New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-01-02
RANKING In FAVOR
CRITICS NOW SILENT.
Larrn Tennis Players Approue
Official Rating.

Lawn tennis players have in the past so
freely. and often violently. criticised the
findings of the national ranking COMMITTEES
that their more general favorable accept
ance of the list that was issued last Thurs
day is regarded as an indication of an Inn
provement in the official circles of the
sport More than anything else It has Dr.
rected attention to DIR. p. r. Hawk, of the
University of Illinois. whose earnest. PAINS
taking work in the interests of the game
has earned for him the appreciation and
gratitude of players and followers. who
have long sought for betterment of its
governing conditions. The widespread ap-
probation Of the recently issued list is all
the more keen as the heated controversy
engaged in between Clarence Hobart and
A. L. Hoskins, chairman Of the rank
ing committee two years ago. and the
nearness to scandal few years previous
had made it evident that good rating was
dependent upon friends AT court when the
executive committee reviewed the list
No one was more pleased with the recep-
ton of the list by the players than
DR.. Hawk. who has been in this city all
of the last week In discussing the find
ings he was ready to give much of the
credit to his associates, Beals c. Wright.
former national champion. and &. Frederick
Watson. jr.. the Orange club expert. Both
DR.. Hawk and Watson had served on the
committee before. while it was the first ex-
perience of Wright
One of the greatest difficulties that yearly
besets the committee. according to DR..
Hawk, is the securing of records OF the
various players throughout the country.
Many OF the officially sanctioned champion
ships and tournaments are never recorded,
rrIz ,rfI tod he FRY
is so large that only relatively may players
of one section be compared TO those Of an
other. as the Eastern experts seldom jour-
ney West or the West toward the East.
II is only, as was the case last season.
when Maurice Z. Mclaughlin and Melville
H. Long. Thomas c. Bundy and the Texan.
Harvey NJ. MacQuistou, took a whirI at
Newport. that 1t affords a glimpse OF the
real status of the men.
In the estimation of DR.. Hawk Il was
the trouble experienced m securing records
that had produced small lists in previous
years He stands unqualifiedly for making
the list long possible, rating every
player who has competed in number OF
the championship and open tournaments.
This he declares is an incentive and an
encouragement toward a better and higher
standard of play comprehensive list
the propert spirit toward their favorits
sport. so that the work of future ranking
committees will be made easy. as the play
ers will need no urging to send in their
seasons records. but will regard it a
part of the game.
That the top of the list created some
surprise because of the placing OF the men
Or. Hawk was ready u admit ard Yet he
was capable of substantating the position
of each man. AS 70 William Aymar
Larned the five times national champion.
and his challenger. William J. Clothier,
there was no question. Wallace F. john
sons position over a number of others,
however. seemed in some quarters like
waving a red flag at an angry bull. Yet
in soma ways the brilliant performances
of the University of Pennsylvania players
surpaGs the work of either Larned or
Clothier. johnson won seven of the eleven
tournaments in which he pIayed-South-
ampton. Middle States. Western New York
and the intercollegiate championship being
of the highest class. He won from such
men as Raymond D. Little. Melville H.
Long Nathaniel W. Niles, Edward p.
Larned and Frederick c. Inman. He lost
to Karl II. Behr and by a fuke TO Little.
and the same appeared true of his Newport
match against Frederick G. CoSton. There
was nothing on the whole list that ap-
preached the performances of Johnson, so
that his position of third was ably earned.
Johnson is Il young player who has shown
steady Improvement. Tor he was ninth last
year, eighteenth in 1907 and twentieth in
1906.
The position of Niles as fourth on the
list was due to the fact that he has uni
formy defeated high class men and lost
Seabrtght tournament clinched his place.
especially as he also won from Edward r
Larned, Behr. LIE Roy and Touchard. In
4 measure Little is PLACED upon the same
basis. for he did not play at Newport, yet
he won the New York State championship.
defeating such men as Long, LIE Roy,
Bundy and Touchard. At Englewood Lit
tie lost 10 Behr. at the Middle States to
Johnson, TO Miles in the semi-inal at Sea-
bright and to Clothier in the semi-inal at
Longwood
The positions OF the two Californians Nc
LouSllin and Long. respectively sixth and
seventh on the list. was explained on their
relative showing at Newport in the all
corners in which Mclaughlin defeated Long
in five sets. and their positions above Karl
H Behr, Edward P. Larned and Robert lie
Roy by the fact that both had defeated men
of higher calibTe in their other tournament
matches.
IL was developed that only the placing OF
one man on the entire list as submitted was
changed by the executive committee and
that player was the Tegimenta and Long
Island champion, William s. Cragin jr. He
had been placed higher than the thirty-first
number. yet the fact that he lost TO Charles
NJ Bull, jr of the Crescent Athletic Club.
in the metropolitan championship. resulted
in his dropping to one place behind that
player.
AS 10 the absentees. DR.. Hawk said that
Frederick q. Anderson. who figured so
prominently few years ago. had dropped
out of sight. only playing in one tourna-
ment, and that not OF any prominence The
same was true of Edward B. Devhurst the
former University of Pennsylvania player.
who had been compelled to retire because
of blood poisoning, while Clarence Hobart
seemed to have absented himself because OF
his controversy of two years ago
Discussing the problem of arriving at a
systematic method of selecting the ratings
by mathematical calculation Dr. Hawk said
that he had carefully studied the situation
He had reviewed the manner in which the
baseball batting averages and kindred lists
are arrived at. and yet he saw no way of