Vacancies in Canty tennis teams

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33987, 30 October 1975, Page 32

Vacancies in Canty tennis teams

I he Canterbury men's and women's tennis teams will face a period of reconstruction before the initial inter-district championship in December.

The women's side, winner of the Nunnerley Casket in the last two seasons, has lost the services of the former New Zealand champion, Mrs Rohvn Hunt, who recently wave birth to her second child. The men’s team, a semifinalist in the Wilding Shield competition last summer, will be without its second-ranked and third-ranked players. Simon Menzies and Carey Grading. Menzies, a lawyer, has taken up a post in Hamilton, and Grading has entered the University of Southern Colorado on a four-year scholarship. There were prospects of a powerful women’s team being formed, even allowing for ‘he absence of Mrs Hunt. Mrs Marilyn Lawrence (nee Pryde). the New Zealand women’s singles title winner, in 1968 and 1970, is now liv-1 ing in Christchurch; and the i fifth-ranked New Zealand player and former South Island singles champion. Miss i Shelly Monds. is studying at Lincoln College.

NOT SO BLEAK But Miss Monds intends to return to her home in Auckland at the end of the college year, and it is believed that Mrs Lawrence will confine her activities to club

play. In any case, she will; transfer to Whangarei in January. The position, however, is not as bleak as it might seem. Canterbury enjoyed its best season at national junior level last year, and recent tournaments at Wilding Park have shown that there are many gifted young players who will join the race for promotion. Michael Mooney. Stephen Harley. Hugh Robinson. Sally Chapman, and Julie Verdellen made a clean sweep of the New Zealand under-17 titles last season: David Neilson won a New Zealand under-19 doubles championship; and Brett Hib ben is a member of th? I national development squad. All these players can be ex-

(pected to bid for the vacant places. Mrs Shirley Haig and Misses Judith Phillips and : Christine Newton, all of ■ whom are nationally ranked, (will again be available for the women’s team: and the men's side will have the two • survivors of last season, Warren Edgecumbc and Peier Hampton. NEW FORMAT The new format for the national teams’ championships will be launched at Wilding Park immediately before the New Zealand title tournament. A three-day. round robin tournament will decide regional supremacy in men's and women’s tennis. Lach section will be contested by six teams.