Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-05-10

Tennis CLASSY

Accounts from San Francisco add
10 the disappointment of local tennis
enthusiasts over the fact that the
Australian challengers for the Davis
cup We're unable to appear on Homo
lulu courts. When Rice and Jones
were here a few weeks ago, their
steamer was locked 80 late and left
&c early that Il was impossible to ar
range games, although the visitors
were keen to play.
The Australasian pair made good
impression on Coast critics. The
San Francisco Chronicle of recent
date says:
The members OF the Australian Da.
Wis cup, team, which arrived here on
Friday, lost no time in securing prac-
tice on the local courts, On Friday
Horace Rice and A. B. Jones tried
out the courts of the Ciaremont
Country Cub among themselves, but
found the hard asphalt surface some
what of problem
On Saturday they INDUCED at
Claremont in doubles practice against
Carlton R. Gardner and c. Z. Bates,
also against DR.. Sumner Hardy and
John c. Rohlfs. In the first of these
contests they played wonderfully ac-
curate tennis for one set, which they
Won by score of 81.
After this set, however, the hard
surface seemed to take the edge off
their game, and as they slowed up
the opposing players, particularly
Bates, developed an amazing burst of
speed and evened matters by winning
the second set at 6-3. The Austria
lians then tackled DR.. Hardy and
Rohlfs and beat them quite comfort
ably in straight sets.
Rice, who is a leit-handed player,
excel.ed in ground strokes and APP
parently his back-hand is even more
formidable than his fore-hand stroke.
Are Quick as Cats.
Each of them exhibited catlike
Quickness at the net and volleyed
| splendidly o low balls, but did not
show particularly well at overhead
strokes.
Saturday evening they played on
the oiled court of Wickham Ravens
at Piedmont, and were given the ex-
! perience of making the first thorough
tryout of the electric lighting system
which Ravens has had installed on
his court. Twentyfour lights have
been placed along the sides of the
court, and aggregate 5000 candle
| power.
The light given is almost perfect
and the experiment was an unquali-
| fled success.
The Australians were delighted
with the results. and played against
c. R. Gardner and C. D. Bates a
much-improved game.
This is partly due to the fact. that
tie oil court is not nearly as hard as
, the asphalt on which they had pre-.
viously played, and the ball bounces
from it very much as from grass.
On the Havens court yesterday
Horace Rice and A. B. Jones played
a practice match against C. R. Gard.
ner and f. W. Hicks of Sydney, the
manager of the team. Jones and Rice
managed to win quite easily, and con
| firmed the impression that they con-
stitute a really formidable team, apt
to cause great trouble IL placed in &C.
ton on a surface with which they are
| familiar.
May Play Here Today.
This afternoon the team will prob
ably play at the California Lawn Ten
mis- Club if suitable practice matches
can be arranged with Strachan and
Griffin or Johnston and Fottrell.
Tomorrow they will leave for New
York, stopping en- route at Los An
geles, Grand Canyon, Chicago and Nj.
agara Falls.
Whether they succeed or fail in the
Davis cup contests, they will pro-
coed from New York to Great Britain,
ultimately travelling homeward via
the Suez canal after competing in the
British championships tourney at
Wimbledon.
They will take with them the best
personal wishes of all the tennis fans
whom they have met at San Fran
ojccyo during thair STAY