Evening star., 1914-07-22
END Of AMATEUR
SEASON IS NEAR
Leagues Are Playing Off Post
poned Games, Schedules Be-
ing Almost Completed.
DAVIS CUP TENNIS TEAM
is COMPOSED OF STARS
Men Who Lifted the Cup From Eng
land Last Year Arc Again
Chosen.
BY n. C. BYRD.

" D
The schedules in the amateur leagues
are nearing their ends. The regular list
OF games in practically every circuit
has been concluded. and the teams are
now engaged in filing in the open
dates with postponed contests. In many
instances these postponed meetings are
serving to decide the championship. 1t
is more than likely that after this
week there will not be a league in
which the pennant winner will not be
known. which leaves matters open for
the beginning of the post-season series.
1t is doubtful if there has ever been
year in which amateur base ball has
had as many close races as during the
one about to end. There is not circuit
in which the fight for the championship
has not been close, and in the majority
at least three teams have been right
in the running during the greater part
OF the time. The Departmental, North
west Sunday School, Potomac. Treasury
and Railroad Y. M c. A. organizations
are ones in which clubs are winning
out by the barest of margins. and in
| some of these the margin by which the
leaders are in front seems to indicate
that the contests Of this week may
| change their standings sufficiently to
deprive them Of the first honors.
The Central League is one that has not
yet completed its regular list of games.
| 1t is now nearing the end Of its second
series, after which 1t will take only a
| short while to finish the season. The win
| ner Of the first half of the schedule,
Kenilworth. will meet the winner Of this
part in series to decide which team will
have the right to take part in the post-sea-
son games. If anything should happen that
| a. sufficient number of games arapostponed
| SO that the schedule could not be ended
| in time to begin the post-season games,
| the two leading clubs will probably play
| off their games and the contests in which
| the other mines were to figure will be
| called off
| The schedule in the Rosedale League has
been eliminated in order that the post
| poned contests may be played. On the
| dates on which the regular games were
| to be played those that have been post
be listed.
The G. H. l. nine in the Potomac League
yesterday defeated the Oxon Hill club by
10 to 5. The Oxon Hill aggregation held
| the lead until the eighth inning, when
the hospital team came to the front by
getting eight runs Henderson pitched
we'll for the winning club. allowing seven
hits and striking out nine
The selections of the committee for
the Davis cup tennis team bear out the
predictions of the experts. with one ex-
ception-Behr of New York was named
for the utility role instead Of Murray OF
California. Provided there are no accf-
dents of any kind. Mclaughlin and Bun
dy, both Of California, will compete in
the doubles. while Williams and Nc
! Loughlin will be depended upon in the
| singles Williams is Philadelphia man.
| There is no question about the fitness
of these men to represent this country.
! and there is less doubt of their capa-
| bilities. McLoughlin is said to be as
fast as, il not faster than, when he starred
In the matches in England last year,
while Rundy is the same steady player he
| was at that time. These two have been
working together in the doubles. and
their play has proved superior to that Of
any other pair. There have been times
when they have not seemed to show all
due to the lack Of necessity Of extending
themselves against weaker opponents
more than to any other reason. Williams
| is a brilliant performer In the singles
one Of the greatest players this country
has ever developed, according to the opfn-
| ion of experts who have followed his
play.
1t is true that the American players
| will be compelled to go against some
| of the most capable performers on the
courts the world has known. and espe-
cially will this be true if Australia is
the country that wins the right to the
challenge round. But none need fear
that the matches will be won from
America as easily as was the case in
polo. And the prospects really look
good for this country. England and
Australia will be compelled to play
desperately hard series of games be-
fore the elimination contests are over,
and such grueling struggle as they
must go through viii be certain to
take the edge off their playing in the
championship matches.
1t is to be hoped that England finally
wins the right to the challenge round.
because the chances are Australia VIII
prove more forinida BILE against Amer
lea. This may seem paradoNical. as. II
England could win from Australia it
would seem to have better team but
the fact of the matter is that Brookes
and Wilding. members of the Australian
quartet are two of the greatest play
ers in the world. and they are men
about whose style of play the Amer
leans know little. The Americans have
met the English and have defeated
them on English courts. and. besides
the knowledge they have of the style
of the Englishmen, there would be that
confidence which naturally goes with
the club which meets another over
which ii already has one victory
:Iust supposing: If Sir Thomas Lip
tons boat wins the yacht race and
gets back the most coveted trophy IN
that sport: and if the English tennis
team carries back the Davis cup, Just
supposing that these things come to
pass-well, it will not have been much
of year for America in the interna-
tional sport line With the yacht. polo.
tennis and relay contests lost. there
will not be much for American en-
thusiasts to look back upon with
pleasure. But IT is TO be hoped that
all these dire things are not going to
come to pass.
An invitation has been extended the
Harvard eight. winner of the English
Henley. to take part in the Australian
races this fall 1t is not probable that
1t will be accepted, though. as the
trip would break in too much on the
school year.
1t is reported that the Andrews base
ball team which has been playing
semi prof fessional ball at the old Union
League park every Sunday. has been
disba anded Poor attendance at the
games which has failed to finance the
club properly. is given as the reason.