New-York tribune., 1918-12-22

The players who follow Murray andS
Tiden in the first ten by classes,
ore: Glass No. t3), +. B. Alexander;
Glass Nc. 3 (Q, Walter Merrill Hall;
80. Walter T. Hayes, Coy, Nathaniel
". Niles; Glass No. 4 ca, Ichiya
Kumagae; (s) Charles S. Garland; (9)
s. Howard Noshell; l1O) Theodore r.
Pel
Bassford Committee Head
The ranking committee was composed
Of Abraham Bassford, jr., chairman;
Paul W. Gibbons. Harry c. Johnson,
Conrad B. Doyle and Walter 7. Hayes,
and total Of 124 players was ranked.
The committee evidently performed its
arduous labors with great ccnscien-
,jousness and attention to detail
Mr.. Bassford worked out scheme
for estimating the mathematical value
Of all matches played in sanctioned
tournaments, based on the law of aver
ages, which gave the committee a re-
markably accurate method for check
ing its Judgment of the players per-
formances.
The committee sets up the claim that
by this procedure it is possible TO fig
ure averages in decimals. so positions
are assigned based on ratings of actual
performances. and not on conjecture or
opinion At the request of the Cali
fcrnia Association, Pacific Coast play
ers who cid not take part in Eastern
tournaments were omitted.
Mr. Gibbons filed minority report
with the executive committee, contend
ing that Tilden should be placed at
No. /. In all other respects the find
ings were unanimous.
simultaneously with the report of
the mans ranking committee, the wom-
ems ranking committee, composed of
Mrs. William H. Pouch, Miss Edith B.
Handy and Mrs. B. E. Cole, submitted
its report ranking the women in the
"frst ten as follows: Mrs. Molla Blur
stedt. Mrs George w. Wightman. Miss
Eleanor Gore, Mrs. H. Stuart Green,
Miss Marie Wagner. Miss Carrie Neely.
Miss Helene Pollak Miss Clare Cassel.
Miss Eleonora Sears, Mrs. Jack Rame-
son Adelaide Yeager), Los Angeles, in
that order
Some Exceptions Taken
Taking them as a whole, we have
little fault to find with the reports of
+he two committees. but in one or two
instances, according to our own per-
sona viewpoint. which must, perforce,
appear inconsequential in comparison
with that of the committees, we are
bound to take exception.
In The Tribune of Sunday September
Is, we printed list of those players
whom we believed were entitled to rank
among the first ten" as follows: Til
den, Murray Alexander. Hall, Voshell.
Niles, Hayes. Burdick, PeN and kuma-
gae.
Garland was not given a ranking by
us, for the reason that we did not be-
lleve he had played in a sufficient num-
Der of important tournaments, although
we recognized his worth as player.
Ralph Burdick we placed at No 8,
whereas the committee has placed him
at No H. in Glass 5.
1t viii be observed that there is no
glaring discrepancy of opinion IN the
two lists. and we rather expected the
placing of Murray officially in the No.
that has heretofore placed the national
champion in the first place, but W.
cannot agree with the committees de-
cision.
We have rehearsed our reasons at
length before this for naming Tilden
to hold the first place among our play
ers, and We do not intend to burden our
readers with our views again, except
to say that we do not see the con-
sstency of reasoning that places Muir
ray, playing in a very limited mum
Der Of tournaments, ahead of I1lden,
whose court activity was unusual all
the hands of Murray, who himself was
.vanquished by Tilden earlier IN the
season.
Younger Element Advancing
Kumagae, placed at No. by the com
mittee. seems fortunate indeed to pc
so well up in the list, since the lat
ter part of his season on the courts
was far from successful. 1t is inter-
esting to note that Vincent Richards,
the sixteen-year- old marvel and holder,
with Tildcn. of the national doubles
title. is placed No. % in the list, along
with Elliott H. Binzen, No. 20. rms
is striking instance of the manner
In which the younger element is tore
ing its way toward the top.
There will be none to even remotely
question the right of Miss BJursteao
to rank as the first woman player IN
the land in fact, there was no otheI
player who even remotely approached
her brilliant record of tournament VIC
tories, which included the following:
Pelham. Ardsley, Metropolitan, Long
wood Western Pcnnsylvanla, Great
Lakes. New Jersey Heights Casino in
door, national outdoor and WON
ems national championship, challenge
round
Where, in the long history of the
game, has such 2 remarkable series
OF o., triumphs ever been set up before
What q rare battle would have resulted
Tor first place among the women had
Miss Mary K Browne and Mrs. Thomas
:. Bundy. both of California and both
former holders of the national tue
been able to play through the series