LAWN TENNIS

BY "HUKA"

INTER-CLUB CONTESTS

FORTY-THREE TEAMS

ENTERED

TO TAKE FIVE SATURDAYS

ASSOCIATIONS' TOURNAMENT DATES. X.Z.L.T.A. Championships, at Christchurch.— 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th, and 31st December. Marlborougb Championships, at Blenheim.— 25th, 26tli, 27th December. North Otago Championships, at .Oamaru. —25th, 26th, 27th December. Southland Championships, at Invercargill.— 2Dth, 26th, 27th December. ( Haivkes Bay Championships, at Napier.—2sth, 2Gth, 27th, 29th December. Auckland Handicaps, at Auckland.—26th, 27th, 29th, 30th December. Poverty Bay and East Coast Championships, at Gisborne —26th, 27th, 29th, 30th, 31st December. Nelson Championships, at Nelson.—3lst December, Ist, 2nd, 3rd January. Auckland Outer Suburban Championships, at Auckland.—lst, 2nd, 3rd January. South Canterbury Championships, at Timaru. — Ist, 2nd, 3rd January. Otago Championships, at Dunedin.—lst, 2nd, 3rd January. Wanganul Championships, at Wanganui.—lst, 2nd, 3rd January. Taranakl Championships, at New Plymouth.— 6th, 7th, Sth, 9th, 10th January. , Hannwatu Championships, at Falmerston North.—l2th, 13th, 14th, 15th January. Wellington Championships, at Miramar. —21st, 22nd, 23rd. 24th January. , Auckland Championships, at Auckland.—2Bth, 29th, 30th, 31st January. Canterbury . Championships, at Christchurch. — 29th, 30th, 31st January. r CLUBS' OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS. 'Hotorua Tournament, at Rotorua.—2sth, 26th 27th December. Martlnborough Tournament, at Martinborough. —26th, 27th, 28th, 30th December. Kalkohe Tournament, at Kaikohe.—lst' January and following days. Walpukurau Tournament, at Waipukurau.— 19th, 20th January. Waipawa Tournament, at Waipawa.—l6th, 17th, 19th, 25th January. The intcrclub competitions of the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association are to start on Saturday, 22nd November. There are five grades, for which 43 entries have been received, divided up as follows: Five clubs have entered for the senior grade, sis for the junior, ten for the intermediate, ten for the third, and twelve for the fourth. The last three grades are each subdivided into two sections. In the senior grade all the clubs entered play one another, consequently each club will have four matches, and the- competition will occupy five Saturday afternoons, each club having one vacant Saturday with a bye. All junior clubs entered also meet one another, and this competition will last five Saturday afternoons, but there are no byes. The other three grades will have five playing afternoons to find the winrrer of the sections, and the winners of A Section will then have to meet the winner of the B Section to determine the championship of each grade. Victoria University College holds pride of place with teams in four of the grades, followed closely by Newtown, Wadestown, and Bawhiti Clubs with teams in three of the grades. The spirit of friendly competition is a great thing for the sport, and players who are eager to improve their play in anticipation of competing in open tournaments should by all means strive to get tho experience by playing in the interelub matches. It is the playing against members of other clubs that enables players to meet those- of a different type of play than what they are accustomed to in their own club, and thus experience is gained. Then there is another- point that players should consider, and that is the giving of assistance to their association by making tho interelub competitions a success from all points of view. The team spirit is another thing that 'docs a lot for tho sport, and each player when taking part in these competitions should think of his team and club first, for it is for the honour of the club that he or she is fighting. It is not sufficient for any one player to win his .or her matches, and then lose interest in the other matches. Some players have boon known to leave the ground as soon as their own particular match was finished, but that is not the proper spirit —they should remain to take their share of umpiring or \vhen not doing that duty, to cheer on their fellow players, who are striving to gain victory for their side. In these interelub competitions there is also the social side, and there should be little difficulty, once the players of the several clubs become known to one another, of arranging some social evenings during the summer, when, dancing, bridge, and ping pong could bo indulged in, especially when there is a suitablo pavilion on the ground. In other cities players rally round and enjoy such gatherings, which are extended into and through the winter week-ends. Andrews Touring. B. D. Andrews, tho Now Zealander who is secretary of the Covered Courts Club at Dulwich, will be lost to English tournaments for some considerable time to come owing to his absence abroad on a world tour. He is to visit India and the East, but so far it is not known whether he will be able to touch Now Zealand'in his travels. Ranking Player Dropped. Mention was made last week that Fritz Mercur, sixth ranking player of tho United States, had been declared ineligible on account of having broken his amateur status. The facts are now to hand. The trouble 'took place in July of last year when Mercur entered for the championships of the Holley Valley Club in Michigan, on condition that he received several customers for insurance in return for his appearance there. Mercur is an insurance salesman. He is known as one of the best players in the world when in top form. In 1928 he scored a brilliant victory over Tilden in the Eastern Championships at Eye, New 'York. He was trading his tennis ability with the Holley Valley Club, and evidently the club accepted his conditions otherwise he would not have broken the amateur rule. That being so, the club must also have been guilty in agreeing to his conditions. It is just as bad to accept presents for appearance! Lowland Championships. In 1910 F. M. B. Fisher, with J. O. Peacock, won tho doubles championship of Now Zealand, and now, twenty years later, wo hear of him' winning the doubles championship of the Lowlands at Peebles last September. Partnered with 11. Timtnor, tho Dutch champion, they defeated 11. K. Lester and N. Sharpc, 0-2, 0-4, in the final. Fisher also reached the semi-final of the singles, where lie scratched, and as Sharpe did likewise Timmer and Lester fougTit tho final. Lester took the first set, 6-1, but the Dutch champion took tho next two, 6-1, 6-2. Fisher's doubles game must still be first-class when he can, with Timmer's assistance, win from players like Lester and Sharpe.