages have their clubs and matches and
return matches are shrewdly relied upon to
keep up the interest in the game.
Undoubtedly the success of tennis is
largely due to the fact that men and women
can play it together. For filtration pur-
noses it may not quite equal the sedate and
sluggish game of croquet, but for a judi
cious combination of sport and opportuni-
ties for tete- a-tetes its equal has never been
invented. Indeed, tennis Is the ideal ladies'
game. AS it requires agility rather than
strength to play tennis, there is no reason
why women should not play quite as we'll
as men, if it were not for the perpetual
handicap of skirts AS it is, an active
woman is about match for a stout and
middle.a aged man. with equal practice, and
some of the best women players can hold
their own with any but the very best
men, This is d test not to be
recommended, however, as the practice of
PLAYING with one of the other sex rather
tends to break man up, as he is divided
between his gallantry and his desire to ex-
eel. Thus it may easily happen that man
will show mp in better form at the end Of a
season with comparatively little practice
with men than if he had considerable care
less playing with women. Championship
games are, Of course, always between play
ers Of the same sex.
Since Sears of Boston, who was an extraor-
binary tennis player, met with disabling
accident the honors of the game have rested
with the Brooklyn players, Henry w.
Slocum, j., son of Gen. H. w. Slocum, the
champion of 1889, and Oliver S., or
ollie" Campbell. the present holder
of the champ ionship. both having played
at Prospect Park in past years though Mr.,
Slocum is now member of st. Georges
Club New York There is perhaps no
place in the country where better provision
is made for tennis playing on large scale
than at Prospect Park, and there are few
days In spring or summer when consider
able number of games are not going on
there simultaneously.
The frequency OF vacant lots in the resi-
dence section of Brooklyn rather favors the
formation of small neighborhood clubs,
where social amusement rather than fine
play is the result.
In New York lives the Young woman who
is rather expected to win chief champion
ship honors this summer. This is Miss
Mabel F. Cahill of the New York Lawn
Tennis club. Miss Cahill is an Irishwoman,
and won fame in the old country at tennis
tournaments before coming to this. She is
vigorous, athleic-looking young woman
with merry, laughing eyes and quick, vigor-
Gus movements. The present holder of the
woman's championship, Mrs. L. G. Roose-
welt, VIII not give up her supremacy with
out struggle Miss Roosevelt and her
sister, Grace, also hold the championship
Tor doubles. Miss Cahill will probably play
IN doubles with Miss Ballantine of the New
York club. Miss Robinson of Staten
Island, Mrs Morgan Of Short Hills, N. j.
Inc Misses Elting, Frazer and Temple of
Westchester county, end Miss Colby of
orange, n. j., are among the famous
payers who may contest for honors with
MISS Cahlll and the Roosevelt sisters. OF
course, there will be dark horses, who at
Ine last moment may appear to wrest the
leadership away from the well-known
players. 1t is always more difficult to pre-
act womens playing than mems. They
nave more time for practice, they are quite
as numerous if not more SO, and they are
than men, even if quite proficient. Thus
local pride may almost at any time force to
Tue sue 'front.' some splendid player before I'M
4eard OF outside Of her county. 1t is the
popularity of the players of both sexes that
thsy are at their best while quite young and
20 not long retain their supremacy.
Dadmlnton came to the front last winter
as an indoors game, for which it was well,
adapted by the smallness of the court re-
CURED. tennis court is rs feet by 81
"laer than an ordinary city lot and nearly
az deep. The badminton court is only A
teet by 20, and can be recommended for q
T y, game where space is very limited
me net is shorter and higher. Tho short
service q, line is 6 feet inches from the net.
me base line is Is feet inches farther
PACK on either side. The net itself is 16 feet
tung and five feet high in the middle In
tIe play shuttlecock is used instead of the
Whlte bali used in tennis. This is made of
rubber and feathered to steady its
night Ordinary tennis rackets are
u USED instead of the old-fashioned
oattledores. The game is, in
Iact sort of a cross between lawn tennis
ana The older games, and is said to be the
invention of an English officer in. India,
puo found the climate too hot for tennis.
rerhaps that is the reason why old tennis
SEIIlSiyers call badminton lazy peoples game.
" men such sturdy athletes as Hamilton
Carey and Stanley Mortimer and such
SSteVer tennis experts as Miss Annie Webb,
MISS Iurnure, Miss Miuturn and Miss Nit
cneil play and enjoy the game, however, it
can safely be assumed that there is plenty
OF exercise in il