LAWN TENNIS INTER-ZONE FINAL OF DAVIS CUP

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27733, 10 August 1955, Page 5

LAWN TENNIS INTER-ZONE FINAL OF DAVIS CUP

BOTH TEAMS HARD AT PRACTICE U.S. SELECTORS WORRIED (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 7 p.m.) NEW YORK, Aug. 8. The Australian and Italian Davis Cup teams for the inter-zone final in Philadelphia next week-end are now practising hard. The United States selectors are cast- ; ing their eyes on likely material for their team to defend the trophy won from Australia last December. The team is to be announced next week. The Italian players are now becoming accustomed to grass courts after playing on the hard courts of Europe. They are in fine condition. The form of the Australians and Americans is poor. Both Lewis Hoad and Rex Hartwig have been most inconsistent. Ken Rosewall, however, is in good touch. The worries of the United States selectors concern all three top players. Tony Trabert’s shoulder muscle injury is not responding quickly to treatment. Vic Seixas has not fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered at Wimbledon last month. Ham Richardson’s form is not good.

Americans likely to be named for the Davis Cud squad in addition to Trabert. Seixas, and Richardson, are Sammy Giammalva. Eddie Moylan. and Gilbert Shea. Moylan and Shea are well known, but Gia mm a Iva. a young man from Texas, has come to the fore lately. He finished off a run of successes by beating Seixas in the Eastern grass courts championships

NATIONAL LEVY ON PLAYERS

PROPOSED INCREASE DISCUSSED CANTERBURY DELEGATES’ INSTRUCTIONS The Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association will instruct its delegates to the annual meeting of the council of the New Zealand Association to support the raising of the national levy on players from 6d to Is, part to be used for overseas tours and part for fostering juniors in New Zealand. The management committee of the association received a circular from the i Auckland association containing a notice of motion for the raising of th- levy and its reasons. Another circular from the Wellington association gave notice of an amendment affecting the purposes for which the increased levy would be used. The Auckland motion was that for the next three seasons each affiliated association shall pay as an annual subscription to the New Zealand association Is fqr every active member, provided that 7d out-of each subscription shall be paid into a separate fund for financing tours by New Zealand seniors and juniors overseas. At present the subscription for each member is 6d and Id is allotted for the purpose of financing tours. The increased amount available from the proposed levy would be about £lOOO a year. The proposal had been made before but had been defeated because delegates were bound by their instructions. The reasons for the motion were that there was an urgent need for a changed outlook and policy generally if tennis in New Zealand was not to recede into the oosition of a minor game. Over the last few years substantial sums had been spent on coaching for juniors, tournaments. and a visit, to New South Wales Such a foundation would be wasted unless further funds were available for the future. Increased numbers of visits overseas by New Zealand players were needed “The objective sought can be reached if clubs will add 6d to each individual subscription. Associations cannot carrv the increased burden, but 6d fo each individual is a very small sum indeed.” The Wellington association proposed in its amendment that the levy should go back to 6d after a three-year trial period Of the £lOOO collected £5OO should be used for tours and £5OO Shou'ld be spent within New Zealand on the encouragement of children and juniors in tennis. The Wellington circular said the reasons for the amendment were that there was need for taking steps at both ends of the ladder to foster tennis. Not only were incentives such as overseas tours necessary for the top players, but also more active steps were necessary at the bottom. The benefits from overseas tours needed to be supplemented by taking active steps to encourage children to play the sport. The circular suggested that the New Zealand Association could subsidise a coach-organiser or a New Zealand professional by £5OO a year to travel through the country. If after the trial period the scheme had been proved successful, it could be continued. Support for Wellington “I think the Wellington proposal is a good one. and we should support the ide that it be given a trial for three years,’ said Mr G. E. Atkinson. “We need mone? for tennis, and this would be one waj of getting it. although there may be ? few objections from club members.” The idea seemed to be to get money to foster tennis in New Zealand, said M M. C. Healey. How would it be spilt up? If Canterbury was going to send money to the New Zealand Association to be sent back to Canterbury, it might as well collect it itself. The chairman (Mr W. Clothier): If it was used for a coach-organiser then the money would not be sent out to provincial associations. Mr Atkinson: I think the New Zealand Association could be left to decide what to do with it. Mr D. Martin said he was in sympathy with Wellington’s proposal, but his reaction was that the New Zealand Association was not short of funds. It had funds to the tune of £4OOO now in its latest balance-sheet, and it had had that for 10 or 15 years in spite of its commitments for overseas tours. Before they' raised the levy they should use some of that money. Compared with the Canterbury Association’s position, the New Zealand Association was very buoyant. “Is not this a matter for our delegates? After all. they fix the levy.” Mr J. K. Burt said he thought the Wellington proposal that the money should be spent on a coach had some merit except that it was difficult to see how one coach could cover the whole of New Zealand. If that was not practical the £5OO could be spent in some other way. It was in the interest of the sport for the New Zealand body to remain healthy financially. He felt that as Canterbury had the second biggest membership in the country it should give a lead and instruct its delegates to support the Wellington proposal. “It has come at a bad time for us,” said the chairman. “We have to make a drive for extra funds to finish the Wilding Park Memorial stand, and we don’t want to get the clubs’ backs up. We might get 6d for New Zealand and lose it for our own body.” The committee decided that the association’s delegates to the annual meeting of tne council be instructed to support the Wellington amendment.