TENNIS NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20089, 19 November 1930, Page 5

TENNIS NOTES.

! " * | DAVIS CUP TEAM. i | START OF SENIOR COMPETITION : -Bt Service.j Since they both were .in K-;i£'lanj 2i;d could play at the minimum expense, the New Zealand Lawn Tenuis Association in !Ki"B entered E. D. Andrews and 'U. li- C. \oung as its first, .Davis Cup team. After defeating Portugal by four matches to one, they defaulted to Czeeho-Slovakia and retired altogether from the contest. This year, now that Andrews and C. E. Malfroy, a very much stronger pair, are available at the same advantage, discussion has been everywhere renewed whether New Zealand should again enter for this most distinguished international trophy. It may bo said at once that the Association, which last season unjustly excluded Malfroy front the New Zealand team, is not likely to accept- him so soon 1 as its representative in international matches. But even if it were, the value 1 of entering for the Cup a team which is j only nominally of New Zealand may j well be questioned. A nation enters, or should enter, the contest not because it hopen to win a valuable trophy nor be- ■ cause it wants publicity, but primarily I because it wishes to give its players j the widest international training and so ite improve the standard of tennis | within its own territories. That is p.trj liculnriy true of a country so isolated j tiora the centres of lawn tennis as New Zealand. Andrews and Malfroy would give the Dominion good publicity, they might conceivably win the Cup; but they would return no benefit where it should be returned—in New Zealand itself. If the Tennis Association really i cannot afford to send players overseas ias the- Rugby I'uion can, and the , Cricket Council can, and the Rugby j League can, then perhaps an Englishj New Zealand team may be considered

j better than none at all. But rather j than fritter its monov awav without return, the Association might be better advised to save against the day when it can send abroad a team of New Zea- | landers playing in New Zealand. Senior Competitions. The first round of the senior interclub competition will be played at Wilding Park on Saturday week, November 2!>th. An entry of eight teams, ns follows, was accepted last evening by the Competitions Committee of the Canterbury; Lawn Tennis Association: United (2), St. Albans, Fendaltoi'., Cashmere, Linwood, Avonside, and Canterbury College. The names of the players in each team have already been published in this column. The matches will be played at Wilding Park each Saturday, and two courts will be allowed for each match. All games will bo played to the best of three advantage sets. The chairman of tile Management Committee (Mr P. R. llarman) has presented a handsome new shield for this competition. Since only nine entries were received, dates were not fixed for the start of the women's mid-week competition. The secretary was instructed to press for more entries before the draw was made. The following trams have already entered:—St. Albans, South Christcbnreh, Woolston, Avonside, Elmwood, .Sumner (i!), Fendalton. and United. Death of Mr H. M. Gore. Reference was made at yesterday's meeting of the Management Committee of tho Canterbury Lawn Tennis Asso ciation to the death of Mr H. M. Gore, a past president of the New Zealand Association, and a resolution of syru pathy with his relatives was carried on the motion of Mr P. R. Harman. Mi A. Borrows, who seconded the resolution, recalled a time when ha plnved

with Mr Gore in 188 G. Afr Gore is remembered in former days as an excellent player nnd a capable manager. Mr George Gore will represent the Canterbury Association at. the funeral. Pranking Matches. The results of ranking matches played during the week have been notified to the secretary of the C.L.T.A. (Mr R. Browning) as follows: —Men's Singles: J. R. Johnston beat D. C. Johnston for tenth place, G-3, 6-0; A.. R. Cant beat A. Borrows for fifteenth place, 6-2, 6-3; 11. Dymond beat E. 11. Orbell for eighth place, 6-0, 8-<5. Women's Singles: Miss E. Rudkin beat Airs M. Mason for

twelfth place, 6-1, 6-4. Men's Doubles: B. B. Loughnan and H. Dymond beat R. Browning and S. W. Field for fourth place, 6-3, 9-7; J. Arnold and 11. 0. Ford beat IZ. 11. Adkins and B. A. Barrer for sixteenth place, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2; L. Armstrong and X. Daly beat M. Somerville and N. Ooxliead for eighteenth place, 6-1, 0-;». Hound the Clubs. Revon members of the Brougham Hill Club. Wellington, have already stated their intention of taking part in the New Zealand Championships:— Miss IJ. Nicholla, Miss IX Howe, Mrs R. P. Adams, Mrs N. Thompson, A. L. Franco, and D. G. France. Miss Nicholls will defend the women's singles title which she now holds. The Wellington Lawn Tennis Association's grass courts were opened for the season by the Mayor (Mr G. A. Troup), only last Saturday. The delay has been caused through continual wet weather. Good progress is being made with the handicap events at United. A

special tournameftt is to held on Saturday afternoon to' complete the second and third rounds. Amateur on Probation. The application by J. O. Anderson, the Davis Cup player, for reinstatement as an amateur player has been granted by the Australian Lawn Tennis Asspciation provided he stands down for two years "on probation." This condition, it is stated, means that he may at once regard himself as an amateur but may not take part in tournaments for two years. Anderson himself was disappointed and surprised by the decision. "I thought the period would be about six months," ho said. It is thought possible that he may take his case to a higher tribunal, the International Lawn Tennis Federation. Before asking for readmission, Anderson studied the case of the French playef. P.- Foret, who, after playing as a professional with Suzanne Lenglen and \ incent Biehards, was reinstated as an amateur by the French Lawn Tennis Association with the Federation's approval. Feret waß admitted, Anderson might be expected to be treated similarly. It is a significant fact that the plajere who were most anxious to become professionals are one by one asking for reinstatement to the amateur ranks. After a distinguished amateur careei, Anderson turned professional in December, 1826. He represented Australia in Davis Cup matches between 1919 and 1925, and in 1921, iu East v, West match at Chicago, defeated W. T. Tilden 19-17 in the fifth set. At his best, he was the peer of G. L. Patterson. His reinstatement as au amateur may greatly improve Australia's chances of regaining the Da\ is Cup. A further disagreement on the professional status i» reported from

the United (States of America, where Fritz Mercur, sixth ranking player has been declared ineligible for breaking ttiu rules of amateurism. Last July, Mercur, an insurance salesman, entered for the championships of the Hollev Valley Club (Michigan), oil condition that he received a-everal customers for insurance in return for his appearance there. "While ho definitely traded his tennis ability, the olub was hardly less to blame for accepting the conditions. Mercur also has to his credit a defeat of Tildcn in the Eastern Champion;ships (New York) in 1928. Management Committee. In order to consult with its delegate, Mr George Gore, before the next meeting of the Management Committee ot the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, the Management Committee of the Canterbury Association was called together yesterday. The principal questions 011 the agenda paper—junior tennis, revision of regulations for the wilding Shield and the Nunneley Casket, and affiliation of the Catholic Association witli the New Zealand Association —werp discussed, and referred to a meeting of delegates to the Canterbury Association which is to be held***next Tuesday evening. An extensive report on the affiliation of non-terrltonal Associations has been prepared for submission to the New Zealand Management Committee, but it is known thatsome of the local Catholic clubs are nor in agreement with the general move ivhich is being made to form a separate Catholic Association. Terms for tlio holding of the New Zealand championships at Christchurch, contained in a letter from the New Zealand Association, were adopted. They are the same as in former years. The Wellington Association wrote stating that it would welcome challenges for the Wilding Shield and the Nunneley .Casket- This question is 1 being held over until the New Zealand | Association has made a decision on the I new regulations.