New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-27
Retains the Middle States
Championship by Defeat
ing Throckmorton.
PLAYS DESPERATELY
IN FINAL SET
Eiphteen.Year-OId Youth Makes
Veteran Fight His
Hardest.
BY FRED. HAWTHORNE.

Harold A. Throckmorton, the Wood
bridge High School boy whose playing
has been the sensation of the annual
middle states lawn tennis champion
ship tournament, vas defeated by Karl
H. Behr, the champion, in the challenge
round yesterday by score Of ca,
rs, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Behr just escaped losing his laurels
at the hands of the stripping who OPP
posed him, and had he not braced him
self for final desperate effort, Throek-
morton would have been middle states
champion to-day. instead of runner-up.
All through the match Behr gave dis
tressing evidence of the fact that he
has been giving too much attention TO
business cares at the expense OF his
game, and only on rare occasions did
he give the big crowd a fash Of the
playing strength that won him so many
honors last year. Yesterday was the
second time he had played outdoors
this season, and as a consequence his
judgment was faulty, his execution OF
strokes erratic and mis- physical powers
nowhere near what they should have
, been.
Throckmorton, although defeated, was
entitled to the lions share Of the
honors. Eighteen years Old and just at
the beginning of his court career, he
was a principal in his first really impor-
tant tournament, and he conducted HIM
self with perfect GOODNESS, except in the
last two games, when he faltered and
grew wild.
Miss Molla Bjurstedt, the all-con-
Quering Norwegian girl, added the
titles OF woman middle states cham
pion in singles and doubles to her
/ lengthy list by defeating Miss Ina A.
Kissel, the strong Morristown player,
in the singles at 81, 6-3, and, paired
with Miss Clare Cassel, winning the
/ doubles final round from Miss Florence
BALM and Miss Kissel at 60, "a.
Throckmorton and Lindsay Durham
/ figured in the final round of the mems
doubles against c. F. Watson, jr, and
! c. NJ. Bull, jr.. but the match was un-
/ finished, after Throckmorton and his
partner had taken the first set at To
and Bull and Watson the second at
Ct The struggle will be finished to-
day.
A crowd of fully 1900 persons was
gathered on both sides of the court
long before Behr and his challenger
appeared, and both were enthusiastical-
ly greeted as they prepared for the
fray. Throckmorton, being New Jer-
sey boy, was warm favorite with the
crowd, and every time he won a point,
no matter under what circumst stances, it
was the signal for applause.
The boy was confidence personified
from the first set until the last stages
OF the struggle, when he seemed to
realize he was facing defeat. In, fact,
the challenger suffered from too much
self-assurance, as was shown in the
seventh game Of the last set.
Here he had made a beautiful shot
sharply across the court, with Behr out
OF position, and instead of waiting for
an instant to see how Behr would han
die the situation, Throckmorton calmly
turned his back and strobe to his base
line for his next service. But Behr
was up on his toes at this stage of the
match and was going after everything,
and he returned the ball to deep court.
The sudden turn of affairs so fus-
tered the schoolboy that he slammed
his own return into the net, and Behr
then ran out the game.
For the first two sets Behr. although
cratic, was full Of fight, and his gem
eralship was crafty, particularly when
ne charged for the net and passed his
young opponent with slashing shots
across the court. Throckmortoa gave
the veteran plenty Of trouble. even
thus early in the match, however, and
began the third set brim full OF de-
termination.
The spectators wondered where the
slender youth got the tremendous
speed into his service. Nothing like
IL had been seen since Mclaughlin and
Murray dazzled the East last year, and
mauy times he scored clean aces on
Behr. But there was one thing that
aided Throckmorton materially in max
ing his service effective.
Time after time he committed foot
faults so glazing that people wondered
why his attention was not called to the
fact Only three times was a fault
called on the boy, whereas at least
three out of every five services he de-
litered were made with one foot clear
ly over the line before his racquet met
the ball.
The point scores Of the final singles
matches and the summaries follow:
FIRST SET