New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-09
LAWN TENNIS RULES
MAY UNDERGO CHANGE
Leaders in Game Considering
Questions OF Foot Faults
and Use of Spikes.
RANKING COMMITTEE BUSY
Women Have Taken Little In.
terest in Matter and May Not
Be Included Among
Leading Players.

Two matters OF lawn tennis legisls ton
the use Of spikes and the application of
the service or foot fault rule-are re-
celvlng great amount of attention as
the season on the courts draws to a close
For the time being they almost over
shadow the matter of the ranking list
upon which the committee. consisting Of
Miles S. Charlock. chairman; Charles NJ.
Bull. jr, and George T. Adee is securing
the data
Strangely enough, the proposed idea OF
ranking at least twenty-five women
which was left to the committee, has not
made great progress. number OF the
women who have been asked TO act have
not been inclined to do so. and unless
committee Is got together for the pur-
pose during the playing of the women's
tournament on the courts OF the Norris
town Field Club thiJ week and at the
Montclar Athletic Club next week il is
doubtful II such ranking Is provided
this year.
Spiked shoes have been n matter of dis
pute and contention for several years
past. and even in the recently decided
Davis Cup matches at Wimbledon Harold
IL Ild'htlAt lnf captain VI Atlt NlltIlNdl
team. and George W. Hilliard. the Eng
fish representative. debated the matter.
II has now become matter of official
knowledge that previous 10 the time of
the American team sailing for England
Robert d. Wrenn, the president OF the
United States National Lawn Tennis AS
ISOLATION cabled as TO whether or not
the use OF spikes would be permitted.
The answer was returned: Certainly
not"
The fact remains. however. that, there
being no provision in the Davis Cup reg
ulatIons covering the much disputed point
OF steel. the Americans stood upon the
ground that they were optional and wore
them or not, as they saw ft Maurice u.
Mclaughlin. having had special shoes
constructed. with soft. spongy rubber
soles. did not wear spikes. but r. Norris
Williams. I'd, and the others OF the team
did
As the rule stands in this country II
reads: In all tournaments sanctioned by
the association the use Of spikes longer
than one-eighth Of an inch is prohibited
While no one took the trouble TO measure
the spikes worn in the tournaments at
Newport, Longwood. the Crescent Ath-
letic Club and Southampton, IL is certain
that had there been an inspection the
average would have been much closer to
half an inch than the one-eighth allowed.
Williams in the final match at Newport
against Mclaughlin literally tore the turf
10 pieces Rear Admiral Chadwick es-
peclally remarked that every time Will
Jams served his pushing start toward the
net dug up a handful OF turf as his toe
spikes started him in motion. So many
OF the turf fields were badly cut up dur
ing the last season that with the drouth.
the groundsmen found IL almost impos-
sible 10 keep them in fair condition.
The feeling among tournament commit
tees and players is that either the spikes
should be heightened or done away with
entirely. Mclaughlin, Williams. Niles.
Tom Bundy. Raymond d. Little, Theodore
Roosevelt Pell and Joseph Barrett. the
superintendent OF the Casino at Newport,
are among those who champion the use
OF longer spikes.
The matter was brought up during the
all-comers and Barrett remarked that
while he was not player, his thirty
years at the Casino had served 10 impress
upon him the fact that short spikes
Skinned" the court. while the longer
spikes had the effect OF turning up a dlvot
here and there, which could BE- replaced
He said that It was only during the all
corners that spikes were permitted on the
Casino courts. and that at all other times
the players wore rubber soled shoes.
Mclaughlin. Raymond ID. Little and
Pell uphold the contention OF the Casino
superintendent that short spikes do more
damage than the longer ones The short
spike fails TO hold. and consequently rips
of the surface without giving the firm
footing desired.
on the other hand. such experienced
players a. Wallace f. Johnson. William
j. Clothier and Dean Mathey are OF me
opinion that the eighth OF an inch spike
fulhls It's mission. There Is certain, how
ever to be some legislation upon this
moot point before another season, as the
application OF the rule was not at all sue
cessful this year.
The foot fault that p. a. Vale. the
English critic. called against Touchard
in his sensational match with Williams in
the second round OF the all-comers will
20 down in lawn tennis history as the
spark that started burning controversy
as TO what constitutes foot fault Beals
Wright Enthusiastically summed up the
application OF the foot fault rule when he
explained it In this way:
80 many people are ignorant OF the
rule of serving that il is not out of place
shs.t fnn 90,
TO is this: At the time the racquet strikes
the ball both feet must be behind the
base line The difficulty of deciding
whether a service is foot fault or not
lies in the fact that one foot may be
raised But the difficulty is not a serious
one. The conscientious umpire has mere
~ to satisfy himself that at the time the
ball is struck by the racquet both feet
are behind the base line. Even II the
raised foot is a fraction OF an inch over
then II is a foot fault.
Again. II lawn tennis is worth playing
at all it Is worth playing strictly TO rules.
Those who stand by and allow. without
protest, the habitual breaking Of an i'm
portant rule are doing the game poor
service. AS many sin through pure ig-
norance the mere explanation of the rule
should stop a great deal Of foot faulting.
The argument that because 1t is only a
friendly game II does not matter is falla-
cious, and 20 hesitate to point out a glar-
ing infraction is simply weak kneed."
There is not the shadow OF doubt but
that the newly organized International
Federation of Europe will probably favor
a service rule obligating the service 10 be |