FEE TO MAKE SURE BILLETS ARE USED

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30682, 23 February 1965, Page 14

FEE TO MAKE SURE BILLETS ARE USED

The management committee of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association has decided to recommend the New Zealand Association make some provision discouraging players from cancelling tournament engagements made for them.

This was discussed at a meeting of the association last evening after a motion from the junior association.

“Billets for the New Zealand Junior championships next year will be needed for about 120 players,” said Mr R. Brown, chairman of the junior association.

“We hope this association will support our recommendation to the New Zealand association that all billets be required to pay £1 a week,” he said. “This money should be paid by the association’s sending the players.

“We have struck considerable trouble in the past when players have cancelled their billets at the last moment —thus losing a lot of goodwill.” Mr S. Bullen recommended the money be paid to the host association. “This can be offered to the bi Meters if they want it, but if they do not want it

we would save some embarrass ment.

"1 think there is too much monetary consideration in amateur tennis,” said Mr E. Palliser “We should make this an official prerequisite of the tournament and if players default on their billets they lose their entry in the tournament." This amendment was heavily defeated and Mr Brown's motion was passed with three dissenting votes. The motion was: “That we write to the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association and suggest that the people billeted pay £1 to the holding association in advance, as a billeting fee, in order that players are bound to their commitments.” Poor Conditions “Conditions at the Howe and Slazenger Shield tournaments in Wellington were poor,” said Mr Brown. “Notification of change of courts was unsatisfactory, and some of our players played on a court with only a 9ft run off to a concrete wall,” he said. Mr Brown said the officials never attended the tournament, which made the task of the managers much harder. The Junior Association Intended to register a protest to the Wellington association.

Junior Coaching The coaching of junior players was discussed and a recommendation was made that the Junior Association formulate some coaching scheme. A brochure on three squash courts, at a tentative cost of £7OOO, will be sent out in the next few weeks. The meeting considered Christchurch had an acute shortage of squash courts, and a set of courts could be built at Wilding Park. Mr W. Williamson made a donation of £lOOO to the association recently. This was made in the form of an unsecured loan, without interest. “This gift was quite unsolicited, and we are very grateful,” said Mr M. C. Healey, the chairman. “We have used it to pay our overdraft.”