Norwich bulletin., 1914-08-19

With fine zest and enthusiasm the players of the National RoQue associ- ation of America started off their 3sd annual tournament on Tuesday. Threats | of rain and the actual humidity were neither of them enough to put a damp CT on the play that began at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning when Mayor Murl ihy | with skill born of last years prac- | tice. shot the first arch and declared | the tournament officially on. During | the afternoon the tourney got well un- der way and in the evening on the | courts a good number of visitors at | the Rockwell Street grounds saw a l to working form in readiness for the | battles that are destined for the next few days.
 Champion vs. Ex-champion. National Champion Everett W. Rob- | inson was out .on one of the center courts for one exhibition game during | the evening, and his opponent was Ex- Champion Charles G. Williams. whom | he kept wired up most of the time. | Mir. Williams came up Tuesday from | Washington, D. C., with lots of pleas
 ant anticipations of his annual visit | to Norwich. Fifteen years straight, he said, he had been coming here and
 it is a. noteworthy coincidence that this | same figure is reached this year by | two other of the players, w. L. Rob l inson of Mansfield, Mass, father of the | champion. and Jesse E. Webb, of West | Chester. Pa And all of them maintain | that they like to come back to Nor | wich each year better than ever
 Eddie Clark On Motorcycle.
 ExChampion F. Edward Clark came
 down from Springfield Tuesday and | got to the courts in the middle of the | afternoon, after he ond his motorcycle
 had passed through the storm to the | north with temporary results, due to | the mud encountered, to both machine
 and rider. But in the evening he
 showed fine form against his brother, l Harold, in another of the exhibition games, which he won handily. | The social game that Horace Webb played with Loue Stockwell was a fea-
 ture that had the interest of the on-
 lockers on the center court The fine command of the balls that the Phila- delphia player evidenced returned him
 a winner with ease.
 First Division Starts.
 The way the first divisioners start
 ed off on Tuesday gives plenty of 'op-
 portunity for conjecture as to the
 coming champion. Harold Clark made
 a strong beginning with three victories
 in row, but he has yet to beat the
 more formidable men. E. w. Robin
 son ran away from Rodman in con-
 vincing fashion Tuesday afternoon ir
 the oSly tournament game he has played and his exhibition play in the
 evening showed that he is to be reck-
 oned with. Eddie Clark. also did
 consistent steady work with the balls
 on his first try out and Horace Webt
 is looked to for a place among the leaders c. c. Cox reached here or Tuesday evening from Maiden, Mass and he will also be a, strong contend , CT.
 Mayor Murphy's Welcome. His pleasure in welcoming the roque
 expressed by Mayor Murphy Tuesday morning after President Williamson had wittily introduced him. None
 of his duties gave him more satisfac- ton. he said, than to unanimously ex.
 press the appreciation of the citizen:
 of this city to you who have come
 here for so many years. We wan you and the city of Norwich want.
 you.
 New Courts Please Players. } It is in the same spirit that the ar. 3 arrangements for this years tourna f ment have been made and are beins r carried out. The new courts are ont feature this year that delights tn, r roquists, who find after playing o1
 them that they are not to be surpass
 ed by any of the courts in the country
 The secret of this success rests large c T following the installation of the ce ment borders by Mir Adams, last fall
 MT Peale had 1oam from a bank a the Rockwell Streets grounds deposit ed in the courts and on top of that
 sufficient layer of sand. Under Care
 taker Murphy's direction this was roll
 ed and smoothed down. and for severa , weeks practice games by a number O t the boys in the neighborhood, wht g next year are to be banded into
 third division, brought a most desira. - ble cornpactness to the playing surface The various features that are be ! ing arranged for the evenings of tn week are also in the line of progress For the Business Mems night ol
 Thursday evening. Secretary PeaIe say M President James c. Macpherson of tn
 Board of trade and President Herber
 R. Branche of the Business Mems as N sociation on Tuesday and both prom ised their cooperation in making tha night success.
 Band Concert.
 Tonight, the beginning of the pla, for the first and second Van wickl medals and the presence of Tubb band will be attractive features | Swahn's orchestra played Tuesda! evening and tonight Director Swain M will have this concert programme b, Tubbs band:
 March. King Cotton, Sous. Overture, William Tell, Rossin Y Waltz, Nights of Gladness. Auclif Selection. Rose Maid, Granichstaedtel
 Descriptive, NH in the Forest. Eilenberi
 Popular selection. Feist Song Medley, Shit operatic. Under Many Flags, Keil
 Finale. Star Spangled Banner. Van WiekIe Medal Play. For the first Van Wickle medal