The Washington times., 1923-08-09
At
TOURNEY IN
ENGLAND
avn Tennis Association Pro-
tests against Taking Photos
of Players in Action.
By F.. A. WRAY,
International News Service.

International News service.
LONDON, Aug. 8. - Newspaper
photographers are in danger of being
barred from all lawn tennis tourna.
ments in Britain. If the English
Lawn Tennis Association has its
way no press photographer will be
able to take his camera to any
meeting.
In an official letter addressed to
the secretaries of tournaments the
Association states undesirable
photos Of lady players have been ap-
pearing in the newspapers :. They
strongly deprecate publication OF
pictures Of this character as tending
| to bring the game into disrepute and
causing annoyance to players" and
asks that press photographers should
be prevented from taking pictures.
This Association-which has moth
ing to do with the great All-England
Club which is responsible for Vim.
bledon-has been the joke Of the
lawn tennis world for years. It is
mainly a self-appointed body of old
gentlemen who either know nothing
Of the game or imagine that it IL
still played under conditions existing
in 1880.
Are Laughing Stock.
The representative teams that 1t
picks are a laughing stock and It's
efforts at legislation ludicrous. It's
latest piece Of wisdom lies in the re-
fusal to send the two most popular
English girl players-Miss Austen
q ND TnfUaVe-fn IyVNttAd
States for the reason that they are
too young and might get their heads
turned"
English women players are laugh
ing at the latest piece Of meddIe-
someness Of the fussy and antiquated
Lawn Tennis Association. Not one
among the active players has ever
had to complain of the publication
of an offensive picture. On the con.
trary most of them treasure what
are often wonderful triumphs Of the
cameras art.
Only one lady has championed the
cause of the Association. She hap.
pens to be Mrs. Beamish, the
famous player, but her opposition Is
based on grounds entirely different
to those taken by the Association.
She says:
Hurt Players Game.
II should ban press photographers
from the grounds. Nobody wants
them. Just as one Is going to hit the
ball snap goes the camera and the
player is put off the stroke
This surely Ia the Quaintest objec.
ton that could be thought OF. Fancy
hearing the click of a camera in the
midst Of an excited cheering crowd
Admiral Sykes, famous authority
OF the game, takes a very decided
line. He says:
The whole thing IL just footle
and beneath contempt. The letter
might have been written in 1854,
when Queen Victoria was reviewing
troops after the Crimea, or by gen.
tlemen born about 1888.
1T accuses the whole English
people Of having prurient minds,
which Is frankly absurd.
THE letter is the most extraor-
binary thing I have ever SEEN"
The whole fact OF the matter is
that the lawn tennis organizations
in Britain are losing their heads.
The game has become so universal,
the crowds attending meetings are
so enormous that they believe that
the entire popularity is due to their
efforts.
They have come to the stage
where they believe they can exist
without newspapers - which have
been almost entirely responsible
for popularizing the game. For In
stance, the newspaper accommoda.
ton, even at Wimbledon, is scan.
dalous. But without the news.
papers-and the photographers
these bodies might speedily find
themselves in a very different posi-
ton.