Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-07

DHILADELPHTA'S tennis future Is In
l. good hands. The youth of our fair city
who in the next decade will represent us in
tournament play is responding to the advice
and coaching offered just for love OF the
game, by a group OF older players ana
showing signs of Improvement FAR beyohd
expectation.
a trip to the Cynwyd Club. where the
first annual tournament for the junior cham.
plonship Of the State is in progress Will
bear out this contention. Fifty boys rang
ing in years from 10 to 16, faced the
starter on Saturday. This Is the largest
and most representative field that has ever
entered n junior tournament In this section
According to one prominent player. who
AT times has held the Philadelphia and dis
trict and several other titles, this city VIII
play more important part In national
tennis affairs In the next decade than ever
before This Is n very broad statement
when one remembers that II. Norris WI
liams, ID wallace f. Johnson, Joseph D.
Armstrong. CraiS Biddle William T, Tilden'
Cd. and many other first-class players claim
this city as their home. But there are facts
to prove II.
Started One Year Ago
The development OF junior tennis players
here began seriously only year ago. when
n few far.sightcd men, Interested in tennis
for the sake of the game alone, began TO
think of the future. when Williams, John'
son. Armstrong, Tilden Biddle, ct al, would
no longer show the dash and pep that are
their present portion.
True there has been an annual Phlladei'
phia and district junior tournament for a
matter of 10 years, but not until this year
was the field representative one and not
until this year was any determined effort
made TO encourage the youngsters
At present Philadelphia Is fairly well
represented at the top OF the tennis heap.
with Williams In the first ten, Johnson and
Armstrong in the second and Blddle in the
third But there is a big gap between
these names and the names of other local
players in the national ranking list. There
lies our present weakness, In good second
string players.
The present crop OF juniors Is not only
expected TO produce the players to take
the places of Williams and other hrst-class
men, but also to produce enough sound
players to balance the list
The most promising of the juniors may
be divided into three classes, those from
IS TO 2l, those from IA TO Is and those
under a. The second class Is the most inn-
portant, inasmuch as the foundation Of
tennis players game is laid while he is be-
tween the ages of IA and Is. In the hrst
class the fundamentals are already we'll
grounded, and in the third there is nothing
to go by but signs of natural aptitude
Stars in First Class
In the first class VIC have Roy r. Coffin,
Philadelphia Junior champion; Edward c,
Cassard, former titeholder; j. ii. keefe,
Jr, John Haines Brandon Walsh, @, II,
Thornton and Willis r. Harlow. Coffin and
Cassard are we'll known, for both play in
many tournaments. Haines, Walsh and
Thornton are interscholastic stars. Har-
low Is the Hill School lad who defeated
Dr. p. B. Hawk in straight sets early this
IL the Penn inteTgghOlaRtig
title this year and in 1915. Keefe, like
Cassard, plays in many tournaments and
looks better on every start These players
are all ineligible for the Pennsylvania
junior championship, which Is open only to
boys under IT.
The leaders Of the second group are
J. Marshall Vanneman, Jr., Roy March.