TENNIS CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 32, 1 November 1928, Page 13

TENNIS CONTROL

MEETING OF NEW ZEALAND COUNCIL ENGLISH TEAM’S VISIT PLEA FOR ENCOURAGEMENT OF JUNIORS The quarterly meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association was held in Wellington last evening, when the chairman (Mr. M. E. Denniston) presided over an attendance of 25 delegates from all parts of both islands. The chairman extended a welcome to the two Canterbury delegates, Messrs. W. Goss and R. Browning, who took their seats for the first time. Mr. Goss, in acknowledging the welcome, said that their presence at the council table was not because Canterbury were dissatisfied with the manner in which they had been represented in the past, but in order that they might be able to carry back to the placers in their province first-hand information of what was being done by the parent body. English Visit. “The arrangements for the visit of the English team and the details of the itinerary were dealt with in the quarterly report. In drawing up the itinerary consideration of the financial conditions of the tour governed, to a great extent, the location of the matches to be played during the two week-ends available,” it--was stated. “The financial conditions stipulate that 50 per cent, of the gate receipts of all matches, with a minimum guarantee of £2OO, is to be paid to the Lawn Tennis Association. It must be borne in mind that the financial result of this team’s visit to New Zealand will probably be considered when future tours are being arranged.” 1928 Championships. The programme of events for the New Zealand championships has been amended, and will this year include doubles events for junior player under eighteen years of age. The matches in the N.Z.L.T.A. Plate have been amended, and will be played the best of three advantage sets. In proposing the adoption of the report, the chairman said that the members of the .English team had expressed their appreciation of the arrangements made for their visit to Christchurch. At Mr. Sabelli’s expressed desire, the English team was going to play .a match against a Maori team, at Rotorua. Dr. Mercer (Hawke’s Bay), seconded the motion to adopt the quarterly report, which was carried. Should Funds be Invested? Mr. N. A. Foden '(Poverty. Bay and East Coast), in accordance with notice, submitted the following motion: “That the management committee be requested to make inquiries, and report to the next quarterly general meeting as to the possibility of finding'a safe short-term investment for a period not longer than three years, for the sum of £lOOO of the accumulated fund, at a rate not lower than six per cent, per annum.” On being put to the vote, the motion was defeated, only three associations supporting it. Better Standard Desired. Mr. Foden then moved: “That a fund should be set aside to enable grants to be made to associations for the benefit of school tennis or towards the expenses of an annual North v. South match.” In supporting the motion Mr. Foden said that it appeared that the association had no definite policy beyond the ordinary routine of conducting tennis affairs. The Christmas tournameht was, to his mind, not sufficient to bring the standard of New Zealand tennis up to the pitch which would enable them to compete with overseas players. If a special fund were set aside to enable school tennis to be fostered it would be a step in the right direction. Tennis had come into its own during the past few years, and.it was time the opposition to tennis in the secondary schools was broken down. An annual North v. South match would also do a great deal to improve the standard of play in the Dominion. Mr. W. T. Harbison (Wellington) seconded the motion. He, said that in almost all sports nowadays they had a contest between the North and South Islands, and he did not see why they should not inaugurate an annual tennis trial • of strength between the islands. Mr. B. Kean (Marlborough) was of opinion that they should either concentrate on the encouragement of school tennis or the North v., South Island match. Tennis was not supported by champions; it was the rank and file who kept the game going. The association would do better to make grants to the various associations to help them to encourage the game amongst the schools. Mr. W. Goss (Canterbury) said that the matter was one for the individual associations and not for the Dominion council. A North v. South match would be self-supporting and would not cost the New Zealand association one penny. Mr. W. J. Melody (Wanganui) said if £4O or £5O were set aside to encourage school tennis it would be better than all the theorising which had been going on for several years past. It was the duty of the parent body to give the associations a lead. It was high time something practical was done, and less said about what should be done. Mr. J. N. Goldie (West Coast) opposed the motion. The whole crux of the matter, he said, was (.fiat the motion started at the wrong end. School tennis should be fostered by the clubs and work up to the Dominion association. The New Zealand association could spend hundreds of pounds in fostering junior tennis and other associations might do nothing. Mr. H. M. Boddington (Wairarapa) thought the New Zealand association should subsidise junior players to help them to go to the annual championships. Mr. Denniston: That is a policy of the association. Mr. Boddington:, Then why not let the associations know about it? The chairman: We have done so. Mr. Boddington: If you can showe me where you have notified this in any one of your annual reports I will donate a £5 cup. In replying Mr. Foden said that at present they had no record of what the associations were doing to foster junior tennis. It was perhaps because they had-no funds. ‘ , i On being put to the vote the motion was lost. Airing Complaints. A third notice of motion by Mr. Foden was in the following terms: “That associations be circularised to the effect that the council considers all complaints should be submitted to the association delegate and his reply received before such complaints are made public.” Mr. Foden, in supporting his motion, said that in Wellington various members had made a practice of rushing to the Press, and the- result had done no good to tennis. The idea of introducing the delegates was to link up the associations with the council. The administration of tennis in New Zealand had been conducted without much friction, and if there were causes of complaint he thought they should not be used for the purposes of propaganda. „ KT The motion was seconded by Mr. G. N. Goldie. , , Mr. W. Goss (Canterbury) asked if there had ever been a complaint before the council regarding this matter. The chairman: Frankly, I do not know wfiat Mr. Foden is driving at. For instance there was a complaint in a Dunedin paper because W’e did not send the British team to Dunedin. Is this the kind of thing you are referring to? Mr. Foden said that he was not referring to any particular association. There had been trivial matters ventilated in the Press which" could havfi been S.agily .ex-.

plained had they been referred to the delegates.

Mr. H. I. Graves said that in most cases matters were arranged by the council before delegates were aware of what was being done. The decision not to send the English team to Dunedin, was a case in point. Mr. Goss: It is a great pity that this council should consider it necessary to use disciplinary measures in connection with the associations. The less the council does in this direction, the better. 1 would be very sorry to see anything done to curtail the activities of the Press. In Christchurch we have several tennis enthusiasts connected with the Press, who do a great deal for the game by reporting matches, and commenting upon the play, and we are very grateful to them. Mr. Foden, in replying, asked who in New Zealand would attempt to curtail the activities of the Press? The chairman: Only a Mussolini. Continuing, Mr. Foden said that if not curbed, the comments which had been appearing in the Press in the Dominion might get overseas, and lead to the idea that there was dissension in tennis ranks in this country. He, himself, criticised the council if he deemed it necessary, but he considered them a responsible body, and if all complaints were referred to delegates, he thought most of them would he safely explained away. On a show of hands, the motion was carried by .fourteen votes to four. Notice of Motion. Mr. M. E. F. Airey (Wellington) tabled the following notice of motion: “That with a view to encouraging school tennis, this association should make a small annual grant to all affiliated associations, where there are schools devoted to this purpose, at the same time asking each association to report how this grant was expended.” BRITAIN v. WELLINGTON MATCHES ABANDONED The tennis matches between Britain and Wellington which were to have been played on \ the Association Grounds at Miramar yesterday had to be abandoned on account of the heavy rain. The British team and the New Zealand representatives, G. Ollivier, N. R. C. Wilson and D. G. France, left last night for Auckland, where the Test matches will be played. It is understood that those who reserved seats for the matches will have their money refunded on making application. WORLD’S FIRST TEN LADIES (Australian Press Association.) (Rec. October 31, 11.45 a.m.) New York, October 30. The following ranking list has been selected by S. Wallis Myers, the famous British tennis critic, as the world’s leading women tennis players: — 1. Miss Helen Wills (U.S.A ). 2. Signorita E. d’Alvarez (Spain). 3. Miss Daphne Akhurst (Australia). 4. Miss Eileen Bennett (England). 5. Mrs. Phoebe Watson (England). 6. Miss Elizabeth Ryan (U.S.A.). 7. Fraulein Cecile Aussem (Germany) 8. Miss Kea Bouman (Holland). 9. Miss Helen Jacobs (U.S.A.), 10. Miss Esna Boyd (Australia). COMPROMISE IN TAX WAR (Australian Press Association.) (Rec. October 31, 12.30 p.m.) Paris, October 30. The Treasury is prepared to consider a compromise in the matter of the taxation of lawn tennis matches, enabling the Davis Cup contests to be played in France and a continuation of the tournaments on the Riviera and elsewhere. PROVINCIAL LADDER (To the Editor.) Sir,— Although the 1928 ladder scheme of the Wellington Provincial Lawn Tennis Association has been less than a month in operation, no small amount of bickering has already taken place in connection with the allocation of challenge matches. Priority of application should be the sole determinant in connection with the allocation of all ladder matches, and the rather elaborate system of challenging that obtains at present is no less free from suspicion than have been the methods adopted in the past. I trust I am correct in assuming that the association brought in its ladder scheme entirely with the idea of raising the standard of play amongst the leading players, and not as a revenue-producing medium. Might I suggest, therefore, that instead of enclosing the fee of one shilling with every challenge lodged, players be obliged to forward all challenges by telegram. Priority of application would then be an easy matter to decide (the date and time being shown on the telegram). Challengers would feel more at ease, and the ladder secretary’s task would for the first time in tennis history be more or less of a sinecure.—l am, etc., W. J. MELODY. Wellington, October 29.