LAWN TENNIS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22243, 6 November 1937, Page 27

LAWN TENNIS

SENIOR MATCHES BEGIN

KEEN COMPETITION LIKELY leading players at WILDING PARK With an entry of seven teams and the probable addition of another before the second round of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior inter-club competition for the Harman Shield will begin on the grass cpUrts at Wilding Park this afternoon. Opawa, which won the competition last year,, is not an entrant, there having been another redistribution of senior players with the return of the United Club to the senior competition. Nevertheless, the, leading players of the province stfe well divided among the various tearps, and the competition should not ’Only provide valuable match practice; foi; the players, but many games of .great interest-to the spectators. Until. its withdrawal lest season United had won the Harman Shield fairly consistently in recent seasons, and it will have.a strong four again this' season, although possibly not as strong as on some former occasions. It Will be headed by. C. Angas, the provincial champion, Who was a member of the successful Opawa team last year. Later the team may be strengthened by I. A. Seay, who is now returning from a visit to England, but it Would be more in the interests-of the competition if Seay were to join one of the weaker clubs. x Fendalton also has returned to the competition after an absence of one season, and the new team which is likely to be admitted is North Beach. The latter club has a young and keen team, whose members would benefit from senior play, although it would be a little below the standard of the others. However, the inclusion of a slightly weaker team would be preferable to having a bye, especially as senior competition matches are played fortnightly now instead of weekly. The club teams for the competition are likely to be as follows: United —C. Angas, C. F. Penfold, P. D. McGregor, H. C. Ford. Cashmere— H. Dymond, W. J. Deans, R. A. Young, J. H. Silvester. Cathedral—H. A. Barnett. B. B. Lougbnam J, W. Arnold, F. O. Schmidt. Canterbury College—l. J. Corich, T. W. Walls, E. L. Prebble, N. T. Satterthwaite. . . _ Linwood—R.„ G. Pattlnson, A. R. Cant, R. Kear, M. Sharman. Fendalton —J. H. Crawshaw, D. G. Silvesiter, N. R. 'Mansfield, W,. S. Somerville. ~ ; « CTrwwohd—B. E. Souter. M.' J. Souter, A. G. Gillies. G. A. Mcßae. North Beach—M. McGilUvray, K. T. Hardie. D. Meier, L. Meier. The draw for to-day’s matches is «$ follows: United v. Cashmere. Cathedral v. Elmwood. Fendalton v. Linwood. Canterbury College, a bye.

TWO OFFICIAL BALLS THIS YEAR PLAYERS DISSATISFIED HANDICAP FOR PROVINCIAL - TEAMS IBy CBOSSOOUETJ In spite of all that has been said aaif>ymtten on the subject of tennis adoptions in the last few years, tie’Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association has this season made a decision that not only is causing a good deal of. dissatisfaction among the players, but will definitely be prejudicial to the province’s prospects of success in the forthcoming Interprovincial ; matches. Failure to adopt for provincial tournaments .and matches the official ball of the' New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association means that the .province’s (pains will be called on to play in the important Wilding Shield and Nunne--I?7,,Gasket matches with a different of hall from that with which it has been obligatory for them to play thfbughout the season in Christchurch. The decision is not altogether surprising when remarks of members of the, Canterbury management commitOH this subject in past seasons are waited. At various times experienced administrators on this committee have opposed the move for uniformity with >uch. extraordinary arguments as; “Players are becoming too fussy about MMs,” and "There is practically no deference between the various makes M first-grade balls.” Balls Differ Widely Such statements are only an indiea•W that the committee members reJWMIWe for them are entirely out ox «ucb with the game. In spite of interJaronal regulations prescribing the *?ight, dimensions, and compression Jf. tennis balls, first-class • players that the various makes differ especially in flight and “feel S. the racket, and many manuals on ®e game, written by leading players J'Jhe present day, emphasise the imPtance of becoming accustomed to g* ball that is to be used for any »«wular event. ■" T/ie higher the standard of play, the ISle.is, it affected by variations in “JMypes of balls used. Good players jjy (heir strokes' almost automatically, Jgfji man who has learned to keep a jSph with one particular make of “Jfimayhqd it a matter of some difflaccustom himself to another, wsaiariy. the player who has little error in his strokes will affected by a change of ball one who invariably “plays

Canterbury. Lawn Tennis J*»ciatjotj this year is going' to ask its provincial teams to Wall their matches in the next two with one make of ball, and S’. With no more and possibly less gM week in which to accustom Twelves to the change, to play the

Wellington teams on January 7 and 8 with a different New Zealand Association’s official ball being obligatory for these matches.

Balls Supplied for Teams The Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association has this year constituted itself the sole supplier of balls to inter-club competition teams, and one may suspect that favourable terms secured lor the purchase of these balls had something to do with the departure from the precedent established over the last two years of adopting the New Zealand Association’s official ball for the major Canterbury fixtures. The Canterbury Association has used these favourable terms to relieve its own straitened financial position rather than to make the game cheaper for the players, and it cannot be blamed for that. It has taken the attitude, and one with which it is difficult to disagree, that those who use Wilding Park should be prepared to pay for the facilities, for thousands of players are paying their share of the upkeep of the park without ever using dscourts. For inter-club matches balls of a make similar to those adopted for the Canterbury championships will oe used. They are not recognised by the makers as first-grade balb * but ,jS® players themselves know how lime difference there is between these rejects” and the approved first-grade balls. There is no reason why they should not be satisfactory both for inter-club matches and for ranking But the main point is that they are not the official ball of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis , Association. Canterbury players will have to use this make of ball for all their matches up to and including the provincial championships, which will be held on December 27, and following days. On January 7 and 8 the men s and women’s representative teams wli play Wellington in the most important fixture of the season, and they will have to use a different make of ball. There may, actually, be less difference between these makes of balls than there is between some others, but in any case ir is imposing an added difficulty to the already difficult task of the teams which will defend the Wilding Shield and the Nunneley Casket.

Official Explanation

The secretary to the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association (Mr S. W. Jameson), when asked if there was any particular reason for the departure from the policy followed in the last two years, said it had been represented to the association that other makers had been given adoptions in recent years but the manufacturers of this particular ball had not shared in the rotation- Although the New Zealand Association’s official ball had been adopted in each of the last two seasons there was ample precedent for the action taken this year. He said that other considerations had weighed with the committee, which had had before it a detailed schedule of adoptions for New Zealand and Canterbury fixtures over the last few years, but these considerations he was not in a position to discuss. The argument that one particular maker had not shared in the rotation in recent years is weakened by the Canterbury Association’s own decision to adopt still another make of ball for the Easter tournament. The association could have adopted the New Zealand Association’s official ball for its championships and still compensated the maker concerned for past neglect by giving it the club competition and Easter tournament adoptions. In any cage the New Zealand Association has stronger reason than any provincial association to see that each maker is given his share of adoptions, and for provincial associations invariably to follow the New Zealand Association’s lead will do no more than ensure that each manufacturer in proper rotation receives practically a monopoly of tennis ball sales for the season.

The Canterbury Association is placing itself in an equivocal position, for next season it may well find that its official ball for 1937-38 is the official ball of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association for 1938-39. Then it would be faced with the dilemma of again making a different adoption or adopting the same ball in two successive years, a course that would naturally give rise to complaints from rival manufacturers. The association has abandoned a course that throws all responsibility for adoptions on to the parent body, and which gives entire satisfaction to the players under its control, for one on which it must make a difficult and invidious decision of its own, and which must cause a good deal of dissatisfaction among' the players. COOMBE RETURNS TO N.Z.

HIGH PRAISE FOR STEDMAN (PBESB ASSOCIATION TZLEOEASt.) WELLINGTON, November 5. Mr D. C. Coombe, holder of the New Zealand tennis singles championship, returned by the Tam area from a tour abroad, including participation in the Davis Cup contest against South Africa and the French and Belgian championships. He said that Stedman has progressed quite a lot, and he thought that Austin was the only player in England who could beat Stedman when the New Zealander was at his best. Stedman was looking forward to a visit to New Zealand this season, after five years’ absence. Stedman and Malfroy as a doubles pair were definitely the third pair In England. Mr Coombe considers Budge, the American, as far ahead of the rest of the amateurs as Perry was in his day. He considered that Australia and Germany would have the best chance of winning the Davis Cup. Last time Australia had a lot of bad luck. Mr Coombe referred to the continuous competition play available in tournaments at Home. He himself played in 17 in England, one in Scotland, one in Belgium, and one in France, as well as two Davis Cup matches. With opportunities like that, a player should be able to make a definite advance. He considered that the Australian, Bromwich, was a potential Wimbledon winner. McGrath was as good as even and Crawford, although he played badlv in the Davis Cup matches, played very well at Wimbledon.

first-grade tennis bails First duality reject Tennis Balls, Moneyback guaranteed If not satisfied. 2/- pair or°ll/- doz. Postage paid. The Tennis Shop. 137 Armagh street. Thone 31-452.