New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-21
LAWN TENNIS TITLE
TOURNEY LACKS SYSTEM
At MorriStoWn Mrs. SChmitz
Put on 3,759 Games in
Six Days.
AHEAD OF NEWPORT PLAN
Figures Will Be Used as Basis
for Argument Against Style
of Conducting ALL
Corners Contests.
AHEAD OF NEWPORT PLAN

There are few persons. even the play
ers themselves. who realize the magnl-
tude of the more important lawn tennis
tournaments" said former college
champion yesterday. AS an instance Of
what ! mean. there was "a grand total OF
go entries for the New Jersey State
championship, which was decided on the
courts OF the Morristown Field Club. at
Morristown. y. j.. a week ago.
Under the leadership OF Mrs. Frederick
Schmitz. these players contested the
amazing number Of @.75a games IN a total
Of lgS matches. In the entire tournament
of seven events there We're only forty
four defaults. Ry counting noses there
were actually l5i Individual entries. and
as many Of them played In more than one
event the number is 50 brought W 10
the go total"
The figures which this player had taken
considerable time and trouble to bring
out were really astounding. and approx
mately cqualied the record of the all
corners national championship tourna-
ment which was decided q few weeks
ago with the thrilling victory OF Maurice
r. Mclaughlin on the courts Of the Ca
sino al Newport
Three national championships. the all
corners singles. national doubles chal-
lenge match and the national .nterscho-
lastlc title, were decided at Newport
through Il total Of 1896 games. OF this
number. 3,7G2 represented the competitions
in the singles. Altogether a total Of l2J
matches were played through 525 sets.
There were only twenty-four defaults
The same player added:
Taking the record Of Newport as 4
basis for figuring / was amazed 10 find
that the record OF the New Jersey State
tournament, which ] also figured out FOR
the basis OF comparison. so nearly APP
preached the figures Of the national
championship. While / did not figure the
New York State championship, which was
contested on the courts Of the Crescent
Athletic club. / am OF the opinion that
the figures OF that tournament will slight
ly surpass those Of Newport.
In the New Jersey tournament there
was total OF 196 matches contested
through 4i3 sets. and there were forty
four defaulted competitions. When the
fact that Mrs. Schmitz. who so ably acted
as the referee Of the tournament for the
second time. had only six courts at her
disposal is known. it Is my opinion that
, she has easily established a record for
expeditiously conducting a tournament in
this country, and there are doubts In my
mind that these figures can even be du-
plicated abroad. where the running Of
tournaments has become II science"
In further discussing the remarkable fig
ures attention was called to the fact that
the Newport tournament represented
eight days of actual play. while Mrs.
schmitz had finished the New Jersey
State championship in exactly SIX days.
Robert -. Wrenn, he recalled, had twelve
courts-exactly twice the number availa-
BILE at Morristown-and yet had taken
longer time.
The figures, he admitted, had been ia
bed partly with the object Of bringing
them before the annual meeting Of the
United States Lawn Tennis Association,
with the view TO bringing about an under
standing that the all-comers' tournament
| al Newport each year be so conducted as
to finish within six days of competition.
not counting inclement days, when play
might be impossible
In my opinion. there is no place in the
country for holding the national cham
pionship equal to the Casino at Newport.
said this player, in closing. but the
sooner the great meeting is reduced TO d
week the better IL will be. 1t must be
played strictly on sporting basis and
without regard 10 the gate receipts. From
unofficial estimates. between $4,000 and
| $50 600 must have been taken in at the
| gate this season.
These figures may even be too con-
servative. Tor / am estimating the at
tendance on an average OF 1900 each day,
/ and think that it was always above
| that number. II is time that the tourna-
ment followers began 10 realize what
these figures mean. for there Is great
congestion of tournaments. and failure 10
run them TO schedule is sure to bring
about disaster when America stands as
the leader OF all others at the game.
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