cannot compete in open tournaments.




CHAPTER VII


MY MOST MEMORABLE MATCH (BY LEADING PLAYERS)

_The following contributions, in response to a request for some account
of their most noteworthy encounter on court, have been kindly furnished
for this volume by leading lady players._


MRS. G.W. HILLYARD

(_Champion_, 1886, 1889, 1894, 1897, 1899, 1900)

One of the most exciting matches I remember was the final for the
Championship at Wimbledon, played on the centre court on July 6, 1889,
between Miss Rice and me. I started very nervously, as Miss Rice had
given me rather a fright in the Irish Championship the month before,
when she appeared in Dublin as a "dark horse." On that occasion I had
only scraped through 7/5, 7/5. I began the match at Wimbledon by
serving a double fault, and lost several games by doing the same thing
in the first set. My length was awful, and Miss Rice was playing well
from the start. She had a very fine fore-hand drive, but, like myself, a
bad back-hand. She led at 3 games to 1, and took the first set at 6/4.
In the second set I regained my confidence a little, winning three love