LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 60, 8 September 1938, Page 22

LAWN TENNIS

HUTT VALLEY AREA

GROUNDS QUESTION

The annual report of the .Hutt Valley Lawn Tennis Sub-association, to be presented at the annual meeting on September 13, states that the season just ended could be compared very favourably with any in the past. General keenness had been shown by the majority of members, and the standard of tennis was definitely on the upward trend.

Fifty-eight teams entered for the inter-club competition. The winners of the respective grades were:—Senior A and senior B, • Lower Hutt; junior, Randwick; third and fourth, Eastern Hutt; fifth, St. James. •'> The club championship was won by the Waiwhetu Club for the third year in succession.

The tournaments staged during the season did not receive the same support from players as preyiously. This would probably be remedied when the sub-association had its central courts iri the near future.

The committee was making every effort for this sub-association to become directly affiliated to New Zealand as an association. The matter was commenced by the lodging of a notice of motion at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Association, and this would be considered at the next quarterly meeting of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association.

The grounds committee, after inquiring and inspecting a number of areas in the Valley with a view to obtaining land suitable for courts, had finally decided on an area of approximately two acres in Randwick Road. The agreement for a lease of ten years at £11 per acre and a purchase price of £500 per acre had now been signed. The land was large enough to give the sub-association sixteen courts, six of which must be constructed within two years. When these courts were in use they would assist the sub-association m more ways than one. Clubs would be relieved, as it would not be necessary for the committee to use their courts, every third week as at present. Following a deputation from the committee to the Wellington lawn tennis committee arrangements had now been made whereby the top one or two ranked players of a sub-association, without having to travel to Miramar every weekend to compete in the Wellington ranking matches • would have an equal chance of selection for the Wellington Wilding Shield and Nunneley Casket teams, after two or three matches with the top Wellington P "During the season the ranking of leading players was put on a much better footing than before. A total of 155 ranking games was played, made up as follows:— Twenty senior men played 43 games. 15 senior women played 22 games, 15 junior men played 32 games, 9 junior women played 18 games, 10 boys played 18 games,1 and 17 girls played 27 games.