Changes in senior grade lawn tennis club teams

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33049, 17 October 1972, Page 30

Changes in senior grade lawn tennis club teams

(By

A. M. MENZIES)

Movement by players has brought the normal number oi the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association’s senior grades for the

The most significant changes are:— Senior men.—Losses have caused Woolston and Linwood Avenue to combine those left from last year into one team. The grade will still have six teams because Shirley is a new entrant. Senior women.—Originally the grade was to be restricted to four teams this season. The same six teams as last year entered, and it has now been decided that the standard of entry and courts available will allow five teams to be accepted. Therefore Beckenham and Elmwood will play a relegation match. NOVEMBER 4

The senior men’s grade, which will begin on November 4, will comprise Edgeware, North Linwood, United, Elmwood, Linwood AvenueWoolston, and Shirley. Team compositions have been affected mainly through players being away from Christchurch.

Linwood Avenue was bereft because C. G. Judge has retired and I. Stanton is overseas. Woolston lost D. Haworth to the new Shirley team. Haworth has been a Shirley member for some years and he will be joined in the team by the Hampton brothers and R. Adams. United lost R. N. Hawkes to Wellington towards the end of last season, but has gained an Otago senior player, E. Puddle. Edgeware has lost N. Dillon, who will leave soon for South Africa on a working holiday. Elmwood has lost L. Legge, who is now in Fiji, and North Linwood is without its top man, J. Martin, who is in Britain. PLAYERS RETURNING On the credit side, J. Mitchell, formerly the province’s top player, is expected back in Christchurch before Christmas, and it is also believed that the former

United player, R. McCutcheon, may return from overseas soon. Notable for her return to the women’s competition will be Mrs K. Graham, a prominent senior player in Christchurch before she lived in Dunedin for some years. She will play for Avonside, from which Miss S. Field has returned to Elmwood. Elmwood’s top player, the nationally ranked Mrs R. Hunt, will not be available until after Christmas. The other major move is that Miss J. Phillips has gone

from Beckenham to Shirley, which lost its top woman, Miss G. Hampton, now teaching in the North Island, in the middle of last season.

RELEGATION MATCH The (earns entered are Avonside, Beckenham, Edgeware, Elmwood, Shirley, and United. Beckenham and Elmwood will play their relegation match on October 28, and the grade will begin on November 18. For the senior reserve trade, Avonside, Beckenham, dgeware, Fendalton, North Linwood I and 11, Opawa,

changes to teams in coming season.

Shirley, United I and 11, and Elmwood were nominated. To keep the grade at 10 teams, Beckenham has been placed in the second men’s grade. The second men’s grade will have Burwood, Edgeware, Fendalton, Linwood Avenue, New Brighton I and 11, St Martins, Waimairi, Woolston, and Beckenham. These grades begin on November 18.

Five teams were entered for the first mixed A grade— Avonside, Beckenham, Cashmere, Fendalton, and Elmwood. To bring the number to the usual eight. North Linwood, Burwood, and Spreydon were promoted from the first mixed B entries. First mixed A will open on November 4. MIXED GRADES This leaves Barrington, Elmwood, Linwood Avenue, St Paul’s, Shirley, United, Woolston and Wycola Park in first mixed B, which will begin on November 18. The second mixed grade, to begin on November 4, will comprise Barrington, Burwood, Edgeware, Elmwood, North Beach, North Linwood, Spreydon, and Waimairi. President’s grade will begin this Saturday on Club courts with the following teams in order of draw: Barrington v. Burwood; Edgeware v. Opawa I; Opawa II v. Shirley I; Shirley II v. South Christchurch.

Altogether, the association will have 64 teams in its eight grades—two fewer than last season.