Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-07-02
Courtmen Here Held
Too Lazy 10 Scrap
For Big Rating
Barney Severe Critic,
Confident He'll Win
Sectional Title
By BILL DISMER, Jr.

Well on the way toward retiring
the fourth of local tennis trophies
which become the permanent pos
session of any one winning them
three times, Barney Welsh surveyed
the balance OF the field he will be
called upon to face for the Middle
Atlantic championship at Columbia
Country Club this week and frankly
declared he saw no one who could
beat him.
Because he was asked point-blank
which opponent, if any, he might
fear, Welsh had to ignore modesty
in seriously replying: mo one.
Hugh Lynch has the best chance to
beat me, for Hugh really is a good
tennis player and perhaps the most
moderated netman in the city to-
day. But I should beat him."
If Welsh does win, it will give him
a clean sweep of the major tennis
trophies offered locally, the Rock
vile Rambler already having won
the Public Parks, District and Dis
trict Playground tournaments three
years. Barney was scheduled to play
only doubles today. meeting the win
ner of this afternoons match be-
tween Jimmy Farrin and Frank
Shore in singles tomorrow.
Claims d. C. Boys Lack Drive.
Welsh didn't need much urging
to expound few theories on WASH
ington tennis in general, what it has
and what it needs. The lanky new
lywed covered the field from the
Youngest boy player to the most ex-
perienced veteran and wound up by
taking a gentle dig at Washington's
only current nationally ranked net
man, Gil Hunt.
We've got lot of good tennis
players in Washington" Barney
pointed out, land I don't mean only
such nationally -recognized stars as
Bobby Bensinger and Hunt. Fellows
like Dooly Mitchell, Dick Murphy or
Lynch could give Bobby Riggs
battle were they to meet today and
I daresay that if any of them had
the time to do nothing but practice
couple of months, all could earn
U. S. L. T. A. rankings.
1.-THE big criticism I have to make
about Washington tennis players,
especially young ones, is the fact
that they lack the get-up-and-go Of
their contemporaries in other cities.
I mean the way they won't travel to
out-of-town tournaments-the only
way they can gain recognition and
improve their game.
Believes Hunt Dodges Him.
This talk of not being able to
afford it or of being unable to get
any money out of the local associa-
ton is just an excuse. Why, kids
all over the country are cumming
and begging transportation to
tournaments hundreds of miles away
just for the sake of playing tennis.
Don't worry, if any American kid
wants to do anything bad enough,
he'll find a way. For example, that
kid John Larned, who beat me at
Cincinnati last week, was only Is
years old and came to town with
just IS in his pocket. Yet he was
there and you didn't have to worry
about him getting home.
I've seen Bensinger play once
this year, but to my mind, he is
the only junior in Washington who
really plays tennis as if he wants
to. He not only has the mechan-
ical equipment, but he uses his
head-something you can't say for
the average local youngster.
Gil Hunt? Do you know the
only reason I believe that keeps
him from playing in local tourna-
ments? He's afraid I'll beat him.
He has everything to lose and
nothing to gain. Sure, put that in
the paper if you think it'll goad
him into playing here, maybe in
the District tournament in August.
That stuff about not liking to play
on anything but grass courts is a
lot of bunk. Tennis players would
play on Pennsylvania avenue If
courts were marked out"
Bright Gard Tomorrow.
Welsh's match with either Far
rim or Shore isn't the only inter-
esting engagement scheduled for
tomorrow Fourth seeded Alphonso
Smith, who doWned a remarkably
improved Charley Freer yesterday,
will meet Buddy Adair, who elimi-
mated John Beck of Baltimore, in
another quarter-f final match, while
the David Johnsen-Dick Murphy
encounter also is slated. A fourth
match will pair the winners of to-
days Lynch Mitchell and Bill
Breese-Ricky Willis contests.
The quarter final bracket in
doubles also was due to be COM
pleted today. Top-seeded Lynch
| and johnson were to meet either