New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-23
Few Men Possess Ability
to Umpire Battles OF
Racquet Wielders.
CUNNINGHAM AND
CONLIN EXCEPTIONS
Both Keen in Following Play
and Quick to Make Known
Their Decisions.
Bv FRED HAWTHORNE.

~ 4 hEf IN " t'''N-''-
TIE problem Of securing an adequate
number Of competent ump,res for the
national lawn tennis championships az
the West SIDE Tennis Club. a. Forest
Hills. Long Island, when the great
tournament begins there on August 80
is serious one and IS already claim
ing The attention Of Julian 5. MyricH'
president OF the cluo. and his fellow
officers
Every YEAR the importance Of the
urplre's position IN tournament niay
IS beng more fully realized. An am
pire can make or mar match hV the
manner ~ which he conducts the dA-
ties Of that Office, and. sad 70 say. ne
Is generally prone 10 err on the latter
side
Many PLAYER has lost his temper
snd a hard fought match az the same
time by fagrsntly poor or ignoran;
decision bv the man who sits in the
urrpire's chair. There IS no appea!
from the ruling OF an umpire on
question q fact. and rightly so. but
for that reason the utmost care should
be taken IN selecting the man who IS
TO WELD this arbitrary power.
While one man VIII be intalhhle IN
the correctness Of his decisions and
possess an urerrlrg eve IN cases where
instant judgment ia necessary on a
doubtful au' or out" he will spoil
his effectiveness bv mumblnC his an
nouncements so inoIsunctty as 20 be
urhoarG by PLAYERS or spectators. or
wee versa.
The combination is rare indeed when
sod 81 r.Fl-4l
attributes. vet an umpire is without
honor in his own country The task
assigned 20 him is e 'haHEless one, and
there Wi. always be those 20 crluclse
his rulings or his enunclauon. The
job requires a man with rare courage
OF = thick skin. in addition TO the
ether qualifications set forth.
President Myrick knows all these
things: hence MS anxiety 20 gather
about him for the national tournament
a full set of competent officials before
play gets under way at Forest Hills.
Acquaintance with me man leads US 20
believe that lie will solve the problem
satisfactorily, and that the umplrng
during "all-comers' week Will be fully
up 70 the standard OF the Casino al
Newport. Z not superior 10 t.
Just now there are two men IN the
public eye IN this city who appear 10
possess all the virtues enumerated
above-namely, z. c. Conlln, Of the
West Side Tennis Club, and William
Cunningham.
Conlin gives confidence the moment
he assumes the umplre's char. lie IS
the picture % alertness and maintains
2 sharp watch oyer every inch OF the
court. The points are called OF with
machine-lAe regularity and IN tones
that carry 20 the furthest corners Of
the gallery.
To add emphasis 10 his decisions
Conln points an index finger vigor-
ously at a ball as he calls In or
Out" and, while making his an
nouncements almost simultaneously
with the finishing Of the point, MS eye
is so certain and his judgment so IN
failible that il is rare, indeed. PLAYER
questions. even 20 himself, the correct
ness % The decision.
IN addition, Conln keeps the s1ecta-
TOYS fully informed "a 20 the progress
Of the match, and he does It without
shouting CT ranting, but purely by the
carrying power of his voice and the
clarity Of his enuncIatlon. Lastly. ne
never allows himself 70 become ratified,
no matter how tense the situation or
how momentous the result OF ms de-
cision.
cunningham has almost as many
supporters as Coulin. and a description
OF one would almost f. The other, al
though some profess 20 believe that
Conl.n's Judgment on doubtful points
l.. perhaps. bit more trustworthy
than CurrlnCham's The latter IS even
more precise when in the chair than
his rival when il comes 20 detail, and
everybody who has been present when
Cunningham presides Is familiar with
his:
The games are 70 4. Hackstt and
Alexander leading; Mr.. Hackett serv-
ing" IT,
Conlin OF Cunningham be selected for
the work OF building up competent
umpiring staff for the national cham
pionship tournament beginning next
August. with the title Of chief UNI
pire" and all the powers that the po-
sition indicates.
Conlins pleasing disposition. his
patience and his knack Of imparting
his knowledge 90 others would seem 70
fully qualify him for the place, and
there is no doubt that he is ideally
fitted 20 preside in the umpire's chair
when the challenge rodnd matches are
PLAYED. His work in the Davis Cur
matches last August stood out bril-
liantly. and surely there could be no
more trying test than that.
While Cunningham has rot had the
advantage Of officiating IN interna-
tional lawn tennis matches. there is no
reason % believe that he would not
also III the position in satisfactory
manner. With TWO such men as Con
lin and Cunningham as nucleus
around which 20 form stat Of com
petent umpircs there seems no doubt
but that this important feature Of the
game will he administered in more
Intelligent fashion than was ever the
case before.