N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIPS

Evening Post, Issue 86, 8 October 1936, Page 25

N.Z. CHAMPIONSHIPS

INVITATION TO MCGRATH

An invitation to Mr. V. B. McGrath, of Australia, the present holder of.the New Zealand men's singles tennis title, to compete in the New Zealand tennis championships, to be held at Timaru at the beginning of January, has been issued by the management committee of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association. He is also being asked if he knows of any other leading Australian player who would make the trip. The secretary, Mr. H. N. Burns, is preparing a report to be presented at the next quarterly meeting of the council, regarding the question of New Zealand entering for the Davis Cup. , The management committee at its recent meeting expressed itself as being in favour of limitation of entries for the New Zealand championships and approved the following report for circulation to associations: — "It is desirable that the New Zealand championships should hot exceed six playing days, as any extension of time interferes with other tournaments. In the men's events, a player cannot be expected to play more than two five-set matches (one single and one double) and a three-set match (a mixed double) in one day. In the later rounds even these three matches would severely tax a player's stamina. Allowing for one day's rain it is advisable that the entries should be so limited as to permit of finishing in five days without undue strain on the players. With an entry of 32 in the singles and mixed doubles there would be five rounds required to complete in these events. It is desirable both from the point of view of the players and spectators that players who are below championship standard should not be permitted to enter. As a basis of discussion the management committee suggests that the entries be limited as follows:—

"(a) The number of entries shall be as follows: Men's singles and women's singles, 32 players; men's doubles and women's doubles, 16 pairs; mixed doubles, 32 pairs. "(b) In the case of more entries being received than the above numbers, then the following rules shall apply:— The entries of invited overseas players shall be accepted: the entries of ranked New Zealand players shall be accepted; the committee shall accept such further entries as they may select so as to make the numbers of entries up to 28 or 30 (in the committee's discretion) in the singles and mixed doubles and 14 in the doubles; the draw shall then be made as for the full number of entries as in clause (a), leaving blank the remaining two or four places as the case may be: all entries excluded in the draw shall then play in an elimination tournament to be played at the same place as the New Zealand tournament during the preceding two or three days, and the semi-finalists or finalists (as the case may be) in such elimination tournament shall be placed in the draw in the blank spaces provided.