TENNIS Mexicans Play N.Z. Top Pair At Wilding Park

Press, Volume CI, Issue 30004, 13 December 1962, Page 27

TENNIS Mexicans Play N.Z. Top Pair At Wilding Park

The Mexican lawn tennis team will play a “miniature” Davis Cup match against New Zealand's two leading players, L. A. Gerrard and I. S. Crookenden, at Wilding Park next Monday and Tuesday. Mr G. E. R. Atkinson, chairman of the Canterbury Tennis Association’s management committee, said yesterday that now negotiations with the Auckland Association were completed the Mexican players would arrive in Christchurch on Monday.

The Mexicans will travel direct from Auckland where they are to play against Gerrard and Crookenden on Saturday and Sunday. The match in Christchurch will be conducted under Davis Cup rules, said Mr Atkinson. There would be singles matches on Monday, and probably a doubles, and then singles again on Tuesday. The matches would start about 12.30 pm. The Mexican team, which is preparing for its Davis Cup challenge round against Australia, surprised tennis critics with its easy win over an experienced Indian team. It won all five matches to give it the right to play against Australia. Earlier it had defeated the United States. Team of Four The members of the Mexican team are R. Osuna, A. Palapos, M. Llamas, and P. Contreras. In the inter-zone final Osuna beat R. Krishnan, the Indian and Asian tennis champion who also has performed well at Wimbledon. After the defeat of India, the Mexican captain, Contreras. said that Osuna, known as “The Blur” because of his amazing speed on the court, could hold the key to Mexico’s chances against the Australians. For the spectators the

matches at Wilding Park will not only be an opportunity to see the colourful Mexicans in action but also to see how Gerrard performs against strong opposition. The absence of Gerrard from the New Zealand Davis

Cup team last season obviously weakened New Zealand’s chances of winning its round and if Gerrard and Crookenden perform well against the Mexicans it eould be a pointer to New Zealand’s chances of doing well in the Davis Cup competition next year. Incorrect A report that the match in Auckland will be a test match is incorrect, the chairman of the New Zealand association’s management committee, Mr F. S. Ransom, said in Wellington today. "It is not a test mateh and the selectors have not been asked to select a team. Approval has been given to Auckland to call it a NewZealand team, but not New Zealand,” said Mr Ramson. Missing a connexion at Hong Kong the Mexicans have been delayed 24 hours and will not how arrive in Auckland until tomorrow night. They were delayed for 10 hours and did not arrive ’in Australia until tonight. Soccer.—Moscow Dynamo yesterday beat the Japanese ’national side 3-2 in a soccer match in Tokyo. The half-time score was 1-1. The Russians have now won all three matches played so far on their fourmatch tour.—(P.A.) Not Coming.— Stirling Moss will not now attend the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting on the new track at Pukekohe on January 5, according to a statement today by his manager for his New Zealand and Australian tour, Mr Michael Hendry.— (PA.)