Top tennis player omitted from under-16 team

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 76

Top tennis player omitted from under-16 team

By

DIANNA LESLIE

Ann Culhane has been struck from the Canterbury under-16 team list in spite of being selected in the Canterbury senior squad and holding a national under-age ranking.

The selection committee met for the second time on Monday night to hear Culhane and her mother defend their stand but after 2*4 hours reaffirmed its earlier decision to leave Culhane out of the line-up. “I feel the whole thing is a total misunderstanding from start to finish. I have played in four team events over the years and they have chosen to make an example of me so that no-one'else will do it,” said Culhane. Culhane failed to return a signed circular to the committee confirming her availability for selection in the team and when pressed by officials over the telephone she became angry at their persistence and later actions.*

“At the time we received the circular my mother was very sick and the family was under a lot of strain. I did not read the circular fully and we apologised for that — we even presented the committee with a medical certificate confirming my mother’s illness. But I also saw it as an opportunity to make a protest about what the association did to me last year,” she said.

Culhane was scheduled to play against a competitor from the North Island in the final of the Canterbury consolation draw at the Canterbury under-age championships: last year. The match was rained out and it was agreed it could be played at the national championships when the girls met in that draw.

"Before I went on the court at the' nationals I asked Mr Brightwell (an official from the association) if it counted for the Canterbury championship match as well. He assured me it did. I won the match, and then the

North Island girl said she wasn’t aware that we were playing for both. So the Canterbury association said we would have to replay the game. I refused because I had already played it, so they defaulted me. For a local association to turn their backs on their own player — it’s almost unheard of,” said Culhane. After unsuccessful telephone calls to encourage Culhane to rethink her position, Brian Batie and Brian Faulls, the convenor for the junior selection committee and the past president of the association respectively, approached Culhane’s father about the matter.

“They should have talked to me. I am old enough to talk for myself. The support they should have given me wasn’t there,” said Culhane.

Culhane - at present holds a national ranking of No. 8 in the under-16 age group and would undoubtedly be a valuable asset in the Canterbury tejjm to play in the

national championships from January 11 to 15. She won 80 per cent of her matches at the top of the under-16 Canterbury team last year and her attitude has been above reproach. “There is definitely no question about her conduct and certainly none about her considerable ability, but Ann didn’t return her circular and when we contacted her she wasn’t prepared to play the ranking games to gain selection,” Mr Batie said. “She thought she should be considered on merit, not on the rankings. We couldn’t select her because she would not comply with the conditions.

"There is really nothing we can do now... It’s a pity that it has happened.” Both sides appear to be firmly adhering to definite principles but the ensuing status quo could easily jeopardise the Canterbury team’s chances of winning • the national teams’ event. f