Confusion Growing On Tennis Dates

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30678, 18 February 1965, Page 18

Confusion Growing On Tennis Dates

(By our Tennis Reporter) The Wilding Shield competition has placed the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association in something of a cleft stick; it has had nothing but trouble with dates this season. By beating Otago in the final of the South Island section of the shield last December, Canterbury qualified under the changed system to challenge the holder, Auckland.

Canterbury arranged for its challenge to be played on February 27 and 28, the same dates the women’s team would challenge Waikato for the Nunneley Casket.

Two weeks ago Wellington beat Northland in the final of the North Island section to qualify for a challenge also and its dates were fixed for March 6 and 7.

Considering Wellington had a chance of beating Auckland, considering also its ex-

penses and that it already had its annual representative fixture arranged with Wellington for March 6, Canterbury made representations for the dates to be changed round to give Wellington first challenge. Auckland was not prepared to do that because it had arranged for the GovernorGeneral <Sir Bernard Fergusson) to see Auckland v. Wellington when he is in Auckland on those dates.

However, Auckland, if it still holds the shield, has

agreed to play Canterbury the next week-end, March 13 and 14.

Now, at its meeting on Monday evening, the Canterbury management committee Will discuss its annual representative match with Wellington scheduled for March 6 because it is loath to play when that province has all its leading men away. In the event, Wellington’s chances of taking the shield may not be as great as first thought The Auckland team, L. A. Gerrard, J. Lockington, J. E. Robson and A. S. Burns, announced this week, is as strong as ever. Lockington, out of big tennis for some time, returned with a vengeance when he beat R. G. Clarke and R. N. Hawkes, both members of the Wellington team, and Robson to win the Auckland title recently. At the same time the Wellington team has had its disappointments. When it beat Hutt Valley, 8-4, the top man, J. B. Souter, lost both his singles and R. N. Hawkes lost one, and although it beat Northland, 8-2, Hawkes lost to the national junior champion, G. Eliott

The Canterbury team will be selected next week after one or two further trial matches. During all this, plans for the Nunneley Casket challenge have gone smoothly and hopes are high for a good Canterbury performance with the strongest team it has had for many years. Canterbury is fortunate to have gained Mrs R. Davy. Her national championship win and her grand performances as a member of the Federation tup team in Australia mean she should be little troubled by this encounter. Supporting her will be Miss J. Davidson, back from retirement, Miss D. Smith and Miss S. Field. However. Waikato will not be easy. Three of its players may be Miss E. Terry, the other member of the Federation Cup team, Mrs J. Bignell. formerly Miss J. Glenie, fourth on the 1964 ranking list, and Mrs B. Patterson, tenth in 1963. Much will depend on Miss Davidson's ability to produce her pre-retirement form and the abilities of the Canterbury third and fourth players.