The tennis team played without its number one man yesterday, but the misfortune didn't prevent its drubbing Bowdoin, 8 to 1, on the Soldiers Field courts.

Top Crimson performer Bud Ager was sidelined by illness, but his absence made little difference as all singles men and two of the three doubles pairs easily defeated the less experienced Vacationlanders.

In singles Captain Ted Bullard, playing in Ager's number one spot, had little trouble with Bowdoin's Chuck Rosander, winning 6-1, 6-1. The same pattern held forth in the other singles matches, the Crimson players all easily winning in straight sets.

The teams of Jay Robb and Dave Key and of Dick Hatton and Ed Bacon won doubles matches for Harvard, but Bowdoin sneaked out its lone win of the afternoon over the Crimson doubles team of Bob Bramhall and Mitch Reese.

The last two doubles matches provided the closest competition. In the number two contest Reese and Bramhall lost in three sets, as their smashing net game couldn't overcome the steadiness of their rivals. But in the number three doubles, the net game of Bacon and Hatton was good enough to beat Bowdoin's Tiny Taussig and Dick Cay.

The team plays the Harvard grads today.