National Tennis Titles At Wilding Park

Press, Volume C, Issue 29638, 7 October 1961, Page 9

National Tennis Titles At Wilding Park

CANTERBURY tennis has VjZ an important season ahead of it it is the province's three-yearly turn to hold the national championships so it is not surprising that already much thought and effort are being put into the preparation of New Zealand's finest tennis park.

A visit to Wilding Park thia week showed that the ravages of winter are quickly dbappeari-g, that maintenance work is in full swing; the park should be looking its most attractive when the beet at New Zealand’s players arrive for two tournaments the Canterbury championships from December 36 to 29 and the New Zealand championships from January 6 to 13.

Directing the maintenance of Wilding Park is the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Asaocition's Wilding Park com. mittee headed by Mr F. H. G. Johnstone, as chairman, and also including Messrs J. Mercer, J. K. Burtt, W. A. Clothier, A D. Atkinson, A C. Felton, A. C. Lee, and, ex officio, Messrs A. M. Hatch (association president), R. N. C. Hill (past president), G. E. R. Atkinson (chairman of management committee), and R. P. Murphy (chairman of competitions committee). On the job at the park are the groundsman (Mr J. Manhire) and the assistant groundsman (Mr T. Paterson). Casual labour is used when needed. The grass courts had their usual top-dressing at the end of last season and just before the winter. Now they are being given a light dressing of fertiliser. There are 26 grass courts at the park, the two centre courts, the first row of six and then two

rows of nine. This season it is planned to rotate the first row between six and five, using the fresh ground in between when they are changed to five. Partly because of this the association will obtain five or six new umpires’ stands of angle duralium. The present stands are of heavy wood which fit into slots in the ground, but the new ones will be light and easily movable. One of these stands has already been shown at the park and the committee has suggested various modifications to make it more suitable.

Deteriorated wire netting dividing the rows of courts is being replaced with chain netting and a new fence with concrete posts and chain netting is also being erected along the front of the two centre courts in front of the Memorial Stand.

Wrought iron gates at each end of this fence as entrances to the courts will be a memorial to Colin Penfold, a Canterbury Wilding Shield representative who lost his life overseas in World War 11. Mr F. C. Penfold some time ago made a gift for a memorial to his son and a suitable plaque will be incorporated in the gates. Painting is one of the big. gest jobs at the park at any time. Members of the Avonside club put in several days’ painting on the seating at the end of last season, some of the competitors in the Junior tournament in the August holidays did some recently and Messrs Manhire and Paterson have been en. gaged on it for some time. The alcoves in between courts have been painted and the brown fence round the bottom of the centre court

stand* Is being repainted. The paint on fixture* round the centre courts is most important to players. There nave in the past been some complaints stout glare fnxn players facing into the Mem. orial Stand. For this reason the white seats in the stand have been changed to grey. The white girders at the top of the stand will also be changed and it is expected that the face of the Memorial Stand will be painted a similar shade. This should give a better sighting of the ball. Although for these two major tourr jnents thia season it is the grass courts and the facilities around them which are most important, the Wilding Park committee has probably been even more concerned with hard courts, many of which have reached a bad state of repair. Now it is going ahead with plans to resurface them. For this purpose it has been fortunate to gain a £3OO grant by the Government from the Art Union funds and also a £5OO grant from the Christchurch City Council Work on eight courts will probably begin about the end of the month and Messrs Manhire and Paterson have been filling In cracks to prepare them tor taking the bitumen mix. Wilding Partr has attractive garden* and shrubs and these should look their best in the middle of the season. The association ha* also obtained two turnstile* for use at its entrance and this will make it unnecessary to get them from elsewhere for each tournament. What It still does need, however, is come sort of scoreboard or boards for the centre courts.