The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-06-23
DAVIS CUP MATCHES
AWAKEN INTEREST
Big Preparations Are to Be Made for In.
ternational Tennis to Be Played at
Longwood Club Early in
August.

New York, June 23.--With the Davis
cup international tennis schedule com
pleted, both the national association and
the clubs allotted preliminary and chal-
lenge rounds are making elaborate prep
arations for handling the matches and
the thousands of spectators expected to
witness the play. If the English and
Australian teams reach the final round,
as is generally predicted, there will be
almost as much interest in the match
between these two nations, to be played
at the Longwood club on August g., 7
and s, as in the challenge round at For
est Hills, L. l., the following week. With
| this in view, the Boston club is prepar-
| ing to seat close to 5000 spectators and
the West Side club will almost double
these figures for the series between the
United States team and the challengers,
which will decide the 1914 winners of the
| trophy emblematie of the worlds team
tennis championship.
| Interest in the international play will
not cease with the Davis cup matches,
| however, for the members OF the English,
| Australasian and German teams, If the
latter come to America at all, will play
| in the national champion tournament at
| Newport during the week of August "a
20. With Brooks, Wilding, Doust, Dun
lop, Parke, Lowe, Barrett, Dixon and
other foreign stars competing in the
singles against Mclaughlin, Williams,
Wallace johnson, Touchard, William
Johnston, Clothier, Pell and other lead.
ing American players who will enter at
Newport, the national championship
tournament is certain to attract rec
ord assembly to the Casino courts.
While rapid progress is being made IN
the matter of accommodating spectators
at these matches the same cannot be said
of the assembling Of the players who
will form the teams of the leading en-
trants, considered as nations. Austral
asia is to date the only competitor with
its team formed and practising as II
whole. In view of the formidable ag
gregation of players that the Antipodes
possess in Brooks, Wilding, Doust and
Dunlop, this advantage is not one to be
disregarded. Before the Australasians
sail for America early in July, both the
United States and English tennis au
thorities viii have begun the assembling
of their teams, but at the present time
there is little definite idea of the
strength or arrangement of these teams.
The American cup defenders will be
called upon to face a heavier attack this
summer than in any Davis cup match in
years and the expert tennis authorities
are emphatic in their declarations that
at best the United States team will not
have better than an even chance OF re-
tanning the trophy regained at Wimble-
don last summer. 1t is certain that
Champion Maurice Mclaughlin will form
the foundation of the team, but beyond
that all is speculation. The California
delegation, including Mclaughlin, Will
liam Johnston, Clarence Griffin. Thomas
Bundy, and possibly Ella Fottrell and Ro-
land Roberts. has been requested to come
east early in July. Here they viii be
Joined by Lindley Murray and H. L.
Hahn, who have been playing brilliant
ly in the East for some weeks The
eastern contingent, including Williams,
Wallace Johnson, Touchard, Pell Dab
ney, Niles. Alexander, Leroy, Church,
Hackett and others. have been playing
for some weeks and when the two squads
join forces, the L. S. L. T. A. officials
will Immediately begin the work Of try
ing out the players in various tourna-
ments in order to gauge their present
ability for cup defense purposes.
Somewhat similar conditions prevail
in England with the first round but few
weeks away. According b the draw
the English team must meet Belgium at
Folkstone July 7, s and 0, and winning
play France at Wimbledon July IL, 10 |
and Ia. England should survive these
rounds even though the team selected
for the matches did not represent Brit
ish topnotch tennis strength. For the |
play in this country, however, England |
must have the best combination possible |
in order to have a fair chance against |
the Australasians and toward this end |
little has been done. Beyond appoint
ing subcommittee Of three to organize |
a series of doubles trials at Wimbledon, !
the international committee has taken |
no definite action in regard to the in |
ternational team. One or two players |
have been unofficially advised that they !
may be selected, but that is as far as
the committee has gone. What is need
ed, according to English writer's, is that |
the committee should concentrate team
which is physically sound; team which |
is young enough TO stand the searching |
strain of five sets in the hottest wealth. |
err, and yet old enough to have had ade-
quate match play experience; above all.
q team which is versed in modern meth.
DDS of attack and has some Of the
strokes necessary TO combat them. J. G. /
Parke on his form of last year merits
instant selection; F. G. Lowe on his form
of this year deserves the same tribute, |
and A. Kingsoote should be included.
While English tennis players are pre-
pairing to invade the states, American
amateur sportsmen are crossing the
ocean bent on more international con-
tests for which 1914 has already estab-
lished a record. The Harvard second
varsity crew sails to day for London to
compete in the English Royal Henley
crew for the same purpose. Voluntarily
to offer to row against the best oarsmen
Of England requires supreme confidence
on the part Of American crews, yet the
sweep swingers are outdone by the Har
ward college crieketers, who are to-day
setting foot on English soil for a playing
invasion against the leading club teams
Of that country.
Haverford college, which is famous for
is cricket teams, has sent playing com.