Talented Australians in Wilding Park games

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33121, 11 January 1973, Page 3

Talented Australians in Wilding Park games

(By

A. M. MENZIES)

Some talented young Australian tennis players showed what their strong competition at home produces, on the first day of the Linton and Wilson cups tournament at Wilding Park yesterday.

By the end of the day all the winning teams had won by the maximum three points—and the New Zealand girls’ team was one of these. However, the eagerly awaited meeting between the New Zealand junior champion, R. Simpson, and P. Kronk, of Queensland —who beat Simpson in the final on the 1972 Australian junior championship—was rather an anti-climax, because Kronk was nearly always in control. True to seedings All the cup matches had results according to the seedings. In the Linton Cup, New South Wales (seeded 1) beat Tasmania (7); Queensland (3) beat New Zealand (5); and Victoria (4) beat South Australia (6) —all by three matches to none.

In the Wilson Cup, New South Wales (1) beat Tasmania (7); Victoria (3) beat Western Australia (5); and New Zealand (4) beat South Australia (6) — again by three matches to none. In addition, matches with the New Zealand second teams, which do not count

for points, resulted in the Western Australian boys beating New Zealand, 2-1, and the Queensland girls winning, 3-0. Extra interest But at the end of the day it was the second New Zealand boys’ team which took the spectators away from the centre court far out to court 23. Western Australia holds the cup, but using its third and fourth singles players won a singles and lost one. It played its top pair, R. Casey and P. Sofoulis, in the doubles and beat the little C. England, and C. Lewis, who is far from a giant either, 4-6, 6-4, 11-9. England, always a crowd-pleaser, was in fine form. The tournament is run with the strictness of a Davis Cup tie. Managers submitted the order of their teams before play began and from this they must not vary. Playeis were oh the courts at the appointed times, the hit-ups took only the allowed five minutes. Health problems But some managers also had their problems. The Australians have brought with

them, as well as their tennis skills, a virulent bug which has laid some of them low. For instance, the top player in the Western Australian girls’ side, S. Taylor was not available for yesterday’s match with Victoria but this was balanced a little because Victoria’s numbei two, G. Williams, was down with the same tonsilitis-type infection. And the poor Tasmanian manager had his second player, A. Lovell, out of the running, and his fourth, R. Turner, not too well either.

although she played. His team met the strong New South Wales girls, so the re-

sult might have been little different if they had been fit. No fluke The 18-year-old Kronk, from Coulandra, a seaside resort about 80 miles north of Brisbane, is an impressive player indeed. He hits every ball hard, attacking even from defensive positions — he was not in a great number of these. Kronk’s ground strokes were powerful, especially a slashing backhand, which might have been labelled a fluke if it had not gone in so often; his volleys were buried.

Last January, Kronk beat Simpson in the Linton Cup and again in the Australian junior final but it was thought that Simpson, after his tour overseas, might now be closer to him.

In fact, Kronk moved quickly through the first set, 6-1, when Simpson could do little right, and although the Queenslander had to play harder for the second set, when Simpson was much steadier and recovered well from 2-5 down to 5-5, Kronk always looked as if he could pull out the extra required to win. Topspin used New Zealand’s second, the Waikato boy, D. Sutherland, played a courageous retrieving game against D. Carter, the Australian under 16 hard court champion. Sutherland was beaten, 6-4, 6-4. although he had a service break for an early lead in the second set. Sutherland lobbed well to drive his opponent to error but it was noticeable that both the Queensland boys could use the tonsoun lob as an attacking shot. Kronk. who uses a lot of topspin anyway, actually finished bis match with one. Like Queensland with New I Zealand, New South Wales against Tasmania, and Victoria against South Australia, w«n their three matches in straight sets. Strong players The top Victorian. P McNamee, who recently won the Australian junior title for 1973. was taken to 5-7 in his first set with J. Collins, of South Australia. but he won the next, <5-1. McNamee’s court coverage was one of his strong points. And the New South Wales singles pair, C. Kachel and M. Edmondson. gave away few games t" their Tasmanian opponents, P. Armstrong and B. RnHinson, respectively. The Naw Zealand girls began

• well with their success over South Australia, a team thev also beat last year. First. S. Armstrong, the strong Otago girl, beat G. Schipanski. 6-3, 6-3. while P. Elliott, of Waikato, the top New Zealander, had dropped her first set, 7-9. but was up. 4-2 In her second set with J Fenwick. The set developed into a tense struggle as Miss Fenwick, aged only 15 and even slighter than Miss Elliott, who is not noted for her size, caught up at 4-4 I and 5-5 and led at 6-5. In the end Miss Fenwick tired in the; driving ' rallies and the New Zealander, quietly encouraging ■ herself, determinedly took the 1 second set. 8-6, and the third. 6-1. Holders pushed The girls from Victoria, which holds the title, were taken to 1 three sets in their three matches with Western Australia. The top player, L. Raymond, did not serve as well as she might have against M. Sawyer, and she had to last better in a match of long rallies.

New South Wales, on the other hand, like the state's boys’ team, dropped few games against Tasmania—D. Fromholtz, who made a name for herself recently bv reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian open at the age of 16. lost only one to C. Griffiths Because it had only three players here and because of the pressure on them, the South Australian boys team will not plav New Zealand II in the second round of the Linton Cup this morning. Results: — LINTON CUP Queensland 3, New Zealand 0 Singles. — P. Kronk beat R Simpson, 6-1, 7-5; D. Carter beat D. Sutherland, 6-4, 6-4. Doubles. —Kronk and D. Collings beat Simpson and Sutherland, 6-3, 6-4. Victoria 3, South Australia 0 Singles.—P. McNamee beat J. Collins, 7-5, 6-1; S. Myers beat M. Branden, 6-3, 6-1. Doubles.—Myers and T. Little beat Collins and M. Patfull, 6-2, 6-2. New South Wales 3, Tasmania 0 Singles. — C. Kachel beat P. Armstrong, 6-2, 6-3; M. Edmondson beat B. Robinson, 6-1, 6-0. Doubles.—T. Saunders and G. Thoroughgood beat S. Dance and D. Tunbridge, 6-2, 6-1. Western Australia 2, New Zealand II 1 Singles. — R. Olivieri beat G Slater, 9-7, 9-7; J. Hunt lost to R. Healey, 7-5, 3-6, 4-6. Doubles. — R. Casey and P. Sofoulis beat C. England and C. Lewis, 4-6, 6-4, 11-9. WILSON CUP New Zealand 3, South Australia 0 Singles —P. Elliott beat J. Fenwick, 7-9. 8-6, 6-1; S. Armstrong beat G. Schipanski, 6-3, 6-3. Doubles. — Armstrong and L. Ward beat Schipanski and A. Cox, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. New South Wales 3, Tasmania 0 Singles.—D. Fromholtz beat C. Griffiths, 6-0, 6-1; C. O'Neill beat; R. Turner, 6-2, 6-1. Doubles.—H. Crozier and J. Walker beat Griffiths and J Clarke. 6-0, 6-0. Victoria 3, Western Australia 0 Singles.—L. Raymond beat M. Sawyler, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4; C. Cerate beat P. Saunders, 6-1. 4-6, 6-3. Doubles. — Raymond and J. Staines beat Sawyer and A. Layman, 5-7, 6-0, 6-4. Queensland 3, New Zealand II 0 Singles.—D. Kelly beat C. Newton, 6-3, 6-4: P. King beat S. Tebutt, 6-2, 6-3. Doubles.—N. Gregory’ and S., Arnott beat L. Milne and J. Gar-' vey, 6-1, 6-1. DRAW FOR TODAY Linton Cup.—9 a.m.: New South Wales v Queensland. West Australia v. Victoria. New Zealand v. Tasmania. 1 p.m.: New South Wales v. New Zealand. West Australia v. South Australia, Queensland v. Tasmania, Victoria v. New Zealand B. Wilson Cup.—9 a.m.: New South Wales v. Victoria, Queensland v. New Zealand, West Australia v. Tasmania, South Australia v. New Zealand B. 1 p.m.: New South Wales v. West Australia, Queensland v. South Australia. Victoria v. Tasmania, New Zealand v. New Zealand B.