N.Z. loses doubles to Netherlands

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32873, 23 March 1972, Page 14

N.Z. loses doubles to Netherlands

iIV.Z.P.A.-Beuter— Copyright)

JOHANNESBURG.

New Zealand was eliminated by the Netherlands, the seventh seed, in the Federation Cup women’s team tennis tournament yesterday after one of the hardest-fought matches of the first round.

With the overnight score at 1-1, Mrs R. Hunt (formerly Miss Legge) and Miss M. Pryde tackled strongly the Dutch, pair, Misses B. Stove and T. Walhof-Groenman. The match took three hours to complete, the Netherlands finally winning. 15-13, 10-8.

In spite of her convincing, 6-1, 6-2, win over Miss M. Schaar the previous day, Miss Pryde proved the weak link in the New Zealand doubles team, and the Dutch easily coped with her soft service and volleys. Mrs Hunt was much more effective.

When rain stopped play yesterday, the Dutch were again in trouble, the Colombians, Miss I. Fernandez de Soto causing a surprise by beating Miss Schaar, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. Miss Stove is expected to beat Miss M. de Moggio in the second singles and that will again leave the doubles to decide the match. The tournament organisers announced later that because of time lost by rain, those second-round matches played yesterday in which a country had taken a 2-0 winning lead would be regarded as

complete. The doubles would not be played. Second round: Australia beat Canada, 2-0; United States beat Uruguay, 2-0; France beat Ecuador, 2-0: Britain led Argentina, 1-0; South Africa led Brazil, 1-0.