Matches against men helped women’s tennis champion

Press, 9 February 1983, Page 26

Matches against men helped women’s tennis champion

By

JOHN BROOKS

The spirit of Emily Panckhurst is not dead. It burns fiercely within Brenda

Perry, whose one-woman campaign for equal opportunities in Auckland tennis helped her win the New Zealand. Canterbury and Otago open singles titles in the last few weeks. Concerned that her career on the international circuits was in the doldrums and her standard of play virtually at a standstill. Miss Perry took the bold course of squeezing her way into the Auckland men's senior competition for the United Shield. She reasoned that if she could play regularly against men her game just had to improve. Eyebrows were raised in horror when she started lobbying for a place in the competition. It was not called a men's championship for nothing, she was told. And what about the precedent that would be created if she were admitted?'How could the committee then prevent a whimsical man from entering the women’s competition? But the young woman with the champagne hair style, gypsy earrings and piercing blue eyes was not easily dissuaded. Her entreaties eventually gained a favourable response, and she began

to trade shots with male opponents each week-end. She won some matches, and lost some, but her rivals soon got over the awkwardness they felt at playing against someone in a skirt. The most important development. however, was that Miss Perry's game took on a new dimension. She arrived at the net more punctually for her volleys, she acquired a defter touch with lobs and drop shots, and she gained confidence in her smashing. Although she was often at a physical disadvantage in matches against muscled males. Brenda Perry soon forgot about safety-first tactics from the baseline. When she returned to purely women’s competition on the national circuit, her results were spectacular. She routed her close rival of many seasons, Sally Moorfield. in the Canterbury singles and outfoxed the New Zealand ' Federation Cup player, Linda Stewart, to win the Otago title. In the national championship final, she again downed Miss Stewart. to demonstrate clearly that she is New Zealand's No. 1.

A Federation Cup player for three years, twice national junior singles champion. twice senior doubles winner, and senior singles title-holder for the first time in 1980. Miss Perry was a surprise omission from .the national side last year. There is no doubt that she must now be returned to the fray of international teams' competition.

But the benefits of the 25-year-old Auckland player's excursion into male territory should extend much further than that. Her passion for tennis will take her again to Britain, Europe and the United States this year as she strives for good results to bring her world ranking down below 100.

She has battled along on her own for several years, without the benefit of sponsorship or the guidance of a coach or manager. She admits that almost every aspect of her career suggests that she should stop. But the one redeeming feature is that she just loves tennis.

And while that feeling remains. Brenda Perry will keep hitting the ball across the net.