TOP TENNIS TEAMS WILL MEET TODAY

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28530, 8 March 1958, Page 5

TOP TENNIS TEAMS WILL MEET TODAY

ALTHOUGH the Canterbury A Lawn Tennis Association’s senior men’s competition this season reverted to the straight draw system from a competition which ended with a knockout round, it has still reached the climax which It was thought might have been lost with the change. Today at Wilding Park, University, the leader, will meet United, only one point behind, in the last round. University has won all the six matches it has played, and United has lost once—to Elmwood. If United wins today, the teams will be equal at the end of the competition and a play-off will be necessary. Unbeaten University has done well to remain unbeaten but some of its wins have been far from convincing. Its six games have had two distinct phases. In the first three it beat Avonside, 4-1, Cashmere, 5-1, and South Brighton, 4-2. But in the last three it has beaten Opawa, by 73 games to 72, North Linwood, by 65 games to 64, and Elmwood, by 8 sets to 7. Opawa is the bottom team in the competition. However, in the first three matches University had, C. G. Judge as top player; he was absent for the second three so that other members of the team had to be promoted a place, and for those matches a former leading member of the side, B. R. Penfold, played fourth. The University Players have been Judge, 2 wins, 1 loss; W. Dickson, 1,4; B. Shirlaw, 5,1; B. Crofts, 5,1; and Penfold, 2, 1.

United, which has used the same four players throughout, has been an extremely consistent and well-balanced side. R. G. Pattin-

son has had five wins and one [ loss and each of the others, S. Watson, W. Lewthwaite, and T. Walls, has had four wins and two losses. These four very experienced players will set University a hard task today, and the result might depend on the playing order. Points Points in the competition are: University 6, United 5, North Linwood 4, Elmwood 3, Cashmere 2, Avonside 1, South Brighton 1, Opawa 0. Matches between Opawa and Elmwood and Opawa and South Brighton were unfinished, but they cannot now make any difference to the winning of the competition. Both North Linwood and Elmwood have proved themselves very close, to University and United in standard, in fact, United lost to Elmwood. North Linwood’s top player, C. W. Pritchard, is the only player in the competition who has not lost a singles match. A. L. Blackwell (Elmwood) is another who has won five and lost one.

The other matches in the last round are: North Linwood v. Opawa; Elmwood v. South Brighton; and Cashmere v. Avonside.