The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-19

/
committee and all of the other commit
| tees that were to report on various mat
| ters at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel yes
terday. were held behind closed doors, 1t
was strongly rumored that Maurice T..
| Mclaughlin of San Francisco would he
rated first for 1914. Mclaughlin was
not placed at the head of the list without
a fight, for a certain clientele in the ma
| tional association wanted to follow prece-
dent and place the great Californian
/ second to Richard Norris Williams I'd,
the man who beat him in the final round
| for the national championship at New
port last season.
| Never before in the history OF the
! sport in America has the man who has
won the national title been placed any
/ whore but at the top of the list, but this
was SO only because there never has been
a case similar to that OF Mclaughlin and
| Williams. Even the men who were
/ strongest in their fight to place the Phila-
| delphian before all the other tennis play
ers of America admitted that Mclaughlin
! is the greatest player of this country
and for that matter OF the world The
| British critics certainly stood behind this
decision recently when they placed Me
| Loughlin above both Norman l.. Brookes
| and Anthony +. Wnding. who in turn
were placed ahead Of Williams.
| Mclaughlin went through the season
/ beating every one that came along, NJ
/ Guiding Williams, whom he downed more
| than once The red headed comet did
not have TO exert himself much 10 ac-
complish his victories over the American
| players. and his achievements wer"
| crowned when he triumphed over Wild
ing. the man who had beaten him for the
| championship of the world at Wimbledon
| i'm 1913. and Brookes. who had taken
| McIoughin's measure twice before auh
wrested the British championship from
| Wilding These defeats were admins
| tered in the challenge round of tn" DAVIS
| cup matches. Then along came Williams.
| and after mediocre showing Tor the
year beat Mclaughlin in the final round
| at Newport only TO he beaten the next
week in the final round of the intercol'
! legiate championship a. Philadelphia by
/ George NJ Church. the Princeton captain.
The official ranking will not he Fiv'n
+ out until late this afternoon. but II looks
as IL Karl Behr will be placed Immediately
after Williams. or In third place. tthr
/ made wonderful record this year both in
singles and doubles and surely earned the
place given him on the Davis cup team in
/ spite of the fact that he did not get into
the actual play Robert lJndleN Murray
| seems to he the likely choice for fourth
place with the six others Of the first ten
punched closely behind Murray was the
tennis sensation last season and had vic
. tories over every one except Mclaughlin.
I Behr and Williams. lie gave Williams "A
I hard fight at Seabright and might have
won had il not been for his attack of sun
/ stroke when the match was tied In the
, third set.
George VI Church gained a victory over
Murray in the challenge round for the
championship Of Delaware on grass courts
after he had lost to the pilo Alto youth
on the clay courts IN the struggle for the
metropolitan title. For this victory and
also for his showing over Williams in
IL. L.
choice over Murray for fourth place.
After these five the men who did the
best during the course of the season are
William !. Clothier Of philadelphia, for
mer national champion Frederick Il
Alexander. once said To he the greatest
doubles player in the world and the man
who gave Murray the fight Of his life on
clay courts In the metropolitan tourna-
meut and on grass In the New York state
tourney; Ella Fottrell Of san Francisco
the man OF mighty service Watson VI
Washburn. former metropolitan champion
and William VI. Johnston 81 san Fran.
cisco The latter after defeating B.hr In
the Westchcster Country club tournament
had kind of a bad season and may have
TO gi~e way ia Clarence J. Griffen, another
Californian. the winner of the national
. clay court championship.
Al the meeting Yesterday Robcr -
Wrcnn, preSder. OF the national asso
citation. held the chair. Among those
more than ordinarily active at the meet
ing were 4. l.. Hosklns, vice-pr, Sident o
the association; Edwin +. Torrcy. scrrc
tary. and Richard Stevens, treasurer. tn.
delegates present were Palmer f.. Pres
: brey. William 4. Larned, William J
, Clothier Raymond u. Little George r
Adee. g, Frederick Watson and the rank
t ing committee of Frederick G. Inman
: chairman; Walter Merrill Hall and Wal
ter l., Pate
The women's ranking committee, con
sisting Of Mrs. Barger Wallach. chair
man; Mrs Thomas G. Bundy and Mrs
Benjamin Briggs, did not attend IN,
meeting in person. but sent In a repor
OF the standing OF the women players
They had no fight about the pacing o
~ the first ten. but will not give out th
official list until this afternoon. Mis-
-, Mary Browne. the Californian, VII,
q swept everything before her, was No.
a and Miss Marie Wagner Of this city
=, indoor national champion and runnorul
= in the outdoor titular event, was second
> one of the main topics Of discussio
a at the afternoon session was in rcfercnr
: to the challenging of Australasia 10
: America for the Davis cup On account q
:. the unsettled conditions owing to the va
- nearly every one present agreed that IN
:, best thing to do was 10 hold this owe
ri until the annual meeting OF the eNccu
. tive committee in February. There wcr
3 ONE few who held that there ought {
. he no challenge, but Il was finally de
e cidcd after more or less of a fight that
l. would not be unethiGal for this country I
challenge Australasia technically "a
. 1918, and in the event OF the war lastn
e through that year TO let the mttter res
d until 1916
The ban committee. with George 7
Adee as chairman, discussed at lengt
the question of what kind OF ha