New-York tribune., 1912-01-07
STANDING MEETS MASTER
Loses American Racquet Title
to Worlds Champion.
YOUTH WITH SKILL COUNTS
Charles Williams Runs Out
Three Games After Meeting
Defeat in First.


Charles Williams. of England. the worlds
champion, defeated George Standing. who
has ruled supreme for many years in Amer
lea. by three games to one.
II was a case of twenty-five years versus
forty-ive years. The way the elder player
walked off with the first game, allowing the
challenger a scant two points, one in the
fourth and the other in the ninth hand,
made his many friends smile with satisfac-
ton. He was the Standing of old. master
OF all the strokes and possessing the tech
nique for which he has been famous. Dur
ing that first game Williams suffered by
comparison. though whether or not he was
going at top speed probably never will be
known.
Certain IT is that as the match progressed
the speed of the visitor increased. whereas
Standing slowed down. AS Reginald
Fincke. the amateur champion. remarked.
He had George rushed" Frequently after
a long rally. in which Standing would come
off with flying colors as a result of one
OF his rare places down the side wall. Will
Jams would come back at him harder than
ever, thereby never giving the veteran a
breathing spell So hard did Williams hit
the ball that he broke four bats before the
last game was half completed.
In actual number OF points Williams
scored A to Standings 4i. The games were
2-l5. 15-9, 15-9, 15-l1 NJ. s. Patton was the
referee. while Milton s. Barger attended TO
the throwing in of The balls The marker
was Edward Rodgers. of the local club
Seats were at premium at an early
hour, and several hundred clubmen had to
be turned away. The seating space about
the court is necessarily limited. consequent
ly every available foot of room was occu-
pied. Among those seen in the gallery were:
Harry Payne Whitney, Payne Whitney,
r. II. Williams, president of the club and
OF the Westminster Kennel Club; r. II.
Williams, jr., William Watson, Joseph RoG
ers. Devereux Emmet, w. Fellowes Nor
gan, T. Markoe Robertson, George I. Scott.
II. NJ. Billings c. F. Watson, jr., T. Suf
fern Taller. c. f. Sands. George c. Clark,
Clarence w Mackay. Ogden Reid, Louis f.
Larocque, w. B. Dinsmore. Ersklne Hewitt,
Devereux Milburn, Quincy A. Shaw and
Hugh Scott, of Boston; L. Waterbury, X
r. Fincke, Pierre Lorllard. jr., Edgar Scott
of Philadelphia, and Randolph Hurry.
Standing won the toss and promptly
scored twice before Williams put him out.
In the early stages the Brton displayed
little trace of the speed expected of a
worlds champion, and It was not until the
fourth hand that he managed to break
through the string of ciphers. With a run
of Standing had the game practically
sewed up in the sixth hand, when the score
stood II to / I'm his favor. Toward the end
Of the game Williams showed more signs
of life-something of what was TO follow
later.
As the members saw Standing polish
off the visitor to the tune of 10 to 2. some
believed their favorite would be able TO last
long enough, but others even then ex-
pressed their doubts What Standing would
have done had he gone abroad in quest or
the worlds honors a few years ago is, OF
course, problematical, but there were few
In the club yesterday who were not firm in
the belief that George would have made
good" 1t was, they declared, more the
lack Of opportunity rather than ability that
prevented him enjoying all the honors that
now belong to Williams. AS Standing
agreed TO let his American title hinge on
this match the American championship now
belongs TO Williams.
Fast racquets marked the opening OF the
second game. Standing scored point be-
fore his hand was out, the veteran count
ing by clever place along the side wall.
Williams made ii l-all with lightning
smash that had too much speed for the
older player to handle. The longest run or
the game, and in fact of the match, oc-
CURED when Williams went in for his fourth
hand, the count being %. series OF fine
ly placed shots, some OF which ricocheted
on the side and back walls at bewilderng
angles, were responsible for the sequence
of eight aces before il was hand out.
From that moment Williams always had
command Of the situation. He continued to
nut on speed, and by covering q good deal
of tne court was able to keep his opponent
moving. Standing braced in the ninth
hand. scoring three times, but an ace by
Williams when he went in brought the
necessary point.
To start the third game Williams was
hand out on miss close to the side wall
Standing did better, counting one, and two
more i'm the next. Judging distance beauu-
fully. Standing more than held his own for
the first eight hands. He kept the willing
Briton extending himself and reaching con-
tinually Some of the gets Of the visitor
were brilliant and he never failed TO go
after the ball when there appeared to be the
slightest chance Of his making the return.
On the other hand, Standing tried to save
himself as much as possible.
Standings last count was cluster of
in the eighth hand. He then led at 10 to g.
Williams ran three aces In the next hand
and when his opponent caught him mapping
with a brilliant place that died away close
to the right hand wall the foreigner
shook his fist good naturcdly. He won the
game with q string Of 5 in the twelfth
hand.
George is gone remarked member as
the players started the fourth and what
proved to be the decisive game The local
professional did look as II such was the
case, but, even so. he made brave stand
and, as in the previous game, more than
held his own for the first few hands Will
Jams broke his fourth bat in this game. In
the seventh hand Standing led by TO l.
Two long rallies followed, in which both
men made the most difficult kinds OF gets
Standing led by TO 6. but Williams in
creased his speed and soon led, but when
Standing made an ace by service in the
thirteenth hand the count stood ll-all
That was the local mans last point, the
other winning in two more hands. the de-
cisiye ace being recorded on a sharp return
that came hack too low for Standing 10
handle. =,
Not a little interest has been aroused by
the announcement Of a match that has been
arranged to take place at the Tennis ana
Racquet Club in Philadelphia next Satur-
dav between williams and Jack SOuter, the
We'll known Philadelphia professional. So
as 70 mako the match az close as possible
a. will be a handicap affair SOuter Will re-
ceiye small odds from the worlds cham
pion. ,.,,.
FIRST GAME.