New-York tribune., 1919-02-14
By Fred Hawthorne

Philadelphia will be the scene of
lawn tennis activity next week, when
new fixture, the indoor Middle States
championship tournament, will be
played. The Middle States tourney,
played on outdoor courts. is one of the
Oldest fixtures on American courts. but
the board court tourney is something
out of the ordinary.
William T. Tilden, Cd, runner-up for
the national singles title last year, is
the prime mover in staging the new
event. He has been devoting much of
his leisure time to the gathering OF a
representative entry for this tourney,
and according to reports has succeeded
in his purpose.
Besides Tilden himself. and his pres
ence alone is sufficient to guarantee
the quality Of play) many of the lead
tan and the Philadelphia district will
take the courts, beginning on Monday
In addition to this fixture, Tilden has
arranged for junior championship
y
Richards, national doubles champion;
Harold L. Taylor, national Junior title
holder; Frank T. Anderson, Long ISL
and an North Side champion; Cecil
and Gerald Donaldson, jr.. and others
of the leading schoolboy players Of the
East competing. The tournaments will
be played in one Of the largest arm ores
I
through the week, with the finals sched-
ulcd for Saturday afternoon.
This is q move in the right direction,
particularly as it affects the juniors,
who are advancing by rapid strides as
a result of the frequent competition
they are getting Young Richards looks
like the one best bet for the junior
title at this writing, as he has proved
in many Journeys that he is at least q
class above his competitors.
It may be that Philadelphia viii pro
Gucc new star among the boys who
will humble the national boy champion,
hut if such is to be the case the de-
velopment of such @ rival has been we'll
guarded by Philadelphia lawn tennis
followers. Anderson and Taylor ap-
lcar most likely to give Richards
trouble in his quest Of the junior Mid
die States title
The action of the United States Ma
tional Lawn Tennis Association in
placing the national doubles champion
ship tournament back upon it's old ba-
sa at the annual meeting of the asso-
citation, held last week at the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel, will be hailed with sat
sfaction by majority Of followers Of
the game in the East. Longwood has
staged the national doubles event for
the last two years az a separate tour
namcnt, and, although interest in the
event has been far from discouraging,
there has been something lacking. The
method Of deciding the championship
at IonRwood has not brought forth
the same keen competition that marked
the event in former years, when the
winners Of sectional mpionships
met in an elimination tourney, the
eventual winnars meeting the holders
Of the title in challenge round match.
The return to the old regime will be
for the better for 1t will mean that
only the strongest pairs will meet on
the courts Of the Longwood Cricket
Club next summer TO strive for the
f.ational title. now held by Tildcn and
Richards.
The rDappcarance in the game Of men
Like Johnston and Griffin and Nc
LouYhlin and Dawson former holders
Of the national title, means that the
present title holders will be hard put
10 IL 10 defend their honors Under
the new rules, the winners Of sectional
! championships In eleven different sec