254 



RECREATION 



Brookes' serve. He had no trouble in win- 

 ning his own and the set 14-12. 



The next two sets he won handily ; the 

 strain on Brookes telling then. The second 

 was a love set, and the next might as well 

 have been for all the effective resistance 

 Brookes made. However, his stand was by 

 long odds the feature of the entire tourna- 

 ment, and none can claim higher honors. 



America thus came up to the title round 

 after having a terrifically hard struggle in 

 the final tie. Ward had had particularly hard 

 work and was far from himself in several of 

 the games. Larned at times, as in the game 

 with Brookes, played brilliantly, but his old 

 tendency to tail off at critical stages was 

 still in evidence. It was a matter of doubt 

 in the minds of many whether the ex- 

 traordinarily good showing made by Wright 

 in the early stages of play, as well as in 

 the games preceding the international play, 

 did not entitle him to consideration in the 

 singles above one or the other of the men 

 chosen, but so radical a step could hardly 

 have been taken, all things considered. In 

 the doubles, Ward and Wright were playing 

 well, but Ward was not up to his standard, 

 and there was really little expectation of 

 victory when the title play came. 



Instead of Risely going in with H. L. 

 Doherty in the singles, Smith was chosen, 

 as his play in preliminary tournaments well 

 merited. The Doherty brothers were, of 

 course, the selection for the doubles, and 

 quite up to their old standard, contrary to ex- 

 pectation. 



Ward was not looked to for better than a 

 hard fight against H. L. Doherty, and he 

 made it. Larned was expected to win against 

 Smith, and he failed signally. This ended 

 all chance of America's winning. It looked 

 at one stage as though Ward would win, 

 since he took the first two sets from Doherty, 

 playing the net .remarkably and volleying 

 sharply to the sides, keeping the champion 

 in the back court. Then Doherty's marvel- 

 ous steadiness and strength told and he took 

 two sets easily and made the crucial set a 

 love win. 



At the start it was give and take, with the 

 advantage finally breaking with Doherty at 5-4. 

 Ward took the tenth game, but Doherty twice 

 won vantage, but each time Ward blocked 

 him. Then, in the fifteenth game, Ward 

 broke through and followed with a win. 

 The second set Doherty led to 4-3 when 

 Ward evened it up and then broke through 

 and again followed to a win. English fol- 

 lowers of the game grew nervous, but 

 the way Doherty solved the attack and 

 took the offensive in the third set was mar- 

 velous. 



He allowed Ward one game in winning, 

 and it was plain, when the American got 



but two games in the next set, that he had 

 shot his bolt. Outs and nets followed each 

 other rapidly, and seven double faults marked 

 Ward's play. Meantime the deadly steadi- 

 ness of Doherty's game sent the American 

 further off, and there was never a chance in 

 the deciding set to win. 



Meantime, Smith was spreadeagling Larned 

 brilliantly. He was never headed in the 

 first set and won 6-4. He took three suc- 

 cessive games after Larned had him 4-3 in 

 the next set. Then Larned awoke and got 

 up to the net and ran the score to 5-2 in the 

 third set. Then he faltered and Smith was 

 able to take three games before the erratic 

 American got down to earth again and took 

 two games and the set. But he could not 

 sustain the rally, and after leading 4-3 again 

 in the fourth set he allowed Smith to regain 

 the lead and then to win the match 6-4. 



There was small chance of an American 

 victory after that. Ward and Wright made 

 a great fight for it in the doubles on the 

 second day, but lost through Ward's over- 

 anxiety more than anything else. The first 

 set went to America, and was the hardest 

 fought of the tournament. The six players ex- 

 changed games until the score reached eight 

 all, with the Englishmen taking the odd 

 each time. Game after game went to deuce 

 and neither team missed a chance. Then 

 Wright's great play broke through the Doher- 

 ty's service and a brilliant placing of a smash 

 won the next game and the set. 



Then the Americans weakened, and al- 

 though Wright still played steadily, Ward's 

 faults cost the next two sets. Then the 

 Americans found their form again and took 

 the next set. This brought the challengers 

 the advantage of the service in the deciding 

 set, and with their form regained the chances 

 looked good for victory. 



They took the odd game, exchanging on 

 their alternating services until each had six 

 to their credit. Then Ward's double fault 

 lost a chance, and the Englishmen took ad- 

 vantage of the opportunity to take the lead 

 40-30. They gave one opening an easy lob 

 that Ward at the net might have killed easily, 

 but overanxiety led him to strike too soon 

 and he hit the net and lost the game. That 

 broke the rally and the next game went easily 

 to England, and with it the set and match. 



Ward, because of a family bereavement, 

 retired on the third day, Clothier being 

 courteously allowed to take his place. He 

 managed to get one set from Smith, but was 

 outclassed in the others. Then, when too 

 late, Larned played brilliantly against Doher- 

 ty, and after losing the first, took the next 

 two sets, but he weakened again, and losing 

 the fourth 6-4, went to pieces in the 

 last, and all five points were scored against 

 us. 



