Stephen Harley heading home

Press, 9 November 1983, Page 72

Stephen Harley heading home

By

JOHN BROOKS

Canterbury’s only Davis Cup squad member in the last 44 years, Stephen Harley, is to make a temporary return to the Christchurch tennis scene.

After three years and a half of coaching and playing in southern Germany, Harley will fly home early next month to visit relatives.

In his three-month stay he will contest several tournaments and link up with his former Canterbury team colleague, Michael Mooney, in the Edgeware senior club side. Since Harley’s departure for Ge-many in 1980, his former club, North Linwood, lost its' place in the senior

grade. His switch to Edgeware will alter the balance of power in the B.N.Z. interclub competitions. The club has just gained sponsorship from the Pavroc group, and will style itself Pavroc Edgeware in future. It is the second senior men’s team to enter into such an agreement. Harley, who lives in the town of Aalen, between Stuttgart and Munich, joined forces with Mooney and the two top Shirley players, Brett Hibbert and Peter Hampton, to win the Wilding Shield for Canterbury in 1979. This was the province’s first win for 40 years. All four players later played and coached in

southern Germany, but Harley is the only one who has not previously returned for a New Zealand summer. A former national junior champion, Harley was the first winner of the Canterbury “personality of the year” award. He was Canterbury singles champion in 1979 and won a place in the Davis Cup squad in 1980, the same season in which he gained his highest national senior ranking, sixth. Michael Mooney will be available for Edgeware for its next engagement, which will be against the champion Shirley side, and this will bring him up against a long standing rival in Hibbert.

But Edgeware might also

have Terry Mooney back as well this season. Although coaching activities have severely restricted his appearances in senior tennis for several seasons, he is again available for the side.

He has a good claim for inclusion, too.: Last weekend he won the club’s senior title. Meanwhile, the success of Chris Lewis in reaching the final of the .Wimbledon singles this year has had an , inspirational effect on the tiny tots of tennis. That is the contention of Mr Brian Batie, the publicity officer of the Canterbury Junior Lawn Tennis Association. “There has been phe-

nomenal growth in junior player numbers since Lewis’s efforts at Wimbledon,” he said yesterday. “We want to further promote junior tennis by catering for the eight and nine year olds, which is the age when the kids begin to co-ordinate bat with ball.” As an impetus for the drive to boost junior tennis at this level, Guthreys Travel Centre has agreed to enter into a three-year sponsorship of the Canterbury Primary Schools’ championships, which will be played on the three days of Show week-end. “All the senior management members, including Mr Ron Guthrey himself, are active participants in

tennis, and are keen to help the juniors,” Mr Batie said. “It is pleasing to see a Canterbury based company step into the breach. It made the offer without much persuasion.” The championships have attracted 159 entries, with the biggest sections being the boys of 11 years and the girls of 12. A new grade, for open Ils and 12s, will be introduced.

Four boys and four girls will be chosen after the tournament to play in Timaru on November 20. From this event Canterbury provincial representatives will be chosen for the national primary school titles at North Shore in January.