Sunday Tennis Plan Has An Obstacle

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30454, 30 May 1964, Page 10

Sunday Tennis Plan Has An Obstacle

A plan for holding the national tennis championships in Christchurch next year from Satu-day to a Sunday instead of the customary Saturday to Saturday has been approved by the management committee of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association. Because it has found a good public response to tennis on a Sunday, the Canterbury association asked if it could have the extra day which will enable it to provide the best matches for two days instead of one. In Wellington this year the dates were also varied from the traditional ones. The tournament was held from Monday to Monday, the final

day being Wellington’s Anniversary Day holiday. The move was a big success and it also enabled two visiting players to arrive after the end of the Australian championships. However, for Canterbury’s plan there is a difficulty which may not have been, noticed. The dates approved are January 9 to January 17. The Federation Cup international women’s matches will begin in Melbourne on Monday, January 18. It has long been New Zealand’s intention to enter for the first time in the Federation Cup in 1965 because of the closeness of the tournament to home.

The Federation Cup will take the world’s leading women players to Australia and give New Zealand the

chance to get some of them for its championships. The Western Australian championships at Perth from January 6 to 10 and the Tasmanian titles from January 13 to 17 should not claim all the best players but any visitors to New Zealand would have to be assured of returning in time for cup matches. Even if there were no women visitors,, the New Zealand women who would make up a cup team would presumably be in national finals and playing them on the Sunday might be impossible. Women’s finals might then be held on the Saturday. The management committee’s approval says there should be no play on the first Sunday, January 10, and play from 1 p.m. only on January 17.