Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-16
Old Timers
Show Their
Real Class
By LAURENCE REplNeToN.

w. P. Roth and Walter F.. billing.
ham are the new lawn tennis cham,
pions of the Hawaiian Islands in
mems doubles. .~: :
Yesterday afternoon they defeated
A. L. Castle and j. Athertoh> Richards
in the finals of the tournament that
las been in progress since the first
J of the week, and did it so dscisively
that there was no eavil or question
as to which was the better team. In
three straight sets the new cham
rions walked through the present ISL
and singles champion and last years
champion, his partner, winning many
clean aces, and also profiting by many
errors which the losers made during
the vshort match. There was some
sensational tennis, but, after the sec.
und set, when Roth and Dillingham;
ran out five games straight with the
score Al against them, there was no
question as to the ultimate result In
fact. the champions took the last. set.
to love, making q string of eleven in
q row, which is going some, to use
the yernacular.
~: Yesterdays match; proved two
things. The first is, that two singles
champions do not necessarily make
8 champion double team. The second
is that James J. Jeffries didn't put
q jinx on everyone who tries to come
back. Walter Dillingham; and Billy
Roth aren't exactly octogenarians,
but they can go a good ways back, in
tennis history nevertheless, and we're
using trophy cups for shaving mugs
when Al Castle was a college lad and
Atherton Richards was learning to
walk. Walter Dillingham; won the
doubles championship A. first some
eighteen years ago, and it is some
time since Roth and f. A. Cooke held
the title, figuring twelve months as
q year..
Better Team Work.
: Dillingham; and Roth won yester-
day because they used better team
work and better headwork, and be-
cause, their opponents ASIA team,
were far below their individual form
as singles PLAYERS. Richards played
the worst game that he has put up
since returning from college this sum-
mer. and Castle was way off his usual
brilliant style, missing many easy
shots that would ordinarily be easy
acres for him The break of the luck
was about even, both sides having
Tails that ran along the top of the
net and peeked over to find a soft
landing place to drop on. AS the Pa
cific courts are not tapped. the element
of line balls bouncing crooked did not
enter into the calculations, and any
thing that was in was playable.
Castle and Richards did much to
Eeat themselves, as the number of
nets and outs charged against them
will show, but, at that, their oppon- |
entS won many points by either !
over their heads or placing |
clever cross court volleys just out of !,
reach. At straight smashing billing !;
ham showed to advantage. especially :
in the third set. when he landed c.
short lObs time and again. making the I
return bound to the top of the back !
stop, in an absolutely unplayable po- !
sitiOn. He was also on his drive !
Roth put more place and less pace !
IN his returns. and astonished every
one, including himself. at some of the /,
he made. He wasn't using |
lis deem cross-court smash to any /
extent, but was putting a deal of cut |
on the ball, and puzzling Richards
with a slow return and serve.
Change Of Pace.
Dillingham; would hit hard drive, !
and Richards would stick out his rae
Iuet firmly, and volley it. Roth would
send a soft one back again to Rich |
ards. and the latter would take it
he same way as the previous return.
he result being that ball after ball
lidnt even reach the net off Rich
ards racquet. 1t was the same way
On the service. Roth's soft ball with
plenty of cut being a puzzler to the
singles champion. Another heady
piece of work was that neither of the