Evening star., 1939-07-17
National Star SOUGHT
To Meet Grant Here
In Net Exhibition
Hunt and Welsh Unlikely
To Be Available Due
To Tourney PIsy
BY BILL DISMER, Jr.

The possibility that neither Gil
Hunt nor Barney Welsh will be
available to play Bitsy Grant in the
exhibition which will co-feature the
windup of the public parks tennis
tournament next Saturday may
boomerang in favor of classier
exhibition than one sending either
of the local stars against the At
lanta atom.
Hunt at Longwood and Welsh at
White Sulphur both have excellent
chances of reaching the finals, but
local officials will not be caught
holding the bag.
Today President A. K. Tigrett OF
the District Tennis Association was
hot after several of the countrys
nationally-known players to oppose
Grant with the probability that ne
may land one in the first 10. A
personal friend of Sidney Wood
Tigrett was to contact the former
Davis Cup star in regard to the
match. Now in the East, Wood
currently ranked two notches above
the sixth nationally-ranked Grant
would just about make" one of
the best net exhibitions ever seen
here.
If he can't get Wood, Tigrett still
had couple of irons in the fire in
such racketers as Hal Surface of
Kansas City, who won the Maryland
State open yesterday, and Henry
Prusoff, second ranking player of
the Pacific Northwest. It's cinch,
however, that the local prexy will
come up with good attraction.
Hunt Held Justified.
1t seems the rule book was on
the side of the referee of the Mary
land tourney who forbade Gil Hunt
to don spikes last Saturday in his
semifinal match at Baltimore, but
for the first time, this department
refuses to blame Gil for his throw
ing" of match. And yet, what
may have appeared as a lust for
Gil's scalp is said to have resulted
merely from the naievete and in
experience of the officials.
According to the latest regula-
tions, the referee of a tournament
is the sole judge of whether player
needs spikes. The unfortunate part
OF Saturdays case is that the ref
cree wasn't appealed to until the
umpire had allowed Gil to change.
Then, after he had done so-in
full view of the crowd-an overly
officious umpire made him take 'em
of. When, few games later, a
lineman changed his decision
against Hunt, oil was heaped upon
the fire and Gil refused to be
cooled of.
Local witnesses say they saw one
of the committee bury his face in his
hands as he realized the Journeys
final was being robbed of a natural
drawing card by the ill-timed rul-
ings.
Parks Competition Warm.
The quarterfnal bracket of the
mems singles and the semifinal
round of women's were expected to
be filled in the money tournament
today with several hot fights due
in the former.
Capt. Tom Sherburne's match
with Harry Brinkerhoff, the winner
to meet Allie Ritzenberg, was to be
no tea party nor were a couple of
other scraps between Billy Con-
treras and Pat Deck and Joel Baker
and George Herbert. Other pair
ings sent Billy Turner against Ben
Jaffee. defending champion Ray
Stocklinski against Carl Fontanini,
John Smith against Paul Falconer
and Hugh Shelton against Phil
Marcus.
No more than two matches were
to be played in the women's COM
petition in which the 1888 champion,
Willie O'Steen, and Hazel (Jimmy)
Bishopp already are in the semi
finals. Miss Bishop reached there
yesterday in the days biggest up
set when she nipped Kay Baker,
81. +6, 60. Mrs. Baker had
accounted for the first upset on
opening day when she eliminated
third-seeded Dorette Miller.