Tennis At Night

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28268, 4 May 1957, Page 5

Tennis At Night

One of the most successful ventures of the Opawa Tennis Club since it opened its lighted courts has been the Slazenger Shield night tournament for Christchurch business firms. The tournament has now been going for three years. When it began there were eight entries; last year there were 16, and this year 20. Already it seems likely that tfie entries next year will be even greater. The tournament recently finished for 1957 with a win for the St. G. Atkinson team after Peco, Ltd., had won the title in 1956, and Ashby Bergh and Company, Ltd.; in 1955. This year the other finalist was Shell Oil Company, Ltd.

In the previous two years the competition had included several of Christchurch’s leading senior club players, but this year, notwithstanding the greater number of teams, the competition catered more for lesser lights who. nevertheless. desired some inter-club play with the added attraction of' a more social type of tennis.

Best Season

Officials of the Opawa Club have no doubt that this season’s competition has been the most satisfactory of the three and not least because the previous policy of allowing “ring-ins”—one to each team—w’as abolished. The rule was that the “ring-in” could be no better in standard than the team’s top player. The weaker teams, therefore gained no advantage from the system. With its abolition and the reduction of teams from four members to three the competition has become even more satisfactory. Nor is this a contest solely for men. One of the Bank of New Zealand's teams this year comprised three women, who performed reasonably well. All matches are doubles, and a time limit of 30 minutes is set on each, with no limit on the number of games played. The 20team competition was divided Into two sections with the winners playing off. With all this, it had to be conducted on five nights a week instead of the four last year, from the end of January until the middle of April; the Auckland tournament is played six nights a week.

The Opawa club deserves congratulations for its administration of the competition, which means a great deal of work for a special committee.