The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-01-01
BUSY DENNIS Season ExpEcTED.
Effort Being Made to Have Uniform
Rules For England and America.

Rules For England and America
The prospect i for a liyelier season
ii lawn tennis the coming year. The
British players will be here for the pre-.
liIninary matches for the Davis inter
rational trophy and that means, too,
according TO announcement, that they
will take part in American champion
ships. Further than that, before they
do get here an effort is to be made %
make uniform rules the playing rules
of both countries and at least on i'm
portant points to eliminate POSSIBLE
ties Of conflict or dispute, says an ex-
change. One Of the most important
points that any joint rules committee
can decide upon il the rule regarding
foot faults. 1t Ii very clear to those
who have watched lawn tennis matches
that il Is unfair that player at the
moment Of striking the ball should be
well on his way up to the net to get
the return Of the service In the first
place, the closer he is TO the net the
better chance he has Of making an un-
playable service and the more direct
force from above he can bring to bear
on the ball. Again, he is right up in
command Of the play from that on.
There arc, Of course, fundamentals Of
fair play and it stands to reason that
no player should enjoy such advan-
tares.
The truth Of the matter il that the
rules Of the two countries mean to pre-
vent any such unfair service and il also
is matter Of fact that the English
referees do take measures to see that
no player gets an advantage Of Oils kind.
Over here the system OF conducting
tournaments. even the national tounas
ment, which should be model, IS 50
lax that whether By accident or design
players do foot fault continually and
without mourning penalties. There has
been not q little complaint against
American players who 90 abroad that
they are careless about their footwork.
The British rule u explicit that no
player shall be in motion toward the
net from point behind the base line
before the ball be struck by the racket.
He must have both feet squarely on
the ground. The Yankee rule does not
50 regulate the feet, but the sense i
the same. The facts are that in Eng
land most tournaments are models
thev have to be to attract the good
players-and there Is generally an eff
feetive corps OF referees. Referees IN
tournaments outside Of the national
championship mere are rare, and there
Is too much slipshod and careless work
in the conduct Of matches.
IN some cases hie managers make an
honest effort 10 have good man for
every match, not just TIE one where two
good men happen 10 be engaged. The
New Jersey tournament and couple Of
others that might be mentioned were
we'll managed in tails regard. The mid
die states tournament eonspicu0usly
WIS not. and that may explain to the
managers Of il why the championship
that should be next to the national has
fallen of until it is very poor and draws
fewer men than the Long leland tourn-
ament There was some discussionf last
year when an American player, D, Z.
Rnoades, won several matches in the
covered court championship ia London.
Rloades' foot WIS a fault several times.
I'll the ease Of Miss Sutton no
mention was ever made of her @fuot
faulting.s but II she served as she did
in America last season, She Foot fault
ed !" The movement to codify and to
unity the tennis rules OF the two coan-
tries IS approved by the best men on
bath sides.