The San Francisco call., 1904-04-30
TOURNAMENT PLAY
ENGAGES EXPERTS
Tennis Men in Training for
the Annual Championship
To Be Held Next Month

With the first championship tennis
tournament Of the year just month
off, the players are commencing to
condition themselves for the annual
events for the State and coast cham
pionships. Outside of these two events
the San Francisco championship is
probably the most important. 1t was
inaugurated three years ago, when
George Whitney became the first Bay
City champion.
He was succeeded by Grant Smith,
who won the second annual champion
ship. The title Is held by Drummond
MacGavin, who carried off the honors
last year.
Whitney and Smith were called upon
to play through the tournament, where
as in most championship events the
champion stands out. A challenge cup
was donated last May and the ques-
tiop has arisen as to whether or not the
present champion should play in the
tournament.
The San Francisco championship is
held annually on May 30. MacGavin is
playing an excellent game at present
and is expected to retain his title.
Percy Murdock, Will Allen or George
Baker should win the tournament.
That one of the three will play Mac
Gavin for the championship is almost
a certainty.
The California Tennis Club will hold
handicap doubles tournament to-
morrow for the Directors cups. Four
or five of the teams entered are evenly
matched and some close and interest
ing contests are expected.
Will Allen and Tracy Crawford are
in possession of the cups, which have
been won also by Allen and DIR. Hill,
Grant and Chester Smith and Herbert
Schmidt and Harry Rolfe
Allen and Crawford, McChesney and
Hill. C. Smith and Salisbury and
Schmidt and Rolfe will all play within
Gavin and Collier have not secured
partners. Entries for the tourney close
at $3.50 tomorrow morning, when the
drawing will be held
The Golden Gate Club will finish it's
handicap doubles tournament to-mor-
row. The committee in charge ham
died the affair excellently. Early in
the afternoon twenty-five of the
twenty-six teams had been disposed of,
leaving but four in the competition.
Numerous defaults helped materially,
but the matches were run off rapidly
considering the limited number of
courts at the disposal of the players.
For the most part the handcapping
was good. although a mistake was
probably made when Allen and Griffin
were not placed on the same mark as
the Baker brothers. Both lost and no
harm was done, but meeting between
the two should surely be on even terms.
The fact that none of the poorer teams
ever gets as far as the semi-finals
shows they do not receive large enough
handicaps. More of them should be
given 80"
The four remaining teams should fur
nish some interesting matches to-mor-
row. A. Brabant and Stewart Gay
ness will receive '2-6" from Norman
Ambrose and Marius Hotchlxiss The
latter should win with these odds, but
the match will probably be close The
other semi-final match is more uncer-
tain. George Bates and Ed Finnegan
will receive "4-6'' from Clarence Foley
and Charles Dunlap, who will be "3-6'
back of scratch. These are liberal odds
and Bates and Finnegan stand an ex-
cellent chance of reaching the finals.
If they hope to win, Foley and Dun
lap viii have to play fully as well as
they did last Sunday, when they
showed their best form.
Most of the park players figure that
Ambrose and Hotchkiss will meet Foley
and Dunlap in the finals. This would
be an interesting match. The former
would receive odds of owe 3-6.''
BY taking Griffin i1e5 camp again
last Sunday Herbert Long proved he
is by far the most promising young
player in the State. Longs improve
ment since the first of the year is the
most talked of thing N tennis circles.
A good style to begin with. combined
with hard daily practice, has put him
where he is His position is rather
peculiar one. He failed to- win the
third class tournament three months
ago, yet If there were to be a class
tourns ment now he would go into the
second class and would stand an ex-
cellent chance of carrying off the hon