Canterbury Has Poor Record In Tennis Rankings

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31380, 27 May 1967, Page 11

Canterbury Has Poor Record In Tennis Rankings

AS expected, the young Canterbury tennis player, J. W. Mitchell, has gained a place on the national men’s ranking Mst while still a junior but the province’s record remains a poor one.

In 15 yean Canterbury has had seven player* on the list but even this is deceptive. One of the seven was L. A. Gerrard, who in a fleeting moment of tris nine yean on the list, seven of them at top, was able to be labelled Oantertxiry. Also, in the first of the 15 yean taken into account, three Canteihucy men remarkably made th* rankings.

So in 14 years, and Gerrard excluded, Mitchell is only the third from the province to qualify. This surely makes his achievement all the more creditable because he starts with a geographical disadvantage which becomes a psychological one.

In 1934, A N. Briley, P. R. Vesty and W. J. Smith, of Cantertxiry, were ranked

seventh, eighth and ninth respectively. Then ensued a long gap before C. G. Judge obtained sixth place to 1961. Gerrard, in his Canterbury years, was first, and G. D. Moss, tenth, in 1962; Judge returned to ninth in 1965; and Mitcheii was seventh this year. The situation may not appear so dismal when it is known that 42 players have been on tire list to the 15 years, six from Canterbury without Gerrard. But because the inclusions of Canterbury players have been brief, the figures of eight ranking places in the 150 awarded Hoc the 15 years, or five for 140 to 14 years, or four wtihout Gerrard, are more revealing. All this shows just what an exclusive group Mitchell has joined at the age of 18; ft is to be hoped he can stay there and improve his position, if his over-riding academic interests allow it

The list was very much as forecast Mitchell was perhaps one place higher than many thought he would be because he got to ahead of the Davis Cup player, K O. Woolcott

Unusual is the inclusion of two brothers to the top 10 players to the Dominion, one of tire tow times ft can ever have happened to New Zealand. R. N. Hawkes is second and D. B. Hawkes

tenth. Both are Wellington players although their |>arents now live in Canter-

D.- B. Hawkes has prevented the fourth member of the current Davis Cup team, H. Broun, of Auckland, from taking the tenth position even though Broun beat him in the Wilis Invitation tournament in Wellington. In this appears an inconsistency by the selectors, Messrs A. S. Burns (Auckland), J. R. Bentley (Wellington), and G. D.

Lane (Canterbury). They name the rankings and they chose Broun for the team at the end of the New Zealand championships some time before Broun's defeat of Hawkes. Yet it has been confirmed that Hawkes, who is only two years older, was not asked if he was available for the Davis Cup team. B. E. Fairlie, justifiably top at the early age of 18, R. N. Hawkes, J. H. Lockington and O. Parun were certain to be the first four and almost certain to be in that order. Parun had slipped down as the season progressed. The next five were also widely predicted as J. B. Souter, R. G. Clarke, Mitchell, Woolcott and B. Young, although the order was much more doubtful. Mitchell had his two fine wins over Parun well recognised. Although she did not win the national title, Mrs E. Mitchell of Northland, deserved the top women’s place because she had two wins to one over Miss B.

Vercoe, Of Auckland, the second ranked national champion, and a good record against the others. Ranked third, the diminutive Mrs M. Headifen, of Wellington, was the only player to score over both Mrs Mitchell and Miss Vercoe during the season. Canterbury could not supply a player for the women’s list In the 15 years referred to—the year before that Miss J. Mac Gibbon, of Canterbury, was top—it has had four players listed, one of them. Mrs R. Davy, like Gerrard, a Canterbury resident for a year only. Miss L. Luxton, of Canterbury, was tenth to 1953, fourth to 1954, Miss J. Davidson was sixth, fourth, third, first third, and first in the six years from 1959 and Miss S. Rich joined her on the list at tenth to 1964. Mrs Davy was first to 1965. Other Canterbury figures are four players out of 48 listed for the 15 years, three excluding Mrs Davy; and 10 places out of the 150 awarded for the period, six of them obtained by Mias Davidson.