THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070461
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: GUY FRIDDELL
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
That lithe, smiling player gliding and volleying on the tennis court and looking about half his age is Powell H. Taylor of Norfolk, newly crowned doubles champion at an international tournament for seniors 75 and older.
Taylor and his partner, Albert Ritzenberg of Washington, won the final doubles match with Sweden to help the United States bring home the cup in the Bitsy Grant World Team Tennis tournament at Bournemouth, England.
The two also won for the United States in 1994 when they defeated a team from Mexico in the finals. They earned berths on the team by ranking No. 1 in the nation in their age bracket in 1994 and 1995.
At 77, Taylor plays with the grace he showed 50 years ago, insists William ``Socks'' Baldwin of Norfolk. Taylor laughs at that.
He and Baldwin were so close in childhood that their families took to calling them ``Socks'' and ``Boots,'' nicknames that stuck.
Relaxed, laid-back Taylor conveys an air of quiet amusement. Asked if he competes with younger players, he said, ``I sure do, and they beat me right regularly.
``Some of them I can stay with, but there's no substitute for youth. A good 60-year-old player will beat a good 70-year-old player any time.
``Some are my close friends. I give them a good enough game that they'll play with me even though they beat me. My contending with them stands me in good stead when I play in my age groups in tournaments.''
Of the duo, team manager Henry G. Crawford said: ``They are forceful, fast. Put a lob in the air with those boys and you give them a crip shot. They knock the heck out of it.''
``We both play like young people,'' said Ritzenberg. ``We crack the ball!''
In the 1930s they were foes in junior tennis and in college. Taylor captained the team at VMI.
Taylor's older brother taught him to play tennis and golf. He's on the courts five days a week, and the course once a week.
Which does he enjoy more?
``Oh, I'd choose tennis any time,'' he said. ``It's a fascinating game in which you get as much exercise as you need in a fairly short time. . . . When I get too old to play, I'll take up golf full time.''
His wife, Suzane, ``very benevolent,'' goes with him to the matches, keeps score and offers a critique.
Bitsy Grant, the native Atlantan for whom the tournament is named, beat the best of his day, especially on clay. Only 5 feet 4 inches tall, he was a great retriever of shots.
``I played against him the first time in high school and he beat me,'' Crawford said. ``I can tell you the score, 6-3, 6-2. `Who is this guy Grant?' I asked. And they told me, `He's the kid who just won the Southern Championship.' ''
The cup matches, sanctioned by the U.S. Tennis Association, are regulated by the International Tennis Federation. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Norfolk's Powell H. Taylor, 77, is the new doubles champion of an
international tennis tournament for seniors 75 and older.
by CNB