N.Z. JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28180, 19 January 1957, Page 5

N.Z. JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

T AST season the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association was a successful host to the cream of New Zealand’s senior tennis players. This season, for five days next week, the beautiful grass courts of Wilding Park will be filled by the country’s best juniors. More than 160 entries for the national junior titles have come from all parts of the ' Dominion. The juniors, who at times play at a better standard than they do when they become seniors, are expected to be just as entertaining as the players who competed in the senior titles last season. When the New Zealand championships were last held at Wilding Park, in January, 1952, they created a great deal of interest. Good Practice

With the semi-finals and finals of the Slazenger and Howe Shield inter-provincial tournaments held yesterday and today, some of the juniors will have had some good preliminary practice for the titles which begin on Tuesday and conclude on Saturday. One unfortunate aspect of the tournament will be the absence of L. A. Gerrard, New Zealand’s leading junior boy player, and R. Wong, last year’s under 17 boys’ singles titleholder, who are both overseas. However, this tournament should produce other players who will be worth’ the best of encouragement and coaching with a view to future overseas touring teams. First Seed Seeded first for the under 19 boys’ singles, B. Goggin (Wellington), has just had a successful tournament at the Wellington junior championships with wins in both the under 19 doubles and the mixed doubles, but he was beaten in a semi-final of the singles by A. D. Huston, the leading Canterbury player, who h„s been seeded only sixth for the national tournament. Canterbury enthusiasts would like to see Huston do well, because he has the capabilities but sometimes lacks the fighting temperament. He will still have a difficult task against the second and third seeds, J. Lockington and C. Pascoe, both of Auckland, who met in the final of the under-19 section of the Auckland junior championships this week. Last season Pascoe was runner-up to Wong in the national under-17 section, and he was also a doubles runner-up. Impressive

Second junior in Canterbury, G. Judge, who has been most" impressive so far this season, with a win against Huston to his credit, has gained a third seeding in the under-17 boys’ singles, be-

hind the Auckland players, E. Chester and R. Scherer, who have also done well in singles this week, but ahead of J. B. Souter, who won the Canterbury senior title recently. However, Canterbury’s best prospect of a title undoubtedly lies with Miss J. Davidson, seeded top for the under-19 girls’ singles title, which she holds. Her greatest opposition will come from the girl she beat in the final last year. Miss A. Emery (Auckland), seeded second, Miss F. Cliff (Wellington), who has just won three titles at the Wellington junior tournament, seeded third, and Miss J. Glenie, of Auckland, the fourth seed. Unseeded The biggest surprise in this section might come from Miss M. Hatton, an unseeded player, also from Auckland, who beat Miss Glenie at Auckland to enter the final with Miss Emery. Another Canterbury player, Miss G. Hopkinson, holder of the under 19 doubles with Miss Cliff, and seeded top for the doubles but only eighth for the singles, has been playing extremely well lately for her South Island and South Canterbury senior titles. Seedings for the under 17 girls’ singles are naturally headed by Miss B. Bryant, of Auckland, who was runner-up to Miss Glenie in this section last year, but she will have plenty of competition from Miss M. Johnson (Wellington), who has had a successful tour of the South Island, and the very promising South Canterbury girl, Miss Diane Souter.