On the other hand, if your partner is really good, don’t be afraid to trust her; give her plenty of room and don’t worry her. If she is better than the lady opposite, you should play a safe game. Cover your own side and she will win, unless the man against you is an unusually good player.
A very good example took place in some scratch pairs last summer. A very good player drew a lady who could not hit a ball over the net. Against him was a good middle-class player who had one of the best partners that he could have. If the man would have stayed quiet, this pair would certainly have won. Instead of that, he kept getting into the middle of the court, only to be passed down his own side-line.
CHAPTER V.
UMPIRES AND UMPIRING.
In the chapter on match play, I have already spoken of umpires. It is a subject that is always leading to trouble, and a great deal of the trouble is unnecessary.
We all know how hard it is to umpire, and that an umpire gets little thanks if he makes no mistakes, and a great deal of blame if he is wrong. You will often be asked to umpire, especially if you umpire well, and I think that you owe it to your friends to umpire if you can.
The great secret is attention. Watch the ball the whole time. Do not watch a line, for if the ball crosses it suddenly you will not know on which side of the line it struck the ground. If you follow the ball only, you will see where it strikes, and can then tell on which side of the line.
Do not call “play,” nor “good,” nor anything else, unless the ball is out, and then call sharply and loud enough to make it impossible for the players not to hear. If you are appealed to in the middle of a rest and are unable to decide, call “play it out,” and at the end of the rest you can give your decision if one is necessary.
Do not call until the ball has touched the ground, and then call as quickly as possible.