Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-08-18
TO TRYFOR
DA Wis CUP
ENGLISH TENNIS PLAYERS ARE
DISCUSSING PLANS
ELIMINATION CONTESTS MAY BE
HELD HERE
unless the Dohertys Play Americas
Chances Are Better Than Eng
land's-Many Promising
Experts In America

| LONDON, Aug. T7.-Already the pros
pect for recapturing the Davis interna-
tional lawn tennis cup from the Ans
trailans is being discussed in England,
and at an early meeting of the British
Lawn Tennis association the subject of
dlspatching team to the Antipodes will
come up for preliminary consideration.
Hehections on the results of the inter-
national matches at Wimbledon onlv serve
to emphasize the extremely narrow mar
gin which separated both America and
England from the colonial victors and To
prove that shade more luck to the rem
| resentatives of either country would have
turned defeat into success.
An examination of the total aces scored
by each team discloses the interesting ia
that Australia secured only thirty-one
more points than America in an aggre-
gate of 1875 strokes. while the difference
between England and Australia In the
challenge round was only twenty-nine
points in an aggregate of 1867, figures
which, If they prove anything at all, show
how remarkably evenly balanced these
combinations were and how little cause
there is for encouragement on the actual
| result.
Can Try for Cup
Many people suppose that the Davis cup
is now moribund so far as battling for
its possession on English or American soil
is concerned and that the days of inter-
national engagements between two Anglo
Saxon races are over until one or the
other brings back the trophy from Mel
bourne.
But this Is not the case. Should Eng
! land or America decide to challenge for
the cup next year they and any other
countries competing would meet in pre-
limnary contest held presumably in Lon
don, which would be the most accessible
center for all teams, or, II no other
European nations were concerned, there
would be no reason to prevent this elimin-
ating competition taking place in the
United States on precisely similar lines
to the Davis cup fights of 1902 and 1903
The only difference would be that instead
of taking immediate possession for the
Davis bowl the victors would have earned
the right to challenge the holders on their
own soil.
Americas Chances
Without the Dohertys Englands chance
Is considerably less than Americas The
republic has young and carefully trained
talent. She has Karl Behr, and also has
Beals Wright, still good as ever. She
has several young college players COM
ing rapidly to the front.
England has scarcely a promising colt.
The 'varsftfeS supply opponents OF KIND,
but it is not of the right kind. There is a
patent lack of stamina and technical re-
source and undiluted keenness such as
tennis demands. New blood may be dis
covered unexpectedly. Wilding was a
Cambridge find, but the most sanguine
are beginning to recognize that the indif-
ference of the public schools is fearful
handicap to progress. There are few. If
any, nurseries in England and the more
the tournament craze expands the less
likely is it that Davis cup captors will be
unearthed.
Tournaments, once a fertile training
ground where a limited number of play
ers met on equal terms with equal
chances, are now so overrun with COM
petitors and so disorganized by handicaps
that most players exhaust themselves be-
fore they have negotiated their nrst
rounds, and when the finals are reached
their stand of form displays progressive
weakness.
Sooner or later a check will have to oef
put on the tournament craze. 1t is de-
moraIizing in methods and manners ana
at the same time it robs clubs on their
match playing members, and 1t is direct
ing the energies Of young players the
wrong way.