Players cane bookmakers

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33874, 20 June 1975, Page 28

Players cane bookmakers

i (N.Z. Press Assn—Copyright) ; LONDON. International tennis stars collected bundles of cash at the John Player tournament at Nottingham yesterday — not from the sponsors but from the

bookmakers, Ladbrokes. Ladbrokes introduced head-to-head betting on tennis matches for the first time, setting the odds from a courtside tent. It was an experiment . . . and it was a disaster. Ladbrokes ran out of money and had to send for an I armoured car to bring more from the '•nmpany’s I Nottingham bank. I The big winners were tennis players who knew all the form. For example, Ladi brakes studied the form

and decided that John | Alexander (Australia) would beat his countryman, Tony Roche. They also saw Mark Farrell (Britain), victor over the former Wimbledon champion, Stan Smith, in an earlier round, as a clear winner over another Australian Phil Dent. Immediately, there was a long queue as players put hundreds of pounds on these two matches. The players, of course, had it all worked out. They knew that Alexander had never beaten Rociie on grass, and that Farrell could not reproduce the fluke form which earned him victory over Smith. Ladbrokes suddenly realised they had not done their

homework. Firstly, they slasihed the odds, and then they refused to accept further bets. Dent strolled to a 6-4, 6-2, success over Farrell, and Roche, too, was greeted with roars of courtside approval as he beat Alexander, 6-4, 6-2. “This is ridiculous,” said the British player, Stephen Warboys. “I can make more money just watching than I can by playing.” The South African, Ray More, said to be one of tl.e day’s biggest winners, was delighted. “I think I may offer my services to Ladbrokes as a consultant,” he added. A Ladbrokes’ spokesman admitted the company

had taken a caning, and tennis authorities were understood to be concerned after yesterday’s spree. To prevent trouble arising in the future, it is thought players may be banned from betting activities.

The secretary of the British Lawn Tennis Federation, Mr Basil Reay, said later that players would be able to bet during Wimbledon. But he pointed out that international rules prohibit a player from betting on a match in which he was ' involved. “I feel sure the whole matter will be discussed at the international federation meeting in London in a fortnight,” Mr Reay said.