The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-03

8
Larned and FOOte 10 Go Abroad.
The ChnmpiOnship-Fav Who
Have Left the FieId-sIen who May
Take Their Places.
Copyright 1896.
New York, May 2.-Yesterday marked
the opening of the lawn tennis season Of
1896. The first of the long series of official
tournaments were scheduled to begin YES
terday afternoon in New York, New
Haven Cambridge, Princeton, Philadel-
pia and Chicago The interschoastic cham
pionship movement has assumed greater
proportions this spring than ever before
and the tournament will be held in six diff
ferent sections Harvard and Columbia.
organized the Interscholastic Tennis AS
ISOLATION in 1891, and since then the meet
lngs have grown in Importance each year
Yale and Princeton, which joined very
soon after the association was formed
have been followed by the Chicago Uni
versity and the University of Pennsylva-
MIA, both of which will hold tournaments
this spring
The winners from all four of last wears
sections were present at Newport last Au-
gust to meet in the final series of matches
for the national interscholastic CHAMPION
snip, and 1t is expected that there will be
SIX contestants next summer for the hon
or Leo Z. Ware of Brookline, Mass.
who holds the title, will be ineligible this
year TO defend his claim to it. as he has
entered Harvard, while G. P. Sheldon. Jr
and H. d. Whitman, the other two inter
scholastics, have also entered COLLEGE
AaIe ana Harvard respectively-so that
| there will be a vacancy which must be
filled by some new player this year.
The interscholastic tournaments will he
! followed by the tate CHAMPIONSHIPS most
OF which are scheduled for the week of
June II. 1t was intended that some day
the national championship tournament
should be restricted to holders of stare
and other recognized CHAMPIONSHIPS 10
prevent the great rush of less expert plaV-
erS from entering this most Important
tournament of the year which Should in
some way be limited to experts. This plan
however, has not been put in operation
as yet, and ii is doubtful whether il will
ever be perfected so that it can be carried
out. Some such restrictions should be nut
upon the championship entries in order
to raise the standard of play in our
annual Newport meeting, which is now
! altogether too crowded by inferior play
ers, who are completely outclassed
There IS little doubt but that there are
| more good second-class players in America
| to-day than ever before, but there Is a
! dearth of first-class experts As one after
another OF the veterans drop out. there is
! left vacancy in the upper ten" which
/ is not easy 10 fill satisfactorily AT the
| end OF last season there were really only
| eight urst-class players who We're still
active, and several of these viii be out of
/ competition this year Larned and Foofe
| viii so to England this spring HoVev and
| Hobart have both been married since last
! season ended, and neither viii be seen
much in tournament play this year; while
! Chase, Wrenn and Neel will none of them
! play as much as last year.
Rowland and Stevens will prOba hIv no
! the most active of the experts, while
! BudlOng, Fischer, Ware. Whitman pa
ret, and two or three others of the second
class men, VIII try to I'LL up the gaps in
the ranks Of the veterans Howland's
record last season was particularly bril-
! liant, and if he finds time to play through
out the coming season, he should be
among the very top men at the end of
the year. In fact, with Larned out of the
race Howlands chances for the cham
piOnship should be second 10 none I'm
TO midsummer he had not been beaten
| by any one but Larned last season. de-
spite the fact that he had played in all
the prominent tournaments throughout
the spring. At Newport he was again
| beaten by Larned in the semi-final round
after brilliant struggle; and with an
other years experience he VIII make the
most dangerous rival Capt. HoVey will
have to contend against in the defense
OF his laurels.
The European excursion of Larned and
Foote this year promises to be one of
the features OF the season, and American
enthusiasts have high hopes Of some fat