New-York tribune., 1922-02-26
Singles Winner
Again Scores
AtPaln Beach
Mrs. Armory and Mrs. Board
man Give the Nictors a
Surprisingly Good Match
By Fred Hawthorne

PALM bEACH, Fla, FEB. 20.--HAv-
ing won the singles lawn tennis cham
pionship of Florida yesterday. when
she defeated the titleholder. Miss Phyl-
lie Walsh, OF Philadelphia. Miss Glare
Cassel. Of New York City, added the
womens doubles to her list this after
noon by pairing with Miss Walsh and
taking the measure of Mrs. c. NJ. Amory
and Mrs. Reginald Boardman. of Bos-
ton, by score Of s-6, SO, in the
final round of the annual tournament
on the Royal Poinciana courts.
This match completed the wonien's
fixture, and now interest will shift to
the mems tourney, that begins Monday
morning with about thirty players, of
whom many are we'll known in tourna-
ment circles in and about New York.
The latest star 20 enter to-day is Fritz
Bastain, Of indianapolis, who with
young John Hennessey. ranked as one
OF the leading doubles teams in the
United States last year in the official
ranking list.
Another scorchng day OF burning
sun and cloudless sky greeted the
players and the largest gallery of the
week when the four contenders in the
doubles final came out on the court
and started to warm up-not subtle
Popular Favorites
Mrs. Amory and Mrs. Boardman are
popular favorites with the Palm Beach
winter colony, but don't believe one
person in ten thought the young So
ciety matrons would put up the sur
prisingly good match they did against
Miss Csssel and Miss Walsh, who are
tournament players Of wide experience
1t was generally figured that Miss
Cassel and Miss Walsh would take the
sets at about 6--1, 6-3 yet on the
contrary, they were lucky to win the
first set, and in a three-set match the
result might have been in doubt until
the end. for Mrs. Amory and Mrs
Boardmsn were if anything in better
physical trim at the end Of the match
than their opponents.
However, the better team came
through, which in the nature of things
is eminently proper and to be expected.
Commenting on the work of the four
girls yesterday, it must be said that
Miss Walsh was the weakest player
on the court in the opening set, and it |
was this weakness that was largely re-
sponsible for the playing Of fourteen
games before the New York Philadel- J
phia team could clinch matters.
In the second set Miss Walsh I'M
proved markedly, with the result that
Miss Cassel, whose playing also was
not up to her standard in the early |
stages, started an aggressive attack |
that soon had the Boston combination |
in difficulties.
Both Miss Walsh and Miss Cassel
started forcing the net position in the |
last half of the match, the former
scoring many points by deft trap shots,
while Miss Cassel ended numerous
tryith Ioo ,cax
trolled smashing when the other pair
sought 70 LOB their opponents away
from the net
On the losing side, Mrs. Boardman
was probably the more effective, view
ing the match from start 70 finish. Her
ground strokes, particularly her back
hand. are made in good form, with
plenty of follow-through, and quite
frequently she had the better of Miss
Cassei in cross-court exchanges; her
service was also we'll placed and of
sufficient pace to force the opposing
PAIR TO be on the alert when receive
ing.
Cleverness In Lobbing
Mrs. Amory, while less spectacular
IN her work than Mrs. Boardman, was
also a worthy opponent for the win
ming team, and 1t was her cieverness
IN lobblng at the moment when Miss
Walsh was close in at the net and Miss
Cassel was wearied from much run
ming that accounted for the games go
ing to deuce in the opening set. Mrs.
Amory also brought off some sensa-
t!onal fore and back hand drives for
clean placements. and, ali in all, she
and Mrs. Boardmsn, although losing.
covered themselves with glory in fjn,
lehing as runners-up for the Florida
championship
Miss Welsh seemed tinid about
stroklng her returns in the opener and
1alied to kill many easy, short lobs
at the net. AS this is Usually the
strongest part of her game, the con
trast was all the more striking. With
MRS. Amory constantly tossing" into
deep court, 1t was necessary for Miss
Cassel TO keep continually on the run
IN oack-court, and after many long and
stunoornly-fought rallies, this began
TO nave its effect on her court covering
Inc advantage swayed, first to one
sac ana then to the other until George
Agutter. the umpire. called "6-all." and
then Miss Cassel and Miss Walsh.
Tightening up in their team work. took
the next two games, for the set alta
50, and that marked the beginning
OF the end, for the new champions. cor,
1dence restored in the second set. kent
ADDING pace to their shots and smoth
cred returns by aggressive net play.
Mrs. Amory and Mrs Boardman, how
ever, continued to give of their best
until the final point was finished.
Although going down in defeat, the
young pair from Boston demonstrated
that some of the teams little known to
org tournament play are still quite ca
pable of making trouble for the head
ilners, provided the latter are not up
to their best tennia.