N.Z.’s Federation Cup application the only one

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34021, 10 December 1975, Page 42

N.Z.’s Federation Cup application the only one

LV.Z.PA. Staff CrspdtJ LONDON. New Zealand's application to hold the 1978 Federation Cup for women’s tennis is unlikely to be considered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation before next July.

The federation' secretary (Mr Basil Reay) said yesterday) that no’ other ~ application to stage the event — the women’s equivalent of the Davis Cup — had been received.

New Zealand’s application was cabled to London after the General Election. Plans to hold the cup series in New Zealand in 1974 and this year were cancelled because the Labour Government would not. allow South Africa to be represented. “We gave New .Zealand a long, long time to get some agreement last time, but in the end we had to turn, it] down because, it could not) accept entries from all cotin-; tries,” Mr Reay said. “We; did so with great regret. I'm] sure there is a very good chance of the application for! 1978 being successful. " Confirming that he had re-1 ceived the renewed application. Mr Reay said nol decision was likely before] the federation’s annual meet-; ing in London next July. The 1976 Federation Cup will be held in the United States and rhe following year it will form part of the celebrations connected with the hundreth anniversary of] W’imbledon. .*jc # Cup challenge i North Canterbury will: play a three-day cricket! match for the Hawke Cup, against the holder in Febru-l ary. The match will include the week-end of February 13; and 14 and one day either] before or after the week-end.! The cup is held by South-; land, and if there is no change in the meantime the!

North Canterbury challenge will be played at Invercargill. North Canterbury won the right to a direct challenge by beating Marlborough last week-end in an elimination match at Blenheim. *5« >■< Ifor Id's No. 1 Arthur Ashe, the Wimbledon champion, is rated the world’s No. 1 tennis player! by “World Tennis” magazine in its 1975 rankings. Ashe succeeds Jimmy Connors, the 1974 leader whom he beat in the Wimbledon final this year. Connors is second this year, followed by Bjorn Borg (Sweden). Manuel Orantes (Spain), Hie Nastase (Rumania), Guillermo Vilas (Argentina), Raul Ramirez (Mexico), Rod Laver (Australia). Roscoe Tanner (United States), and Harold Solomon (United States). | £ I arsity match Cambridge, captained byAngus Stewart, a Canadian of Scottish descent, is firm favourite to beat Oxford for the fourth successive year in the annual University Rugby union thatch at Twickenham. Cambridge has free-scoring backs, b\it Oxford has a tough pack. Among [the experienced Oxford forwards are two South Africans, Dougal and Donald Macdonald, and two Australians, Roger Davis and Peter King, Cambridge has a former All Black and Wallaby three-quarter. Mike O'Callaghan, and Alan Wordsworth, an England cap, at stand-off, an England trialist,! Alistair Hignell, at full-back,: and a Scottish trialist, Rod! Grant, at centre. * --S * Skier better Roland Collombin. the! French skier, is in a satisfac-] tory condition in hospital at Basle, after breaking two

vertebrae in a fall at Vai d’lsere. The World Cup downhill champion two seasons ago and the 1972 Olympic silver medallist, Collombin was ferried out by helicopter after crashing in practice for the opening World Cup downhill event of the season. Doctors said he would have to remain immobilised for about, three months. * * * Ski safety The Internationa! Organisation for Standardisation is working on standards for ski equipment which might reduce accidents on the slopes. Lack of inter-nationally-agreed standards had created a great deal of confusion in the minds of skiers and retailers, with the result that far too many people were ski-ing with incorrect lv adjusted bindings, the 1.5.0. said. The 80nation Geneva-based organisation said it was liaising with manufacturers and medi-i cal experts on the draffirigi of international norms for skii bindings, testing equipment, binding screws, and strengths of ski materials. It has been calculated that 200,000 skiers a year in the United-. Stares alone are injured. Women's cricket Carmel Luxon has been named captain of the Canterbury- women’s second team to play in the national second eleven cricket tournament in Dunedin from January 23 to 28. Four of its regular nlayers —Jill Scrader, Sally Russell. Sheree Harris, and Ingrid Jagersman—will be in Australia with the Canterbury senior team and Pauline Hoban is not available. The team is: Luxon (captain), S. [Storey (vice-captain), R. Bell; ; D. Bremner. P. Bremner. D. [Brown, D. Cook. M. Harding, IJ. Jones, K. McDonald, N. 'Turner, N. Willianu.