New-York tribune., 1918-09-16
Spirit of 'Nineties" Pervades
Benefit Matches in Which
Stars Compete
By Fred Hawthorne

II was a regular old fashioned "laWn
tennis day" at the Green Meadow Coun-
try Club, OF Harrison, yesterday after
noon, when Miss Molla Bjurstedt, ma
tlOnal indoor and outdoor woman cham
plon, and Miss Eleanor GOsS, runner
up to the wonderful Morse queen OF
the courts in both those events, played
two exhibition doubles matches, with
and against Hugh ID. Montgomery and
Silas W. liowland, two OF the clubs
experts.
The quality of lawn tennis shown by
Miss Bjurstedt and Miss Goss was not
of the usual dazzling variety that fol-
lowers of the game are accustomed to
see when these two noted payers ta6e
the court. Except in Il few instances
neither the Norwegian nor Miss Goss
played with their usual snap and brill
fancy, but for all that, the gallery OF
several hundred men and women that
sat about the clay courts seemed to en-
JOY the exhibitions.
In the first match of the day Miss
Goss and Mr.. Montgomery defeated
Miss Bjurstedt and Mr.. Howland by d.
score of 6-3, DO, e, and then the
girls paired off against the men, and
the latter won by a score of Cd, 10,
although Miss Biurstedt and her par,
ner forced the men to their limit to
win.
We have said that it was an "od-
fashioned" tennis day, and by that We
mean that the scene about the club
house grounds brought back the days
of the bicycle and the horse and car
riagc. "Gasless" Sunday was 100 per
cent pure at Green Meadow yesterday,
and not an automobile was to be seen
or smelt about the countryside ana
the meadows and the trees, the flow
ors and the birds, and the children who
strolled down the roads seemed to de-
light in the return to the good ola
days.
Although the presence of Miss Biul-
followers from miles around. nobody
came in autos. Vlctorias, buggys. run
abouts, buckboards, dogcarts. carry
alis, coaches, and even the honest farm
wagon born without a spring in its
entire anatomy, rolled up the winding
driveway to the clubhouse aud "parked''
there, Those who didn't drive either
walked, came on horseback or rode BIZ
cycles. The spirit Of the late nine
ties" was everywhere.
Following the last match an auction
sale OF the balls used by the players
and Miss Bjurstedt's racquet was con-
QuCled on tne cluDnOuSc steps by Mrs.
Dyer Pearl, assisted by lie Baron S.
Willard. Mrs. Pearl proved such an
eloquent and persuasive auctioneer
that the bidding for the trophies was
spirited and substantial. The balls
were bought in by Henry Kryn for
$25, and the racquet, with Miss Blur
stedt's name on the throatpiece, went
to Stephen Leonard for 5000, after
Charles Smithers had made several
frantic offers. This money, together
with all the gate receipts, went one
half for the War Department Training
Camp Activities Fund and the other
for the Rye Red Cross.
Montgomery and Miss Goss, by
virtue of a stronger net attack, over
powered Miss Bjurstedt and Howland
in the opening match, being particu
larly effective in the first and last
sets. Several times Miss Goss finished
off the points by severe smashing, and
her volieying was also a deciding fat-
tor on occasions, although she was not
getting up to the net with sufficient
speed, as a rule. 10 take the ball in
the best position. Miss Bjurstedt
never seemed able to rouse hersel /
to the proper fighting pitch 20 bring
out the real hrilllance of her game.
but once or twice she brought applause
by driving through the opposing court
with lightning sDeed.
Montgomery Was more effective than
Rowland, both at the net and from the
back of the court, and it was this that
was material factor il bringing VIC