THREE BEST RECORDS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29713, 5 January 1962, Page 7

THREE BEST RECORDS

THE three players with the best records in the New Zealand singles championships have all died within the last few years. The New Zealand men's singles roll includes the name of G. Ollivier seven times and that of H. A. Parker six times. The women’s singles roll has the name of Miss K. M. Nunneley no fewer than 13 times, all in successive years. G. F. Ollivier, who died in Christchurch in October, 1960, aged 74, won the men’s singles in 1911-14-19-22-24-25 and 27. He also won the men’s doubles four times and the mixed doubles three times.

Ollivier was certainly one of the best players New Zealand has produced, probably the best of those who had no extensive experience overseas. During a greater part of his reign he was so far ahead of his contemporaries in New Zealand he seemed to win just as he liked and whenever he liked, usually without much preparation. He joined the Opawa club

in 1908, the year after it opened, and he played his las t game as an amateur in 1928 against the touring English Davis Cup team. During that season be scored a notable victory over the British captain and Davis Cup player. J. C. Gregory. He visited Australia three times with New Zealand teams, and once at the invitation of the selector to practice with the Australasian Davis Cup team. His last win in the national singles championships in 1927 was the first year the tournament was held at Wilding Park. H. A. Parker, who died in Sydney last year, won 20 New Zealand championships. He won the men’s singles in 1895, 1902-03-04-05-07, the men's doubles eight times with seven different partners, and the mixed doubles six times, four of them with Miss Nunneley. Born in Christchurch, Parker represented New Zealand in international contests in 1896 and 1904, and in 1905 he was a member of the Australasian Davis Cup team

with N. E. Brookes, A. F. Wilding and A. W. Dunlop. This team had a bye in the first round, beat Austria, 5-0, in the second round and lost, 0-5, to the United States in the final. Perhaps the best effort of his career was his win over Brookes in the Australian Inter-State matches in 1810. Miss K. M. Nunneley, who died in Wellington in 1956, was New Zealand women's singles champion 13 times, from 1895 to 1907 inclusive. She also won the women's doubles 10 times and the mixed doubles nine times, including twice with Anthony Wilding. Miss Nunneley came to New Zealand from England as a young woman and brought a new keenness to tennis in the Dominion. She played at the Wellington club and the Thorndon club, both of which granted her life membership. She was also elected a life member of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association in 1930. She retired from tennis in 1911.