Evening star., 1935-07-21
ARMY IS THREAT.
TO FINAL MATCH
Watt, Howard Top MuIhei-
sen, Helms in Thriller to
Stop Soldiers.
BY BILL DISNIER, JR.

Y PHOLDING the traditions Of
the service, Army and Navy
battled on even terms to the
~ last game of the final set
yesterday before q sizzling placement
of the racket of Lieut.. Richard M.
Watt, jr., dean of Leech Cup players, |
in the third doubles match of the |
afternoon, assured Navy of a 4-3 VIC |
tory, its eighth consecutive triumph |
and possession Of the famed Leech
Tennis Trophy for another year.
Nearly 1000 turned out at the Army |
and Navy Club for the annual struggle. |
1t was only fitting that Lieut.. Watt
should have been the one to make the
all-important "kill." Playing his |
twelfth year in the series, the veteran
is the only player to have participated
in every one of the matches since |
Abner Y. Leech, jr., first put the cup
in competition back in 1924.
Even the presence of Secretary OF
War George H. Dern, the Army Band
and a host of high-ranking generals
failed to break the eight-year losing
streak of the soldiers, although it
acted as a stimulating tonic up to the
final doubles match. No more than
one match separated the rivals at any
one time.
All Even in Singles.
TN FACT, Army drew first blood when
Lieut.. Dolf Mulheisen, No. rank
ing player of the Pacific Coast, re-
peated his 1882 victory over Lieut..
John K. McCue in straight sets, 6-l,
Ga, but Navy quickly tied it up when
Ensign Jesse B. Gay, fresh from
Annapolis, defeated another Army
veteran, Lieut.. D. D. Hedekin, 6-3,
6-1, to win his first Leech Cup match.
Lieut.. Watt then scored the first Of
his two telling victories when he sent
Navy into the lead for the first time
with a Ga, 6-3 victory over Mai. r.
c. Van Vliet, jr., who only recently
won the singles championship of the
Army.
But Army's young Stanley K Rob-
inSon, celebrating his promotion from
lieutenant to captain, won his first
singles match in LCech competition in
three years by outlasting Lieut..
Charles H. Lyman, e., IS, 81,
In the only three-set match of the
day to make the count gall as doubles
play began.
Good Doubles Battles.
WITH Lieut.. Comdr. Richard W.
wv Dole injecting new life into the
singles beaten McCue, the Navy took
a 80 lead when the first doubles
encounter resulted IN a victory for
that combination over the Army pair
of Lieuts. Hedekin and H. B. Thatch-
er. The losers were never In the
running, scores of 6-3. 60 being all
conclusive.
But, Just as lopsidedly, the Army,
represented by Rob'cson and E. M.
O'Connell, again tied the count and
set the stage for the crucial match
by overwhelming the young ensigns,
Gay and Manning M. Kinmell, 6-3,
ca.
For a time it appeared that the
veteran Mulhelsen aAd his hard
serving partner, Lieut.. j. C. Helms.
might prove the "kick" that the Army
mule has so long lacked in this COM
petition as they fought valiantly be-
fore losing the first Get to Watt and
Bill Howard, Central Highs own ath-
lete back In the early '20s.
Stirring Finish.
THEY dropped the first set, So, but
gave the Navy pair q hot time
of it in the next before losing, 6-S.
On the short end Of q 81 score In
the final set, Mulhe.sen and Helms
not only tied the score, but forged
into a 4-3 lead, lost 1t. took another
advantage at 5-4, and after Howard
and Watt deuced that. went 10 the
front at 6-5. But it was the final
''push."
Howard and Watt, suddenly sensing
the importance Of It all, tied the score
again and then took the lead on their
own account. A few moments later
Watt came up to the net, smashed a
lob past Mulheisen, and it was all
over.