Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-19
WHO'LL co FOR DAVIS CUP?
Americas Team One Of Two Men Only
Apparently.
CHOICE Is A NARROW ONE HERE
Lawn Tennis Association Not In Any
Hurry to Make I'D Challenging
Team 20 Co 20 Aus
tralasia.

NlnlIe llLUTIIhAkVn NV oAhNA
the likely action Of the All England Lawn
Tennis association in the matter of the
Davis cup Is puzzling the lawn tennis folks
here, but they feel certain that their only
course is to prepare TO send a team to Aus
tralasia in November. Assurances have
been given that an American team will
20 TO the antipodes. and because there
still is much time to prepare for a trip
the United states National Lawn Tennis
RssociatloD has done nothing further. The
great problem is likely to be in deciding
what players ought TO go and then in get
ing their consent to make the trip. II
will be hard to get a list Of eligible play
ers. but not nearly so hard as TO get the
best Of these to go as a team
Play thus far this season has developed
no new men of particular ability. Indeed,
Tar from that. Perhaps the only really
good man outside of the old guard is Ed
ward p. Larned, and he hangs his claim
10 first rank upon his performance in the
middle states championships. There he de-
feated william J. Clothier, Raymond D..
little and Nathaniel w. Niles. The last
banned opposed Larned in the final round
and played miserably. However 1t was
clear that Larned was the best man in the
tournament. excepting possibly 7. r. Pell.
Clothier, who was a good player two years
ago. has gone back. He would very likely
not go to Australia anyway, so that he
has to be eliminated from consideration.
However. In the recent Long Island
championships Larned was beaten by
Henry ]. Mollenhaurer in the semi-final
round, 3-6, So S6. And In that third
get Larned led at 81. Against Gustave
r. Touchard in the third round Of the
Felipe cup singles Larned did not do as
we'll He was beaten, 2-6. 81. 60. In
this match he was very uncertain and was
afraid to hit the ball hard. In fact, in three
tries Larned has proved himself consistent
Dnly once. He is all too likely to go up in
che air when everything Is working well.
md then almost any one can beat him. On
this sort OF showing he will hardly do for
> great match. 1t is No secret that F. p.
Larned has been one of the hopes of the
committee in charge.
Conrad b. Doyle, a washington player,
Is one OF the younger players whose work
has called attention to him thus far. In
a run of six weeks he defeated DR.. E.. B.
Dewhurst, Wallace f. johnson, william
]. Clothier and Frederick c. Colston. He
is we'll UP and has good strokes. so that
he may hold his form. In a general W
that is Larned, too, on surface description.
There Isn't a prettier built, nicer stroke
player than e. p. Larned. whose every
move suggests his older and more capable
brother. However. Doyle may be steadier
when II comes to pinches. They think
a great deal Of him In Washington. and
probably with reason. Certain 1t is that
new PLAYERS are needed.
Gustave F. Touchard and w. Merrill
Hall, both OF them in the neighborhood
of 20 years, will be fine players in a season
or two. it is a safe prediction. Neither Is
fit to be a Davds cup man yet-Dor for at
least two years-if even they continue to
develop as they now promise. Wallace f.
johnson, the national interscholastic cham
pion of 1907. does not show the abilities
that so great a competition requires. He
plays too much Of a cut game, but the cut
ting is not 50 bad as the headwork. He
doesn't cut like Irving Wright, one OF the
best men /. for headwork on the courts.
Wright usese his knowledge Of the men to
get him forward and even though his SER
vice is not craftily placed the rest OF his
game is first class.
Richard II. Palmer, Henry ]. Mollen-
hauer and a few others aren't Of the Davis
cup class. although there are few gamer
players than Mollenhauer. He is a per-
sistent fighter, and backs up that quality
with no little amount of skill. But he isn't
a champion. How good ]. Allan Ross, the
youthful Chicago player, may be cannot
we'll be Judged right now. But he isn't
as good as some of the old-timers here
abouts, so that he can't very well be
counted on. There will always be a sad
remembrance of the showing made by
Kreigh Collins, the many time western
champion. in the Davis cup tryouts Of 1900.
Western champions have been sold short
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phenom. does not seem to have begun play
ms well as yet.
Going right through the list there is ap-
parently none OF the newcomers who can
be selected for a teams The new men. no
matter what their showing In the early
part of a season. generally are found to be
victims when the end of the tennis year
somes along. Those oder chaps take a
lot OF time to get fit. Even Clothier may
be playing good tennis in the champion
ships, although the way ne has been going
Il doesn't seem 10 make hat dock likely
ciothier Is a conspicuous example OF the
ate conner.
When It comes down to cases, about the
best men In the list for a Davis cup COM
petition are the older men: William A
Larned. Beals c. Wright. Frederick b
Alexander. Kari II. Behr, Robert lie Roy
AhA ~ ~ AiNAASs AhNg ddt dDoul
the best OF the ranking players. And from
this list must be stricken lie Roy. Little
and Behr. lie Roy. even II he had tbs
physique, as he has the skill. to play long
hard matches, cannot be thought OF thi,
pear, because he has some trouble with hii
eyes which has prevented him from gettinl
going In the game. Little is no longer tn,
player he was two years ago, and he Il
steadily losing ground in singles. Behr hai
been playing so badly all the early part O.
this year that there doesn't seem mucl
chance that he will get back in. II ne does
and plays as he did last season early, h
VIII be a first-rate Davis cup man. Tn,
chances appear to be against that.
There are left Just about three men. o
these William A. LArned. the nationa
champion, says he will not go to Aus
i~ralasia- That eliminates him right away
30 there are two, Alexander and wngh
In double Alexander and Hackett. the ma
tional champions. might be considered wer
II not for the fact that Hackett has sal
he would not go to Australasia. America
can do well with Alexander and Wright
They are two corking good men.
In singles there is no country that has
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