The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-12-22
MURRAY HEADS
TENNIS RANKING
Placed at Number 0ne-Til-
den Only Other Member
of Top Glass.
ALEXANDER RATED THIRD
Hall. Hayes and Niles Follow
in Order Named-Doubles.
Also Issued.
ALEXANDER RATED THIRD
ny DANIEL.

ranking for 1918 was answered yester- |
day by the ranking committee. In the |
list made public by Abraham Bassford, |
Jr, chairman OF the committee. the name
o; Murray. like the famed Abou Ben |
Adhem's, Is found right at the top with |
convincing No. 1 right in front OF It. |
Tilden Is placed In Class with Murray
and that completes the real uppercrust
OF American tennis society for this year.
The third best player Is the veteran
Fred Alexander. He stands all alone in
class .. while Glass has three mem
hers, Walter Merrill Hall. Walter T.
HAYES OF Chicago and Nathaniel Niles
ot Boston Hayes will be remembered
as the man who stopped Ichiya Kuma-
eae at Southampton.
Glass 4 is headed by Kumagae, who,
by the way. is listed as coming from
New York instead OF Toxic. The jap
anese has settled down here and will be
on hand for all big competitions next
summer Chuck" Garland OF PittsburgI
and Yale, s. Howard voshell and Theo-
dore r. Pell are the other members of
Class 4. The players named compose
she ranking ten OF American tennis. II
win BE- noted that Ave OF the ten are
from New York.
The list is the-first set OF ratings in
two years, as there was no ranking for
1917. In 1916 Murray was rated No. 4,
with Richard Norris Williams, William
u. Johnston and George NJ. Church COM
eng ahead Of him. Williams, Johnston
and Church were in the service and did
not take part In 1918 tournaments. In
1915 Kumagae was ranked fifth, with
Clarence Griffin. Watson NJ. Washburn.
Willis 4. Davis. Joe Armstrong and
Dean Mathey following in the order
named. All those behind Kumagae were
in the service in 1918, so that of the first
ten for 1915 only Murray and Kumagas
again appear in the list for this year.
While Tilden failed to land No. in
the singles he got that position in the
doubles ranking. He Is placed at the
head Of the list with young Vincent
Richards, with whom he won the ma
tional championship Richards is only
u years old and Is the youngest player
YET TO be placed In the ranking ten.
In second place and in Glass 1 with
Tilden and Richards are Alexander and
Beals c. Wright. veterans two and In
ternationalists, who were beaten by the
younger team in the final for the ma
tional title. Niles and Pell are ranked
third, with Garland and Sam Hardy and
Hayes and w. H. Burdick, the Western
champions from Chicago, following In
the order named.
Irving Wright and H c. johnson,
Kumagae and Harold Taylor, Elliott
Bnzen and J. s. OBoyle, b. NJ. Grant
and Nat Thornton, the Southern leaders,
complete the list of the first ten teams
fl doubles.
Chinese PLAYER Ranked
In all twenty-three teams are ranked
With many players appearing on several
combinations. One OF the players ranked
ia Chinese-Lock Wei. the captain al
Massachusetts Tech. He IL teamed with
II. B. Brookman Of Massachusetts Tech
with whom he won the New England In.
tercollegiates. in seventeenth place.
This years. ranking committee. headed
nv Bassford, included Paul w. Gibbons
n Philadelphia, Harry C. Johnson Of
Boston, Conrad b. Doyle OF Washington
and Walter T. Hayes OF Chicago. In &C.
oordance with the ranking rules recon-
fHended by the 1916 committee ant
adopted by the annual meeting, they
were instructed to rank at least 100 II
mems singles by classes. there being one
or more individuals in each class.
The players thus classified by Bass
ford's committee are also numbered &C
cording to their respective merits of theii
seasons records. Tho committee recon-
rended this action in its report, saying
at Is worthy of note that while the diff
ference OF one or two points in rating
generally does not indicate a difference
in class II is always well in competi
tive sport to recognize the better record.
Worked by Mathematics.
The summaries OF sanctioned tourna
:1ent@ we're collected through Paul VIII
,ams IN the associations office, thus pro
y.ding the details OF individuals records
for consideration. Bassford worked on
A scheme for estimating the mathemati
cal value OF these matches. based on tn
law Of averages, which gave the com
nl.ttee a remarkably accurate method 10
checking its Judgment of the players
performances. BY this system 1t is pos
slble 70 figure averages in decimals. 81
positions are assigned based on rating
o. actual performances and not on con
lecture or oponion.
Az the request of the California Law
Tennis Association Pacific coast player
who did not take part in Eastern tourna
nents were omitted. Gibbons filed
minority report with the executive com
inittee, contending that Tilden should b
placed No. |. but in all other respect
the findings we're unanimous. The re
port follows:
TO the Executive Committee OF tn
United States National Lawn TENN
Association
Herewith your committee present
class lists in mems singles and men
doubles for players and teams who par
tcpated In three or more tennis tourna
ments during the season OF 1918.
BY request Of the California Law
Tennis Association Pacific coast player
not participating in Eastern tournament
were not classed. BY unanimous conser
OF the ranking committee few player
were c!assed who participated in tn
rational championship and one othe
tournament Please note the arrange
ment In classes as directed by the me-
rules
For the information OF the executiy
SomIa.ttee in addition to the class grouI
ing We have given the computed ratln
and relative number biased on rating
q each player or team listed. In vie
o' the fact that the ratings and relatiN
4 positions have been determined by II
sW u averages and have not been lie
- the euesses or vague opinions OF OF
.ommi'tee We deplore the fact. If II is
iect. that tCe actual number and ratin
each player may not be published q
'ei. ..s CHASING.
II .. Nur:hy OF note that while Ii
-. Continued on Fourth Pogo.