ball returned by him better, i.e., nearer to the end wall, than the point at which the chase was marked. As often as his adversary returns his stroke, he must again endeavour to do this, until he succeeds or fails. If he succeed, he scores the stroke; if not, it is scored to his adversary. If two chases have been made at any stage of the score, even at the beginning of a game, then the players must change sides and play for the chases, as above described. A player who succeeds in sending the ball into the grille, the dedans, or the last division of the gallery—called the "winning gallery"—on the hazard side, scores at all times a stroke. The minutiae of the game and the mode of scoring cannot be more succinctly described than in the annexed laws. [1]
Laws.
Single-Handed Game.
1. The balls shall be not less than 214 in. and not more than 258 in. in diameter, and shall he not less than 212 oz. and not more than 234 oz. in weight.
Note.—There is no restriction as to the shape or size of the rackets.
2. (a) The choice of sides at the beginning of the first set is determined by a spin.
(b) In subsequent sets of a series, the players shall begin each set on the side on which they finished the set before it.
3. The ball served must be struck with the racket, and may be delivered from any part of the service side.
4. The ball served must touch the service penthouse before touching any other part of the court, except the rest of the side penthouse and the service wall; and it must drop in the service court or on one of the lines which bound it.
5. The service is good,
(a) if the ball served touch in its descent any part of the service penthouse so as to rise again from it, or
(b) if the ball served strike the service wall and afterwards touch in its descent any part of the service penthouse, even though it do not rise again from it, or
(c) if the ball served drop in the winning gallery.
6. A fault may not be returned.
7. A pass may not be returned; but a ball served, which has not gone across the pass line on the penthouse, may be volleyed, although if untouched it might have dropped in the pass court. If a pass touch the striker-out, or if a service before it has dropped touch him when standing with both feet in the pass court, and not having attempted to strike the ball, it is still counted a pass.
8. A pass annuls a previous fault.
9. If the striker-out declare himself not ready for a service, and have made no attempt to return it, that service is counted for nothing, though it be a fault. It annuls a previous fault. The striker-out, having been asked if he is ready, and having declared himself ready, may not similarly refuse a second service.
10. The server continues to serve until two chases be made, or one chase when the score of either player is at forty or advantage (see law 25). The players then change sides, the server becoming striker-out and the striker-out becoming server.
11. The return is good if the ball in play be struck with the racket so that it pass the net without touching a gallery post or anything fixed or lying in an opening on the side from which it is struck, and without going out of court.
12. The return is not good,
(a) if not in accordance with the terms of law 11, or
(b) if the ball be struck more than once, or be not definitely struck, or
(c) if the ball in play, having passed the net, come back and drop on the side from which it was struck, unless it should have touched a gallery post or anything fixed or lying in an opening on that side of the court which is opposite to the striker.
13. A ball which is no longer in play may not be returned.
14. The server wins a stroke (except as provided in law 9),
(a) if a good service enter the winning gallery or the grille, or
(b) if the striker-out fail to return a good service (except when it makes a chase; see laws 17-19), or
(c) if the striker-out fail to return the ball in play (except when it makes a chase; see laws 17-19), or
(d) if he himself return the ball in play so that it enter the winning gallery or grille, or fall on or beyond the service line, or
(e) if he serve or return the ball in play so that it drop or fall upon a ball or other object which is on or beyond the service line, or
(f) if he win a chase (see law 20), or
(g) if the striker-out lose a stroke (see law 16).
15. The striker-out wins a stroke (except as provided in law 9),
(а) if the server serve two consecutive faults (except as provided in law 31 (b)), or
(b) if the server fail to return the ball in play (except when it makes a chase; see laws 17-19), or
(c) if he himself return the ball in play so that it enter the dedans, or
(d) if he win a chase, or
(e) if the server lose a stroke (see law 16).
16. Either player loses a stroke,
(а) if he lose a chase (see law 21),
(b) if the ball in play (except as provided in law 7) touch him or anything which he wears or carries, except his racket in the act of returning the ball, or
(c) if he touch or strike the ball in play with his racket more than once, or do not definitely strike it.
17. When a ball in play on either side of the net, not being that on which the striker is standing,
(a) falls on any part of the floor, except on or beyond the service line, or
(b) enters any gallery, except the winning gallery, or
(c) touches a gallery post,
it is marked a chase
(α) at that line on the floor on which it fell, or
(β) better or worse than that line on the floor which is nearest to the point at which it fell, or
(γ) at that gallery the post of which it touched,
except as provided in law's 18 and 19.
Note (a).—A ball in play which touches the net post and drops on the side opposite to the striker is marked a chase at the line on the side on which it drops.
Note (b).—A ball in play which enters a gallery is marked a chase at that gallery which it enters, notwithstanding that it Jinny have touched, an adjacent gallery post without touching the floor in the interim.
Note (c).—The gallery lines on the floor correspond and are equivalent to the galleries of which they hear the names.
18. When a ball in play
(a) drops or falls in the net, on the side opposite to the striker, or
(b) drops on the floor, on the side opposite to the striker, and, bounding over the net, falls on that side of it from which it was struck, whether it touch the net in its bound or not,
it is marked a chase at the line on the side opposite to the striker.
19. When a ball in play drops or falls upon a ball or other object which is on the floor (except when it is on or beyond the service line; see law 14 (e)), it is marked a chase at the point at which that ball or other object was when the ball in play dropped or fell upon it.
20. Either player wins a chase,
(а) if he serve or return the ball so that it enter a winning opening, or
(b) if he serve or return the ball so that it fall better than the chase for which he played, or enter a gallery or touch a gallery post better than the gallery or the gallery line at which the chase was for which he played, or
(c) if he serve or return the ball so that it drop or fall upon a ball or other object which is at a point on the floor better than that at which, or at the gallery corresponding to which, the chase was for which he played, or
(d) if his antagonist fail to return the ball in play, except when it falls worse than the chase in question.
21. Either player loses a chase,
(a) if he fail to return the ball in play, except when it falls worse than the chase in question, or
(b) if he return the ball in play so that it fall worse than the chase, or enter a gallery or touch a gallery post worse than the gallery or the gallery line at which the chase was for which he played, or
(c) if he return the ball in play so that it drop or fall upon a ball or other object which is at a point on the floor worse than that at which the chase was for which he played.
22. When a ball in play
(а) falls at a point on the floor neither better nor worse than that at which, or at the gallery corresponding to which, the chase was for which the striker played, or
(b) enters that gallery or the gallery corresponding to that gallery line, or touches the post of that gallery, or falls on the gallery line corresponding to that gallery, at which the chase was for which the striker played, or
(c) drops or falls upon a ball or other object which is at a point on the floor neither better nor worse than that at which, or at the gallery corresponding to which, the chase was for which the striker played,
it is marked chase-off: it is not scored as a stroke won by either player; the chase is annulled, and the striker has not to play for it again.
- ↑ Reprinted from the present writer’s Annals of Tennis, 1878, by the kind consent of the publisher Mr H. Cox.
