Canterbury To Challenge For Wilding Shield

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31922, 25 February 1969, Page 18

Canterbury To Challenge For Wilding Shield

A decision to send a team to Auckland to challenge for the Wilding Shield was made at a meeting of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s management committee last evening.

However, the challenge will take place only if a suitable date can be arranged. March 22 and 23 have been laid down as the dates for the southern zone challenge but the Canterbury team will be below strength then because one of its top players, J. Martin, has a commitment.

Canterbury hopes to persuade Hutt Valley, the central zone challenger, to switch dates. Hutt Valley’s scheduled challenge Is for March 16. Failing this, negotiations will

be started with the national association to have the challenge on March 30. The northern zone challenge will be on March 9. Canterbury will meet Hutt Valley in a representative match next Sunday. The Canterbury team, announced last evening, is:— J. Mitchell, J. Martin, R. McCutcheon, P. Angland, Misses R. Dillon, S. Field, J. Habgood, G. Hampton.

To raise the standard of representative mixed doubles play and to give junior players more experience against senior players. the Wilding Shield team will play a special match against the Slazenger Shield junior boys’ team and the women’s Howe Shield team late next month. The meeting agreed that such a contest would be desirable after several members had criticised the standard of the mixed doubles in the recent match against Otago. Z. member of the selection panel (Dr W. J. Smith) said a special mixed doubles practice would be held on Wednesday for the Canterbury squad. More attention had to be given to this aspect of competition. Mr B. W. Crofts said many promising juniors failed to reach expectations when they played against seniors. They were being protected too long, said Mr A. D. Atkinson. It would be better to eliminate the under-19 grade. When Mr Crofts suggested a practice match between the Wilding Shield team and the Slazenger and Howe Shield teams. Dr Smith said he was not sure it was a good idea. "It won’t do these boys much good to get a thrashing," he said. Future representative squads will have to practice more if a recommendation to be considered by next season's management committee finds favour. It was agreed to recommend to the new committee that representative squads of eight men and eight women be chosen early tn the season and that two practices and one ranking match a week be compulsory for them.

"Players are not getting enough match practice,” said Mr H. Dillon.

Dr Smith said some leading players might have commitments and be unable to fulfil the requirements for practice., “We have got to be ruthless about it,” replied Mr Dillon. . Open Tournament It was decided to send a fresh application for an open tournament next season, subject tb New Zealand having only one open tournament in the season. Canterbury made its earlier application subject to sponsorship being found, but when Auckland and Wellington subsequent!') applied for the tournament (t was decided to make a fresh application without this clause. The chairman (Mr R. B. Brown) said that he expected a decision to be reached by the middle of March. He expressed confidence in Canterbury’s ability to hold the tournament, costing about $40,000. The annual “tennis week” wIU be held again next season, but may be tied in with a national scheme to promote the sport. Mr Brown said considerable money would be available frdm sponsorship from the national scheme for publicity. A date would be set when more wae known about the New Zealand association's plans. The annual representative match between Town and Country was set down for March 23.