Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-17
TENNIS IS BOOMING.
The Fashionable Sport Getting Rap
idly Into Popular Favor.
PROGRAMME FOR THIS SEASON.
Championship Contests to Be Played on the
Local Grounds.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF THE DAY


The outlook for very successful season of
lawn tennis in Pittsburg and vicinity is very
favorable and the prospects are that the
boom which the game received last year on
account of the lack of interest in baseball
will be continued this year. Each succeed
ing year finds a large number of new re-
cruits added to the lawn tennis ranks, and,
notwithstanding the popular prejudice
against it on account Of its lack of rough
ness and the absence of hoodlumism, the
game still continues its wonderful growth.
The Pittsburg Tennis Club, at Bellefeld,
which is the pioneer in the lawn tennis
boom in this vicinity, with the opening of
the season of 1891 now enters upon the fourth
year of its existence. 1t has membership of
15O and the prospects are that this number
will be largely increased during the coming
season. The club has ten of the finest clay
courts in the country as the soil is of that
peculiar quality which rolls very hard and
neither cakes in wet weather nor gets very
dusty in dry. The accommodat for men,
bers in the way of dressing rooms, etc., are
excellent, and the surroundings are beauti-
full and romantic The grounds are very &C
cessible and can be reached in 10 minutes
from the city either by the Pennsylvania
Railroad to Ben Venue station or the Fifth
avenue cable cars. After the Duquesne
Traction Company get their cars started
they will be the best means of reaching the
ground, as they will run within few hun
dred feet of it, .r
Since last season the five leading clubs OF
this vicinity, or rather of Western Pennsyl-
vania, namely, the Altoona Cricket, the
Mansfield Tennis, the Pittsburg Cricket, the
Pittsburg Tennis and the Sewickley Athletic
were admitted into the United States Lawn
Tennis Association, urlder the title of the
western Pennsylvania Association" The
National Association decided that the single
championship of the Western Pennsylvania
Association should be played for on the
grounds Of the Pittsburg Tennis Club, and
the doubles on the grounds of the Altoona
Cricket Club, therefore,
The Single Championship
will be decided during the annual tourna-
ment, to be held at Pittsburg on July l5 l6,
II and IS, and the winner will be awarded
the beautiful challenge cup presented to the
club by Mr.. j. C. Grogan. The cup was won
in 1889 by Mr.. Marshall Cristy, of the Sc.
wickley Club, and in 1890 by Mr.. s. W. B.
Moorhead, of the Pittsburg Tennis Club.
The conditions attached to the holding of
this cup are that it shall be competed for an
same party wins it three times in succession
he becomes the owner of the cup.
Mr.. Moorhead, the present holder, is
strong favorite for the coming
and as has every asrsag to sss
good playing form, and his friends have
strong hopes that he will become
the ultimate possessor of the Grogan trophy:
the last week in August on the grounds of
the Altoooa Cricket Club. This is always a
very enjoyable occasion, as the members of
the Altoona club have had long experience
tennis players in the State. Philadel-
phia, Harrisburg, Lagcaster, Huntingdon,
Chambersburg, beside all the smaller towns
Last year the tournament was won by
Messrs. Hoops and Lee, of the Belmont
Cricket Club, Philadelphia The Eastern
men have won the championship for several
years, in fact, every since the tournament
was inaugurated, as their standard of play
seems to be higher, but this year some of the
Western clubs are going to make strong
effort to bring that honor to Pittsburg.- The
tournament usually lasts four days and 1t is
brought to fitting finale by grand hop at
the Logan House, which Proprietor Durham
always gives to his guests on this OCCASION
In addition to those larger clubs O great
many smaller organizations have sprung up
in this vicinity during this spring. The ten
mis- fever has struck Latrobe very hard and
their club, which was just organized last
year, has about 20 members, about one-third
claycourts and small club house, and every
pleasant evening the grounds are crowded
with players and spectators. Al Pratt, the
local sporting goods dealer, has been kept
very busy supplying them with outfits and
has enough orders in to keep him busy for
some time. i
= Greensburg Has Also Organized
a one as the Latrobe one, and series of |
games between the best players |
of the two clubs is already being talked Of |
line, and with a little work the Lawn Tennis |
of Western Pennsylvania would |
become quite large affair.
The Sewickley club opened their courts to |
their club members on Saturday, May O. and !
the game promises to be even more popular |
than ever in that lovely valley, which has
been one of the best places fer tennis in |
this vicinity for the past ten years.
Ellsworth now has two clubs. Mr.. William
Lang, the promising young real estate man,
was the enterprising individual who organ
lied the second one, and he is using every |
is that he will have the most |
popular club in Ellsworth by the end of this
season. He proposes to give an open tour
the first week in August.
The Superior Athletic Club will have their
courts in good condition, and tennis promises
to be more popular than ever with them
also since they haven't any baseball club.
The Allegheny Athletic Association, who
have the use of Exposition Park when the
League club is not using it, intend to make
tennis quite feature of their club and
have made arrangements to lay out six
courts behind the left field bleachers. Their
tennis committee have been very active
during the past week, and hope to have
their courts in shape by next Saturday
They have some excellent players in their
association, and will probably send repre-
sentatives to all of the local tournaments
and will send a team to the Altoona tourna-
nent.
The East End Gymnastic Club have also
arranged to lay out half dozen courts on
their new grounds, formerly Liberty Ball
Park, and, as they have about five acres of
very level ground, they will no doubt have
some excellent courts. These courts are
principally for the lady members of the
gymnasium, who have the use of the grounds
llso. When the Duquesne Traction Com
oany gets started these courts will be very
popular, as the cars pass right by the
grounds. The gymnasium has some very
rood tennis players among its 400 members,
md they are also going to be represented at
he various tournaments. Altogether the
outlook of local tennis is a very bright one.
md if the weather is favorable the swish of
he raquet will be heard on all sides.
TIE nNNuAI SpOPTs