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Miss Steedman and Miss R

Dyas. 1899. Mrs. Durlacher and Miss Steedman. 1900. Mrs. Pickering and Miss Robb. 1901. Mrs. Pickering and Miss Robb. 1902. Mrs. Pickering and Miss Robb. 1903. Miss D. K. Douglass and Miss E. W. Thomson. 1904. Miss D. K. Duglass and Miss E. W. Thomson. 1905. Miss C. M. Wilson and Miss H. Lane. 1906. Mrs. Hillyard and Miss C. Meyer. 1907. Mrs. Hillyard and Miss C. Meyer. 1908. Mrs. Sterry and Miss Garfit. 1909. Miss H. Aitchison and Mrs. Tuckey. 1910. Mrs. Hudleston and Miss Garfit.

The holders did not defend the title.

THE LAWS OF LAWN TENNIS.

THE SINGLE-HANDED GAME.

I. For the single-handed game, the Court is 27 ft. in width, and 78 ft. in length. It is divided across the middle by a net, the ends of which are attached to the tops of two posts, which stand 3 ft. outside the Court on each side. The height of the net is 3 ft. 6 in. at the posts, and 3 ft. at the centre. At each end of the Court, parallel with the net, and at a distance of 39 ft. from it, are drawn the Base-Lines, the extremities of which are connected by the Side-Lines. Half-way between the Side-lines and parallel with them, is LAWN TENNIS] drawn the Half-Court-Line, dividing the space on each side of the net into two equal parts, called the Right and Left Courts. On each side of the net, at a distance of 21 ft. from it, and parallel with it, are drawn the Service-Lines. The marking of the part of the Half-Court-Line between the Service-Lines and the Base-Lines may be omitted, with the exception of a small portion at the centre of each Base-Line, as indicated in the plans appended. - PLANS OF COURTS. 78 feet 12 ....13 feet.... 4호 feet 78 feet 27 feet .36 feet. 2. The balls shall not be less than 25 in., nor more than 21 in. in diameter; and not less than I oz. nor more than 2 oz. in weight. 3. In matches where Umpires are appointed, their decision shall be final; but, where a Referee is appointed, an appeal shall lie to him from the decision of an Umpire on a question of law, and in all such cases the decision of the Referee shall be final. 4. The choice of sides and the right to be server or striker out during the first games shall be decided by toss; provided that, if the winner of the toss choose the right to be server or striker out the other player shall have the choice of sides, and vice versa; and provided that the winner of the toss may, if he prefer it, require the other player to make the first choice. 5. The players shall stand on opposite sides of the net; the player who first delivers the ball shall be called the Server, the other the Strikerout. 6. At the end of the first game, the Striker-out shall become Server, and the Server shall become Striker-out; and so on alternately in the subsequent games of the set. 7. The Server shall before commencing to serve stand with both feet at rest on the ground behind (i.e., further from the net than) the base-line, and within the limits of the imaginary continuation of the Half-Court and side-lines, and thereafter the Server shall not run, walk, hop, or jump before the service has been delivered, but the Server may raise one foot from (and, if desired, replace it on) the ground, provided that both feet are kept behind the base-line until the service has been delivered. 8. The service shall be delivered from the right and left courts alternately, beginning, from the right in every game, even though odds be given or owed, and the ball served shall drop within the Service-Line, Half-Court-Line, and Side-Line of the Court, which is diagonally opposite to that from which it was served, or upon any such line. 9. It is a fault if the Server commit any breach of Law 7, or if the service be delivered from the wrong Court, or if the ball served drop in the net or beyond the Service-Line, or if it drop out of Court or in the wrong Court. If the Server, in attempting to serve, miss the ball altogether, it does not count a fault; but if the ball be touched, no matter how slightly, by the racket, a service is thereby delivered, and the laws governing the service at once apply. 10. A fault may not be taken.

II. After a fault, the Server shall serve again from the same Court from which he served that fault, unless it was a fault because served from the wrong Court. 12. A fault may not be claimed after the next service has been delivered. 13. The service may not be volleyed, i.e., taken before it touches the ground, even though the ball be clearly outside the Service Court. 14. The Server shall not serve until the Strikerout is ready. If the latter attempt to return the service, but fail, he loses the stroke. If, however, the Striker-out signify that he is not ready after the service has been delivered, but before the ball touch the ground, he may not claim a fault because the ball ultimately drops outside the Service Court. 15. A ball is in-play from the moment at which it is delivered in service (unless a fault) until it has been volleyed by the Striker-out in his first stroke, or has dropped in the net or out of Court, or has touched either of the players or anything that he wears or carries, except his racket, in the act of striking, or has been struck by either of the players with his racket more than once consecutively, or has been volleyed before it has passed over the net, or has failed to pass over the net before its first bound (except as provided in Law 17), or has touched the ground twice consecutively on either side of the net, though the second time. may be out of Court. 16. It is a let if the ball served touch the net, provided the service be otherwise good; or if a service or fault be delivered when the Strikerout is not ready. In case a player is obstructed by any accident not within his control, the ball shall be considered a let; but where a permanent fixture of the Court is the cause of the accident, the point shall be counted. The benches and chairs placed around the Court and their occupants, and the Umpire and Linesmen, shall be considered permanent fixtures. If, however, a ball in play strike a permanent fixture of the Court (other than the net or posts) before it touches the ground, the point is lost; if after it has touched the ground, the point shall be counted. In case of a let, the service or stroke counts for nothing, and the server shall serve again. A let does not annul a previous fault. 17. It is a good return- (a) If a ball touch the net or post, provided that it passes over either and drops into the Court; (b) If a ball served or returned, drop into the proper Court and screw or be blown back over the net, and the player whose turn it is to strike reach over the net and play the ball, provided that neither he nor any part of his clothes or racket touch the net, and that the stroke be otherwise good; (c) If a ball be returned outside the post. either above or below the level of the top of the net, even though it touch the post, provided that it drop into the proper Court; K 2 (d) If a player's racket pass over the net after he has returned the ball, provided the ball pass over the net before being played and be properly returned; (e) If a player succeed in returning a ball, served or in play, which strikes a ball lying in the Court. 18. The Server wins a stroke, if the Strikerout volley the service, or fail to return the service or the ball in-play (except in the case of a let), or return the service or ball in-play so that it drop outside any of the lines which bound his opponent's Court, or otherwise lose a stroke, as provided by Law 20. 19. The Striker-out wins a stroke, if the Server serve two consecutive faults, or fail to return the ball in-play (except in the case of a let), or return the ball in-play so that it drop outside any of the lines which bound his opponent's Court, or otherwise lose a stroke, as provided by Law 20. 20. Either player loses a stroke, if the ball inplay touch him or anything that he wears or carries, except his racket in the act of striking; or if he volley the ball (unless he thereby makes a good return) no matter whether he is standing within the precincts of the Court or outside them; or if he touch or strike the ball in-play with his racket more than once consecutively; or if he or his racket (in his hand or otherwise) touch the net or any of its supports while the ball is inplay; or if he volley the ball before it has passed the net. 21. On either player winning his first stroke, the score is called 15 for that player; on either player winning his se second stroke, the score is called 30 for that player; on either player winning his third stroke, the score is called 40 for that player; and the fourth stroke won by either player is scored game for that player; except as below :- If both players have won three strokes, the score is called deuce; and the next stroke won by either player is scored advantage for that player. If the same player win the next stroke, he wins the game; if he lose the next stroke, the score is again called deuce; and so on until either player win the two strokes immediately following the score at deuce, when the game is scored for that player. 22. The player who first wins six games wins a set; except as below :- If both players win five games, the score is called games-all; and the next game won by either player is scored advantage-game for that player. If the same player win the next game, he wins the set; if he lose the next game, the score is again called games-all; and so on until either player win the two games immediately following the score of games-all, when he wins the set.

Note.-Players may agree not to play advantage-sets, but to decide the set by one game after arriving at the score of games-all. 23. The players shall change sides at the end of the first, third, and every subsequent alternate game of each set, and at the end of each set, unless the number of games in such set be even.

It shall, however, be open to the players by mutual consent and notification to the Umpire before the opening of the second game of the match to change sides instead at the end of every set until the odd and concluding set, in which they shall change sides at the end of the first, third, and every subsequent alternate game of such set. 24. When a series of sets is played, the player who was Server in the last game of one set shall be Striker-out in the first game of the next.

ODDS. [LAWN TENNIS 25. Odds are received in each group of six games, in the first place, in the earliest possible even games; that is to say, a receiver of onesixth receives a stroke in the second game of each group of six; a receiver of two-sixths, in the second and fourth games; and a receiver of three-sixths, in the second, fourth, and sixth games.

When the even games are exhausted, odds are then received in the earliest possible odd games; that is to say, a receiver of four-sixths receives his strokes, over and above a receiver of threesixths, in the first game of each group of six; and a receiver of five-sixths in the first and third games.

The positions in which strokes are received are shown in the following table :- I st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Game. Game. Game. Game. Game. Game. 1/6 of 15. 0 15 0 o o o 2/6 of 15. o 15 o 15 o o 3/6 of 15. o 15 o 15 o 15 4/6 of 15. 15 15 o 15 o 15 5/6 of 15. 15 15 15 15 0 15 Example. A player receiving four-sixths of fifteen receives nothing in the third and fifth games, and fifteen in the first, second, fourth, and sixth games of a set.