Youngest N.Z. Davis Cup Team Leaves On Tour

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31335, 4 April 1967, Page 19

Youngest N.Z. Davis Cup Team Leaves On Tour

The New Zealand Davis Cup team, which left from Auckland yesterday for its overseas tour, is the youngest the Dominion has entered —B. E. Fairlie (Auckland), aged 18, O. Parun (Wellington), aged 20, K. E. Woolcott (Hutt Valley), aged 20, and H. Broun (Auckland), aged 18.

The eighteenth New Zealand Davis Cup side since the Dominion separated from Australia (they were Australasia) in the early 20s, it is the tenth since the Second World War. Teams have been sent every year since 1959.

Fairiie, Parun and Woolcott all toured with last year’s team but they were led by a

player with the wide international experience of L. A. Gerrard who has since turned professional and lives in the United States.

The young New Zealanders are drawn to play Mexico at Mexico City from April 15 to 17. According to the draw for the American zone, the winner will meet the winner of the match between the United States and British Caribbean, this contest to be completed by May 29. In the southern section of the zone, Venezuela will play

Argentina and Ecuador, has a bye in the first round. The New Zealand team will have about 10 days to become acclimatised to a 7000 ft altitude in Mexico City before the tie. This was a problem for a New Zealand team which met Mexico at Mexico City in 1964 and lost by 3 matches to 1 with one drawn. New Zealand lost to Mexico again the next year after it had beaten British Caribbean.

In the last few days, after competing in the national hard-court championships at Dunedin at Easter, the team has been training in Auckland with the help of the Australian professional, A. Salter, and a former New Zealand Davis Cup player, J. E. Robson, who has been able to give the team advice on conditions in Mexico City. If the team is unsuccessful in the first-round tie with Mexico City, it is likely to travel to the Continent for some hard-court experience and may compete in the Italian or French championships. It is expected to arrive in Britain at the end of May and will play in numerous grass court championships leading up to Wimbledon for two weeks from June 22.