The 1941 Finalists, Holbrook (Hobey) Hyde and Leland (Lee) Wiley from Hartford GC, CT, capture the Men’s over the 1940 winners from Manursing, Witherbee Black and Paul Hicks. The steady play of the winners and their lobbing skill finally offset the speed of Hicks and the reliable play of Black. Hicks won the Mixed with Madeline Price and FMTC teams again dominated the Women’s with Madge Beck and Marie Walker adding a fifth consecutive title – a record that still stands.

It was in the semifinals of that same tournament that Sidney B. Wood (former Wimbledon tennis champion) and Kenneth Ward beat the lobbing game of Sutter and Maguire, the defending champions, by Sid’s hard-driving and Ward’s deceptive chops. This was a match in which the offense of the winning team overcame the largely defensive play of the losers. Perhaps they were inspired by a remark that Sid made to Ken before the match. Sid and Cliff Sutter had been tennis rivals for many years. “Cliff has never beaten me yet,” said Sid, “and damned if he is going to now.” Sid turned out to be a good forecaster.

Fessenden S. Blanchard, Platform Paddle Tennis, 1959

Historical Factoid: A native of New Orleans, Clifford Sutter was a superb tennis player, winning the NCAA singles championships for Tulane University in 1930 and 1932. He was undefeated in United States Davis Cup play (1931-33; 3-0 in singles), and was ranked No. 5 in the world in 1932.

Don began playing paddle in the early thirties and became a National Champion in 1943 with Charles O’Hearn as his partner. He was friendly with Blanchard and Cogswell and often contributed to the direction in which the game has evolved.

Don was a member of Innis Arden Golf Club in Old Greenwich, CT and an enthusiastic promoter of the game to the membership.

The Scarsdale Inquirer reported:

“Local Team Loses in Paddle Tennis. Paul Hicks and Witherby Black of Manursing are the national paddle tennis champions in men’s doubles. They won the title by defeating Edward Grafmueller and James Landauer of Scarsdale last Sunday at the Fox Meadow Tennis Club. A large, interested and enthusiastic gallery watched the play.”

Tea was served to a large number of guests and visitors later in the afternoon, following the tournament.”

Fox Meadow teams dominate the two other events, with Madge Beck and Marie Walker winning their third straight Women’s title and the O’Hearns their fourth Mixed title.

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944

Scarsdale Inquirer February 2, 1940

Singles now had been discontinued. Blanchard had always maintained doubles suited the game of platform tennis best. The APTA confirmed this and found a low level of interest in both men’s and women’s singles and decided to discontinue these events in 1938. Men’s singles was reinstated in 1980.

Fox Meadow teams swept the remaining three National events and Charley and Virginia O’Hearn won their third straight Mixed title and the fourth in a row for Charley. Only two other team have won more than three consecutive Mixed Nationals – Ronald and Elfie Carroll (1949-1952) and Hilary Hilton Marold and Doug Russell (1979-1982).

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944

Fox Meadow Tennis Club teams dominated the Nationals, winning all five events and Charley O’Hearn completed a hat-trick in the Mixed (with Kitty Fuller in 1935 and then with his wife, Virginia, in 1936 and 1937). This was the last year the singles was played until Men’s singles was reintroduced in 1980.

Harold D. Holmes and Richard G. Newell from Tremont Place Platform Tennis Club in New Jersey won the Men’s Championship in an epic match against the Fox Meadow Tennis Club team of Fessenden S. Blanchard and Earle Gatchell.Blanchard was devastated that a non-Scarsdale team had won a National title!

Blanchard recalled the match in his 1944 book:

“The Men’s final match still holds the APTA record for length and closeness. Both teams had already played in the quarters and semi-finals that same day. The referee made the finals the best of five sets, as opposed to the standard best of three. For the first time, a Platform Paddle Tennis championship went outside of Scarsdale, with Holmes and Newell winning the epic match: 3-6, 8-6, 4-6, 9-7, 15-13, a 77 game final, over Blanchard and Gatchell. Holmes and Newell had 13 match points before winning.”

Historical Factoid: One of the finalist in the Women’s Doubles event, Dorothy Walker Bush, was the mother of George Herbert Walker Bush the 41st President of the United States.

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944