New-York tribune., 1920-01-06
Casino Tennis
Tourney Sure
To Be Lively
Bevy of Stars Promise
Plenty of Keen Competi.
ton on Brooklyn Courts
By Fred Hawthorne

VIZ VPSAAA6 Ody VI tu0 a00ual Clu0 |
championship lawn tennis tournament
in mems and women's singles and
doubles at the Heights Casino, in Mon
tague Street, Brooklyn, no matches
were played. Harry McNeal. the Ca
slno pro -essional, explained that be-
ipg a club tourney the members were
only required to play one round a
week, consequently they arrange the
matches to suit their convenience,
with no regular schedule followed. al
though each succeeding round must be
completed by Saturday of each week.
The quality of the entry in all di-
visions is unusually high for a club
tournament. In the Glass A mems
singles we find such men as Seiichiro
Kashio, of Japan; Hugh Tallant, Leon
ard Beekman, Charles NJ. Bull jr., Dean
MNlathey, Harold Taylor, Hugh Kelleher,
A. Campbell, G. A. L. Dionne and
Frederick B. Alexander, former inter
nationalist. Kashio, Bull, Mathey and
Taylor are in the upper half, while
Parker, Campbell and Alexander are
in the lower brackets.
Mrs. Mallory Entered
In the women's singles the two en-
trants who overtop all the rest are
Mrs. Franklin l. Mallory, the former
Miss Molla Bjurstedt, and Miss Eleanor
Goss, national doubles champion.
These two noted players are on op-
poste sides Of the draw, which means
clash in the final round for the cham
pionship, and the battle between them
should be classic struggle of the
courts.
According to McNeal, Miss Goss is
playing better tennis at this time than
ever before. In fact, her whole game
has improved to a startling degree,
and the Casino Club professional be-
lieves the tall New York girl is going
to make most determined bid for the
highest honors in the country during
the coming season.
Mrs. Mallory, too, has been in al
most daily. practice on the Casino
courts, evidently with her mind set
upon the single purpose of regaining
her place as queen of the lawn tennis
world, and therefore a meeting between
them is sure to result in tennis of the
most brilliant kind.
Miss Goss, in the upper section of
the draw, has the more difficult path
to tread before she reaches the final
bracket, for Miss Adele Bull, Mrs. de
Forest Candec, Mrs. Rawson L. Wood,
Mrs. Spencer Fullerton Weaver and
Mrs Robert LIE Roy are in her section.
Mrs. Mallory's most dangerous oppo-
nents in the lower half appear to be
Mrs. Mabel D. Straffin, Mrs. E. Cor
nell Duble and Mrs. Theodore C. Cas-
sebeer.
Thirty-six men are drawn in the
Class singles, among them Charles
M. Bull sr. and DR.. Forbes Hawkes.,
the latter two being we'll above the
three score mark in years, but just
as keen for the game as their younger
eliminates. Both swing an exceedingly
mean racquet.
Abraham Bassford jr., chairman of
the ranking committee Of the U. S.
N. L. T. A., whose work I have had
occasion, in common with other crit
les, to criticize in these columns, good
naturedly accused me, when I met him
the other day, of having "garbled" his
printed defense or explanation of the
committees ranking of the "first ten"
players.
In degree, I plead guilty to Mr..
Bassford's indictment. Lack of space
prevented ME from running the chair
mans report in full, although l sought
Evidently this did not meet the ap-
proval of that conscientious gentle
man, and therefore, aiming to be just
as conscientious, I hereby reproduce
the omitted paragraphs.
Mr.. Bassford was explaining how all
tournament matches between rated
players have an important influence
on their records and then goes on:
"A case in point is the published
comment on the ranking of Al Green,
of Chicago, described in the East as
an unknown ahead of Vincent
Richards, national indoor champion.
The latter's indoor wins have no bear
ing, so the committee had to consider
the fact that Green defeated Walter
7. Hayes, No. 8 on the list, in five sets,
while Hayes beat Richards in the clay
court championship, the second most
important event in the country, 6-1,
Cd.
Thinks Ranking Just
"There was surprise that Tilden and
Richards, last years doubles cham
pions, should be placed seventh. In five
important matches only one, that
against Brookes and Patterson, would
entitle them to better position than
seventh. The other four were at rates
poorer. than seventh, and if it had not
been for their good showing in the
national, which has a weight of four
smaller tournaments, they could not
have been ranked as high as seventh.
"1t should be borne in mind that
they were beaten by Craven and Kin
sey, by Pearson and Thayer, and man
aged to win over James Weber and Lu-
Glen Williams only by the score of
6-4, 5-7, Is. In this case. as in
others, failure to grasp the funda-
mental fact that performance is what
counts, has led to misunderstanding of
the positions determined by the rank
ing committee"
am the hapless critic who referred
to Mr.. Green as an unknown" in the
East, and l stand on that statement
How many Fasteners are conversant
with the Chicago mans tournament
record. The mere fact that he once
defeated Hayes (who has no right IN
the "first ten"), while Richards has
victories over some, of the leading men
in the country to his credit, does not
Justify the committee in placing Green
above Richards, in my not humble
opinion. AS for Tilden and Richards
they made a far better showing against
Brookes and Patterson in the national
doubles tournament than any other
other teams entered, and the best
pairs in the whole country competed
at Longwood.
Requiescat in pace!
Stelle Wins With Foils
IL