Parun Revives Cup Hopes

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31947, 26 March 1969, Page 19

Parun Revives Cup Hopes

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON.

New Zealand might be on the way to a meritorious, and most significant, Davis Cup victory over West Germany after a return to form of O. N. Parun (Wellington) in a tournament in Caracas, Venezuela.

Parun, who had been in poor form during his Caribbean tour of eight tournaments with New Zealand’s other leading tennis player, B. E. Fairlie (Auckland), defeated the West German Davis Cup player, I. Buding, 6-4, 6-4, in a quarter-final of the plate event at Caracas. In his semi-final, Parun beat the 1968 Australian Davis Cup squad member, P. Dent, 46, 6-2, 7-5. In the final, he lost, 6-3, 8-10, 6-4, to J. Alexander (Australia), who

■played for his country in the challenge round against the United States last year. Buding, the West German No. 1, has now been beaten in successive season’s by both Fairlie and Parun. New Zealand will meet West Germany in its first cup match of the year in May at Cologne. The results of Parun’s matches—he was given cufflinks valued at 8100 for his efforts—were reported to a meeting of the N.Z.L.T.A. management committee by the chairman (Mr S. Painter). LUCK ON THEIR SIDE However, Parun and Fairlie must now be casting a wondering eye on the aircraft they catch to and from their various tennis venues. The jet in which they flew to Caracas, Venezuela, was the one which, a few hours later, taking off from Maracaibo, Venezuela, crashed in aviation’s worst disaster. The plane in which they were due to leave Caracas after after the end of the tournament—but through circumstances they were not able to catch—was one which was hijacked to Cuba. “Their luck seems to be running,” said a member of the national association’s management committee.