The San Francisco call., 1905-06-24
NEW CHAMPION
ON THE COURTS
Coming Tournament Will
Develop Another Leader
Among Tennis Players
TITLE-HOLDER ABSENT
Percy Murdoch Is the Only
Veteran of the Game i'm
Lists of the Competitors

The fifth annual tennis tournament for
the championship of the State will COM
mence on the Hotel Rafael courts a San
Rafael next Friday. The first event Of
! the kind, played in 1901. was won by
George Whitney. who successfully de-
Tended his title in 1902. Whitney did not
defend in 1903 and was succeeded by
Grant Smith, the tournament winner.
Last year Drummdnd MacGavin won the
tournament and defeated amth in the
challenge match MacGavin will not be
I here TO defend on the 4th of July and the
question of who will be the new cham
pion is the one that is interesting the
local tennis cracks. AS neither Whitney,
Smith nor MacGavin will be among the
contestants the title will go to player
/ who has never before held it.
Percy Murdoch. the Alameda County
, crack is the only veteran entered and,
although he lost the San Francisco
championship 10 Gardner on May 80. the
majority expect to see him carry off the
honors. Gardner has also entered and is
considered Murdocks most dangerous
rival. Murdock will be in better shape
than he was in the last tournament and
will not be bothered by the wind. Gard
ner will also be playing a stronger game
than he did in the last tournament. He
is improving constantly and has come to
the front WIFI d quite d
of the enthusiasts are confident Gardner
will again defeat Murdock The latter
is al unreliable player. while Gardner is
steady and can always be depended upon
Murdock has unquestionably played ten
mis- that outclasses Gardeners best game,
but he probably does not average up any
better than the latter. In a practice
game on Tuesday Murdoch defeated
Gardner easily, taking four sets out of
Ive.
Murdock and Gardner are by no means
the only players with chance 10 win.
George James. Fred Adams Clarence
Griffin, Harry Rolfe. Herbert Schmidt
Charles Foley and Herbert Long are a
clever lot of youngsters, and one of the
seven might upset calculations. They are
by 10 means outclassed and each has a
chance TO win the coveted title.
While the tournament will start on
Friday. few matches in the mems tour
nament will be played that day. The
ladies' win also meet for the State cham
pionship. Their tournament will be
played on Friday and will probably be
finished down to the finals.
Miss Hazel Hotchkiss, the present
champion, is in England and new State
champion will be developed The tourna-
ment will be devoid of class this year
and the title will in all probability go to
a player Of the second or third class.
The final match OF the ladies' tournament
will be played on the morning of July a.
and the mems finals on the afternoon of
the same day.
Three tournaments will be PLAYED on
the courts to-day and tomorrow. On the
park courts this morning two events will
be run off. They are the first annual
tournament for the Grammar School
championship and a ladies' handicap dou-
bes for the Olds Cups OF the five
teams entered in the latter event three
have won the trophies twice and it is ex-
pected one of them will score the third
and final win. The tournament was
scheduled for to-day in the hope the cups
would be finally disposed of, as many of
the contestants are about to leave town
for the summer. One of them is going to
Honolulu to live.
The three teams that are tied in the
race for the trophies are Miss Weed and
Miss Van Vliet Miss Wooden and Miss
Myer and Mrs. Watson and Miss Wege-
ner- The drawing favors Miss Wegener
and Mrs Watson considerably. They
drew in the first round and IL successful
viii probably meet one OF the other two
teams in the finals. If Miss Weed and
Miss Van Nliet win their preliminary
round match they will be opposed to Miss
Wooden and Miss Myer in the first
round
Eight schools entered players in the>
Grammar School event and it should
prove an interesting one. AS most of
the contestants are members of the
Junior Club, NJ. Mclaughlin, the cham
pion of that organization is expected to
win the first championship. He has al
ways beaten his clubmates easily and
unless one of the outside players upsets
calculations Mclaughlin will carry off
the honors
handicap doubles tournament for the
Directors Cups will be played on the
California Club courts tomorrow. All of
the crack teams of the club will be in
the competition and some good tennis Is
anticipated.
Several of the cracks will cross the
bay tomorrow 10 practice on the San
Rafael courts.
Fred Adams played a remarkably good
game on the park courts last Sunday.
His defeat of Baker and Griffin was un-
expected and marks him as player OF
considerable class. In the Griffin-Adams
match foot faults were called after the
first set This affected the play OF both
contestants considerably, but particular
ly that of Griffin. If foot faults are
called at San Rafael, as they should be-
many of the players who never observe
the rule from one years end to the other,
will find themselves UP against it, 1t is
to be hoped the scorer will enforce this
rule, as otherwise il increases the serv-
er's advantage. which is a big one.