FINE FORM OF J. B. SOUTER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29701, 20 December 1961, Page 15

FINE FORM OF J. B. SOUTER

■pHE emergence of J. B. x Souter as a likely threat :o the top-seeded players in najor tennis tournaments this season is the most interesting result of the Wellington championships, which included last week-end. Souter, unseeded for the

Canterbury and New Zealand championships, was runnerup to L, A. Gerrard in Wellington. Souter, in his defeat of the 1961 Davis Cup player I. S. Crookenden, gave the lie to those who thought that he would not show any further progress. A prodigy at 15, and nationally-ranked at 17, Souter in his last year as a junior last season seemed to have come to a full stop, Crookenden was his master. With a year of experience of big tennis on the Contin-

ental circuit, and hard match play for three weeks in Australia, Crookenden should have widened the gap be tween them for this season But Souter, very fit from t winter's squash, showed z sharper service and a fine backhand to defeat Crookenden convincingly, and tc worry Gerrard in the final. Souter’s recovery of form will add spice to the Canterbury championships which begin next week. Souter, as he was not nationally ranked last season, is unseeded for this meeting. He is in the same eight of the draw as the veteran A. S. Burns and, if he beats Burns, he will meet Gerrard in a quarter-final. It is unfortunate for Canterbury tennis that so many of the province’s top players have again ignored this opportunity to try their luck with the nation’s best. With all the country’s top players coming to Christchurch for this meeting, it does seem discourteous on the part of the local players to refuse to meet them.

Sixteen of Canterbury’s 40odd senior men players have entered for the men’s singles, and they are supported by 10 lower grade players. In the women’s singles Canterbury again loses by default —l2 senior women players have entered of the 38 who have appeared in the grade so far this season.

This apathy towards the championship meeting underlies the great difficulty facing the local association in the promotion of major tournaments.

However, supporters of the game have been assured of an attractive tournament, as the seedings for the Canterbury men’s singles are the same as those for the national meeting two weeks later. In the women’s singles, only Miss R. Morrison is missing.