The age-herald., 1899-08-29
WARD AND BROWN
 TENNIS CHAMPIONS
Thornton Brothers Beaten by the
 Birmingham Boys.
SOME VERY EXCITING PLAY
Atlantians Were Favorites, But the Mag ic City Team Proved Surprise to Its Opponents-Wa
 Defeats Brown.

Atlanta, August 2S.-By defeating Henry and Chancellor Thornton, of the Atlanta Athletic club, this morning, Coleman Ward and c. A. Brown, of the Birmingham Ath- letic club, won the amateur championship of the south, and incidentally each won a beautiful American Tate Expert fourteen ounce tennis racket.
 Coleman Ward then defeated his partner, c. A. Brown, in a very exciting single match, winning the handsome loving cup and the honor of being the fastest amateur tennis player in the south.
 The finals were to have been pl3 red Sat urday afternoon. The double contest was commenced, and the local players won two straight sets The Birmingham team had beaten the Atlanta boys one set, but the locals had three games aga1nst their op- ponents two on the fourth set. At this point a heavy shower interrupted the play, and the match was postponed until this morning.
 Excitement was at a fever heat when Referee Williams called the two teams upon the court this morning to settle the championship. A large crowd was present, and naturally the Thornton brothers were the favorites
 The fourth set was resumed just where it had been called on Saturday the score standing 30-15 in favor of the out-of-town team. The games stood to 2, the Thorn tons having the big end of it to their credit.
 In two minutes after play had been called Brown and Ward had tied the score in pa ba hut yr6o stih had one set on their opponents.
 With the score in games standing S-S, Brown and Ward won two more games, the next one going to the Thornton broth CTS, making the score 5-4 against the To- calls. Excitement ran high, the crowd yell ing and applauding every shot of the Att lanta boys, but, in spite of all of this, Brown and Ward won out, tying the score in sets.
 The next set was to be the rub and de- eide the championship of tine south and, although the Thornton brothers did some of the prettiest playing seen during the tournament, luck seemed to be against them, and until the set was nearly over they failed to win single game
 The Atlanta players would, in nearly every game, make the score duce, ana then by some unfortunate play allow their op- ponents to win 1he next two points.
 The first two sets of Saturday afternoons play We're won by the Thornton brothers with comparative ease, leading the specta- tors to believe that the championship in doubles would come to Atlanta
 In these two sets the playing done by the locals was by far the best seen during the tournament and had 1t not rained and had the Thorntons stuck to the pace they made during the first two sets there would have been a different tale to tell.
 However, much credit is due the Birming- ham team. They are now the unddsputed champions of the south, and as long as they continue to play as we'll as they did Tn the tournament just ended it will be task to wrest the title from them.
 The score for the finals: --
 oubles-Thornton brothers vs. Brown and Ward; match won by Brown and Ward-4- 6; S-6: 60; GA; Gel
 Singles-Coleman Ward vs. c. A. Brown; match won by Ward-6-4; 3-6; 6-4
 Coleman Ward and Charles A. Brown re- turned from Atlanta last night where they had won honor for themselves and the Bir- mingham Athletic club which they repre- scented, by capturing the tennis champion ship for the south. Messrs. Ward and Brown were met at the station by an en- thusiastic crowd of clubites and given an ovation An informal banquet will be ten dered the champions at an early date. MT. Brown intends to leave at once for short visit to relatives in south Alabama