The San Francisco call., 1908-11-08
Winter Tennis Season
Will Begin Today
Speculation Rife Over Another
Meeting Between Long and
McLOughIig
By Grant Smith

Although the championship season
for 1908 in the local tennis world ended
with the challenge match of the bay
counties singles tournament last Sum
day the winter season will be ushered
in today. In future tournaments the
strain attendant upon championship
play will be missing and while the ex-
perts will exert themselves just as
much to win the club events there will
be no titles at stake.
While the highest honors went to
Melville Long, who wreSted the coast
championship title from Maurice Nc
Loughlin, the latter is the real hero. AS
result of the seasons play Long holds
the coast championship, Mclaughlin the
San Francisco, state and bay counties
championships, and with George James,
the doubles championship of the coast.
McLoughlin made almost a clean sweep
again this year, his one defeat being in
close five set match which he several
times came within a point of winning.
This was the challenge match of the
coast championship singles which Long
won out after appearing to be hopeless
ly beaten.
McLOUGHLIN FAVORED
In all four of the singles champion
ship tournaments Long and Mclaughlin
met in the challenge matches, the latter
winning three times and the former
once. While Long will be given the
official No. 1 ranking in the Guide, in
the minds of a majority of followers OF
the game here Mclaughlin will occupy
that position. The seasons play dem
onstrated that Long and Mclaughlin
are in a class by themselves hereabouts
and also that there is little to choose
between them. While the balance is
slightly in McLoughlin's favor and he
would probably beat Long more times
than he would lose to him, they are
about as evenly matched pair as can
be found.
McLoughlin's game no doubt poss-
esses greater possibilities than does
Longs. Long appears to have his game
down almost to perfection and possibly
has about reached his limit. On the
other hand Mclaughlin lacks one quail
ity that Long possesses, that of steadi-
ness. and when he acquires this his
game will be much more effective. NC
Loughlin has a great variety of strokes
and a wonderful amount of speed, but
will not go ahead much until he be-
comes steadier. This appears to be the
only thing he lacks and when he gets
this he will have nothing to learn
from the players in this vicinity.
The fact that Mclaughlin scored two
Of his three victories over Long in the
early part of the season when the latter
possible was not at his best will no
doubt cause lingering doubt to remain
in the minds of some as to whether
Mclaughlin really is the cleverer player
of the two. A series OF three matches
ton once and for ALL
HANDICAP SINGLES
handicap singles tournament on
the Golden Gate park courts today VIII
mark the opening of the winter season,
which gives promise of being q lively
one. 1t is so long since a tournament
has been held at the California club
that the members no doubt would be
at a loss to know how to act were
they to meet in one. The annual cleo
tion of officers, which should have been
held on the last Saturday in September,
will probably be held next Saturday
and shortly thereafter schedule to
cover the winter months will doubtless
be drawn up.
Herbert Schmidt, formerly a promi-
nent player in this city, represented
the University of Pennsylvania in the
recent intercollegiate championship
meeting. and was successful to the
semifinals, where he was put out by the
Harvard man who eventually won the
tournament Schmidt in his usual mod
est way writes that he lost to better
PLAYER, and as usual offers no other
excuse for his defeat. Schmidt. while
never a champion, was one of the most
graceful players ever developed in the
CITY and also one of the most graceful
losers. He won his college letter and
also made an excellent showing for
which his many admirers here will be
heartily glad.