WOMEN APPLY FOR PERMISSION Dispute continues but solution now likely

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32779, 2 December 1971, Page 26

WOMEN APPLY FOR PERMISSION Dispute continues but solution now likely

(By A. M. MENZIES)

The dispute between the Australian Lawn Tennis Association and the three Australian tennis players competing in the Benson and Hedges women’s tournament at Wilding Park may be over today—at least as far as Christchurch is concerned.

Yesterday afternoon, the three women —Mrs J. Dalton, Misses K. Melville and L. Hunt—cabled Australia for permission to play in the Christchurch tournament and the New Zealand open in Auckland next week.

Earlier, the secretary of the New Zealand association (Mr D. iR. Massam) telephoned the chairman of the Canterbury association (Mr R. B. Brown) to tell him that the national body had been in touch with the controller of the group the women belong to, Mrs Gladys Heldman. Mrs Heldman had previously instructed her players not to apply for permission, presumably because the Australian association had indicated it would give permission for the Christchurch tournament but not for the Auckland one, which clashes with the Queensland cham-

pionships. The Canterbury association had applied to the Australian association for pennis-

sion to include the players, but had been told by the Australian secretary that the women must apply personally. The three women arrived in New Zealand not having applied. The NJZ.L.T.A. then told the Canterbury association that it must ensure the women applied for permission or it could not accept their entries. Canterbury decided to defy this instruction. Yesterday. Mr Massam informed Mr Brown that) Mrs Heldman had now said that her players could apply to the Australian association and Mr Brown should get them to do so before they played. At this stage none had arrived at the courts. Waited for others Miss Hunt was first to arrive, and she said that she could not give her decision until she consulted the others. She was playing by the time Miss Melville and Mrs Dalton arrived.

In the meantime, Mr Brown had another call from Mr Massam, who said that the N.Z.L.TA. had now had a cable from the Internationa) Lawn Tennis Federation which said that if the girls played in the Christchurch tournament and were declared not of good standing by the Australian association, it "could have serious consequences” for the New Zealand association. After Miss Hunt had completed her match, the three held a discussion which also

involved Mrs B. J. King, and then telephoned Mrs Heldman in Houston, Texas. She told them that if the New Zealand association would be relieved of the threat of “serious consequences” they could apply if they wished. They sent the following cable to the secretary of the Australian association at 4.30 p.m.: “Melville, Hunt, Dalton request permission to compete Christchurch and Auckland. Please advise, Dalton.”

After this Miss Melville and Miss Hunt played in a first-round doubles. Now the players are awaiting the reply to the cable which is not expected until today. Mrs Dalton said later that she had applied to the Australian association only to protect the New Zealand association, and Canterbury officials agreed that she was doing everything to help them. Mrs Dalton also said that Mr J. P. Young, a member of the council of the Aus-

tralian association, who was in Wellington on business, had been in touch with her and had told her that he, for one, did not know that the Canterbury association had applied for permission. • The application was made in a letter dated November 19, and the reply from the Australian association secretary was dated November 26. Mrs Dalton also said that by that time the Australian president, Mr Wayne Reid, had left for a meeting of the 1.L.T.F., so he probably did not know either.

Asked what would be done if permission was granted for the Christchurch tournament but not for the Auckland one, Mrs Dalton said that they would play at Auckland. She said she could not see that they had to obtain permission for the Auckland tournament because it was open, and even though it clashed with the Queensland championships, the Australian association had known all along that they were not going to play in Brisbane anyway.