Evening star., 1942-02-09
Atlantic Coast Women
Bow 10 Shirley Fry,
Tennis Product
Versatile Sturs Aver
Game Is Sitter Trial
Than Rough Sports
BY BILL DISMER, Jr.


Badminton requires more stam-
ina than either football or basket
bail, and a superior tennis player
has more than a $3.50 chance of
developing into a badminton cham
pion. Those are the observations
Of two of the eight nationally
known finalists at Kensington
Armory yesterday when one of the
largest crowds in the local history
of the sport turned out for the
windup of the fifth annual Atlantic
Coast tournament.
AS expected from the start, out
of-towners won all five titles at
stake, the last local survivors hav-
ing been eliminated in Saturday
nights sen1ifinals.
Shirley Fry, 14-year-old high
school freshman of Akron, Ohio,
who staged two amazing come
backs to win the women's singles,
never took a badminton lesson in
her life. But the tennis ability
which has earned her national rank
ing by the U. S. L. T. A. has helped
her to three State badminton titles
in addition to the sectional crown
which she earned yesterday.
Youngster Appears Outclassed.
Shirley seemed outclassed when
she dropped the first of thee games
to tall, experienced Patsy Donovan
Of Buffalo, lii, but she turned on
the heat to even the match by TAX
ing the next one, ll-3. But in the
decisive game, she was down, Clio
and-as she said afterward-thought
sure she was beaten. A fighting
heart dominated a logical mind,
mind, however, and she won out,
1910.
Shirley, incidentally, said she has
played quite a bit of tennis in
Akron with Bud Markey, the old
washington net ace who moved to
the Ohio rubber center several years
ago. For winter exercise she took
up badminton only two years. Be-
cause the National Badminton AS
sociation has an age requirement
for Its national tournament, she
may be ineligible to play in the
womens big competition for another
two years.
Harry Hackett, a big, raw-boned
Pennsylvania who played both
football and basket ball in high
school, was emphatic In stating that
he had to keep in far better con-
dition to play badminton than for
either of the major sports. And
after observing the f1nalists yester-
day, one understands that-in ad-
dition to why matches are decided
on the two-out-of- three basis in
stead Of three -out-of five. Prob
ably no good badmintoner could go
at top speed for more than three
games without keeling over.
Two Score Double Victories.
Two high-ranked stars from
Montclair, N. j., were the only final
lists to win and share two titles.
Carl Loveday, the country's second
ranking player, successfully defend
ed his mems championship by de-
feating Stig Larsen of Cos Cob.
Conn, 1910, 1879, while he and
Mary Hagan captured the mixed
doubles title from Larsen and Helen
Gibson of Stamford Conn, 15-11,
els, 1910. Miss Hagan and Miss
Gibson paired to beat the Misses
Fry and Donovan for the women's
doubles title, 1917, Ills. 1871,
while Endsley Fairman of Whining
ton, Del, and Harry Conlan of Chi
cago beat Hackett and Bill Warner
of Philadelphia for the mems team
title. ILLS, 1914. 1916.
All Of the players praised local
officials for their hospitality and
efficiency in running off such high
class tournament over the weekend.
Out-of- -towners aren't paid for COM
ing here, but they're usually quar-
tered at the homes of local play
ers and have little expense aside
from their transportation.
Despite the fact that feathers for
birds" which are consumed at the
rate Of four to six a match, come
from Czecho Slovakian geese.
Americans probably will play bad
minton at least through 1914 Sales
men of badminton equipment say
there is two-year supply Of such
goose feathers in this country.