LAWN TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS

Wellington Management Committee INTER-CLUB RULES A meeting of the management committee of the AVelliugton Lawn Tennis Association was held last night, the chairman, Mr. J. L. Mac Duff, presiding. Last Saturday in the senior women s inter-club matches Thorndon and Miramar club teams were drawn to play each other. In this connection the following letter, which explains itself, was received from the secretary of tho Thorndon club, Mr. A. C. W. Mantcll-Harding:— “I have been instructed by my committee to bring to your notice a happening which was apparently allowed by your inter-club committee to take place when my club's senior ladies’ team played the Miramar ladies last Saturday. The action permitted was contrary to your association’s inter-club rules and it is_ mainly on the question of the principle involved that I have been directed to draw your attention to it. The facts as given to my committee are as follows:— "At approximately 1.30 p.m. the team slips were made out. by the respective team captains and handed to the representative of the inter-club committee and t’he teams proceeded to their allotted courts and commenced the game. “At approximately 2.20 p.m. Mrs. D. G. France arrived and intimated that she was playing for the Miramar team and had notified her club officials earlier in the week to that effect. She had not been included in the original team. However, after discussing the matter, the Mirajnar team decided to include her, and Mrs. Ferkins withdrew. “This action contravened the rule which provides for teams playing according to the names on the team slips. Then, as the two top women had played or wore playing their matches, Mrs. France played as No. 3 in the teain. This breaks the fourth rule, which stipulates that in singles, teams shall play their members in order of merit. “If the above facts as given to my committee are correct, then it seems that the rules laid down by your association are simply so much waste paper. But my committee respectfully suggests that your inter-club committee should in the future pay more attention to such matters as a gross injustice may be done to some other teams if in future similar happenings are allowed to go unchecked. My committee wishes it to be understood that it is bringing this matter forward on principle only, as the result of the match, which you will no doubt agree would never have been in doubt, has no hearing on the point.” It was emphasised by the committee that in any future similar cases the in-ter-club rules would be enforced and any matches won by the player would be considered as actually lost by default. _ The chairman stated that Mrs. N. Dickson had withdrawn from the ranking. This leaves the Nunneley Casket team as Misses F. Fernie, J. Doutbett, J. Burns and E. Plummer.