LAWN TENNIS

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24960, 22 August 1946, Page 3

LAWN TENNIS

SHIELD AND CASKET RULES PROPOSALS CRITICISED BY CANTERBURY “The New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association would not countenance the playing of the New Zealand championships on anvthing but grass courts; why should it allow the national teams' championship to be played on hard courts’ asked a member at a meeting of the management committee of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association last evening, when the New Zealand Association’s proposed rules for the Wilding Shield and Nunneley Casket competitions were under discussion. The draft rules permit an association holding either trophy to defend it on hard courts if it has no grass courts available. Members of the committee took strong exception to this and it was decided to instruct the associations delegates to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Association to press for a rule making it obligatory for all matches for the trophies to be played on grass courts unless daVerse weather compelled a transfer to hard courts in order to hold or complete a fixture. It was considered that should an association not possessing grass courts win either trophy it could arrange to meet challengers on the graM courts of another association or of a club within or outside its own district. It was also decided to oppose strongly the proposed rule permitting challenge matches to be played from October 15, and to seek an amendment defining December 1 as the opening of the tennis year for the purpose of trophy matches. The chairman (Mr E. A. Lee) recalled that there used to be Complaint, when the New Zealand championships were held in Christchurch at Christmas time, that it was difficult for players to reach their best form so early in the season. Play before the beginning of December i would not be a fair test of the merits ; of association teams, and in most cases it would be difficult to provide the best pospossible playing conditions before that date. ( I