DENIAL OF CHARGES

Press, Volume C, Issue 29402, 3 January 1961, Page 7

DENIAL OF CHARGES

Buchholz And Mackay Emphatic denials were made on Saturday in Christchurch by the American professional lawn tennis player, Earl Buchholz, to charges made against himself and Barry Mackay by a “New York Times” sports columnist, Arthur Daley, several days previously. Daley was reported as saying, in his column, that Buchholz’s criticisms of the system of paying expenses to tennis amateurs to play in tournaments was “hypocrisy. Daley also charged Buchholz and Mackay with exposing themselves as takers of bribes. Buchholz on Saturday repeated his previous statements that he had not in fact made the statements which were attributed to him in Australia immediately after he had turned professional two weeks ago. “I have never taken dirty money to play in a tournament,” said Buchholz. “I have not played in Europe at all except in the Wimbledon championships, and for those my whole expenses were paid by the United States Lawn Tennis Association, and I received none from any other body or persons,” he said. “I have not made enough money from amateur tennis to buy myself an ice-cream.” “I have never blamed the United States Lawn Tennis Association or: any other association or organisation,” said Buchholz. “What I am against is the system.” The comment of another of the professionals, Pancho Gonzales, upon Daley’s criticisms, was:— “Those who don’t know anything should keep their mouths shut.”

In reference to a report saying his team-mate in the American Davis Cup squad, Chuch McKinley, had been suspended by the' United States Lawn Tennis Association for his part in the alleged disturbances in Perth after the inter-zone final with Italy, Buchholz said that the newspaper report of disturbances was “a manufactured story.”