New-York tribune., 1920-06-14
Fred Anderson
And B.H.IIetsOn
Win ON Courts
Hammeit and Henderson
Defeated in Contest for
New Jersey Doubles Title
By Fred Hawthorne

Five sets, smash against lob for prac-
tically every point, tells the story of
the winning Of the New Jersey State
lawn tennis doubles championship
yesterday afternoon at the Montclair
Athletic Club, with Frederick c. An
derson and Ben II. Letson defeating
Alfred D. Hammett and Embree Hen
derson at 6-3, 3-6, Cd, Sc, 5
for the title.
There was only one semi-fnal round
match played, Hammett and Hender-
son defeating Ludlow and Philip Van
Deventer at 81, Cd. Anderson and
Letson took the other semi-final by the
default OF Ichya Kumagae and Harold
A. Throckmorton.
kumagae was cut Off from all com
munlcatlon with the rest Of the world
while in transit from Niagara Falls TO
Montcialr, and when he had not put in
an appearance an hour after the sched-
u!ed time Hammett Norton, the referee.
very properly marked up the match
Tor Lctson and Anderson
Montclair must have been lobbed
dizzy yesterday by Hammett and Hon
derson. In all the seven sets these two
back court veterans played during the
afternoon | don't think there were a
dozen points that were not featured by
the lobbing tactics of the losing pair.
Successful against the Van Deventer
brothers, who actually became arm
weary trying to smash out a victory,
Henderson and Hammett tried out the
same plan against Anderson and Let
son, and the tive-set score shows that
they were within striking distance OF
winning again.
1t must be said for the losers in the
championship match that the lobbing
was well done, particularly by Ham
NETT, who popped up the most severe
smashes tha. Anderson and Letson
could crash back at him. Hammett's
lobs were usually played so deep in
court that the youthful pair had great
trouble in finishing off their points
overhead
In the course Of whole afternoon
OF this II was but natural perhaps that
Letson and his partner should suffer
erratic streaks and should get out Of
stroke; That is the reason they were
not able to finish the match more
quickly They never should have lost
the second set, except that both went
oft stroke simultaneously and lost all
control overhead for full fifteen
minutes
The heavy courts made it more diff
cult than it would ordinarily have
been to score kills" by smashing.
Neither Anderson nor Letson could
bounce the ball sufficiently high TO
score the point unless the lob was very
short. Henderson supplied most Of the
short ones that came over the net not
having the range of the court down as
finely as Hammett, yet he was a bit
bot i,ot, r,i1 -,
his service. sharply hit as it il. was
distinctly better than his partners
Anderson was not as effective taking
his play as q whole, as Lctson. al
though when he did catch a short lob
he "kll'ed' IN refreshing fashion. Let
son took many more chances than his
partner. so it was TO be expected that
his total of errors would mount up
more rapidly. and il did, but for all
that the University Heights youth
brought off more earning shots, both
overhead and on the volley. There was
so little driving by any one OF the four
men that 1t is not worth commenting
upon.
Coming back from the clubhouse TO
the courts, after the rest period be-
tween the third and fourth sets, An
derson and Letson were completely ont
OF stroke so that they could do little
against the iobbing attack Of their op-
ponents. 1t required the playing OF
this set to get their shots working
again. and by this time Hammett and
Henderson were beginning 10 show
signs Of the strain and were unable TO
Withstand the final assault at the net
Of the coming state champions, get
ting only three games before Letson
and Anderson hammered out their
final points for the set, match and
championship.