The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-25
VoIIey-Rac Club Ready For N. E.. Net Meet Here

The 18th annual closed tOUrna- ment of the New England Tennis Association, which will be held in this city September and T, prom ises to be one of the most success full in years. The matches will be held on the Fulton Park courts. Although the war and defense will have slight influence, fine ag- gregation of players and spectators is expected. A dance will be held at Bellevue Park, Sept. 5.
 This tournament is sanctioned by the American Tennis Associa- tion ("A.T.A.") a national colored organization, comprising states of the Atlantic seaboard and the mid dle Atlantic states dcluding all the major colored colleges). Over 300 clubs are represented in the Amer ican Tennis Association.
 Host to the first colored tennis meet ever to be held in this city is the Valley-Rac Tennis club of which the veteran Luke Mcdonald is president, with Capt Forrest Sims, the moving spirit, which has made this club, of only few years old, one of the outstanding in the New England association. The New England Association headquarters will be at the Pearl Street Neigh borhood House on Pearl street.
 Ready to Go
 Prospective participants repre- senting the local club have been practicing daily in preparation for this big event and hope to make a representative showing. On Sum- day, Aug. g, after a gruelling workout, their pictures were taken by a staff photographer of the Democrat. Those included in the picture are: Joe Hazel, veteran player of over 28 years who in- augurated the enthusiasm in 1924 having come from Hartford where he had played since 1917, and prior to that, several years at Shaw uni versity, Raleigh. N. O.; Luke Mc- Donald, a former student of Liv- ingstone college, Salisbury, N. O., and veteran of over 20 years play; Walter Dean, an all-around athlete and a graduate of Benedict college (Orangebury, s. O., and a former coach of that institution, who also specialized in physical engineering at Yale university; (Dean was semi -finalist in the closed tourna- ment at Boston in 1940 and was semi -flnalist in the recent Chase Park tourney, losing to the veteran Cieslewski); the veteran George Ward, who has returned after a lapse of five years or more; the per- ennial Capt. Forrest Sims, No. player of the club, due to Deans absence of last season; and the re- doubtable George Ralph; Earl Hunter, regular player, is missing on account of defense work.
 About to see the realization of his hopes achieved, Joe Hazel will re- tire from active competition after this season. Spectators will recall the playing stars during the years 1924-3O, which included Dr. F. s. Wilmington, D. Dewitt (now Rev) Fogg, Joe Reynolds, George Ward; ana of the women: Elizabeth Eos- COG, "Joe" Wilmington and Mar garet Forrest.
 Although Dean is considered tops of the "Valley Racs", his absence of years play places him behind Capt. Forrest Sims. Others follow ing are: Luke McDonald, Earl Hunter, Joe Hazel, George Ralph and George Ward.
 Up to the five remaining players of the closed tournament, the "Val- ley Racs", hold second and fourth place, with Oscar Manis of Boston defending champion, in first, Mar win McPherson of Boston, third and Harold Fleming of New Haven, fifth.
 Girl Champions
 With Kathryn Jones of Tuskee- gee Institute, (Ala). defending champion in 1889 Cher home is in Mass. and she is a member of the Springfield Racquet club, not playing in 1940, 1941, Doris Snowden of the Bal Rae club of Boston became the defending champion in the women's singles, defeating Odessa Barrows of Bos- ton, who for many years previous to Kathryn Jones had been cham pion. However, Kathryn Jones. who is at present competing in the national tourney ("A.T.A."C at Philadelphia (which ended Sunday, i Aug. 23), where for three years she has been runner-up and is expected | to cop the title this year, is expect ed to enter this tourney and defeat the defending champion, Doris whom she defeated in the open tourney in Hartford this June for the title.
 HlghIights of the Tourney
 William (BiIl) DerWin of the Park |