TENNIS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 1 December 1928, Page 12

TENNIS

1 TOURNAMENT FIXTURES. I N.Z. Championships —December 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 (ait Auckland). I North Otago Championships and HotnidiI caps—Christmas dates (at Oamairu) I Marlborough. Champion ships amid Handicaps—Christmas dates (at Blenheim). Southland Championships and Handicaps—Christmas dates (at Invelrcargill). Martiuborough Championships amd Handicaps —December 26, 27, 28, 29 (at Mantinborou'gh). Canterbury Open and Handicaps'—.December 25 to 31 (ait Wilding Park). Poverty Bay and East Coast Championships and Handicap—December 20, 27, 28, 29 (at Gisborne). Rotorua Club Championships- aind Handicaps' —December 25, 26, 27 (at Rotorua). Auckland Handicaps—December 31, January 1 and 2 (at Auckland). Hastings Club Championships and Handicaps—December 26, 27, 28, 29 (at Hastings). Hawera GLub Championships and Handicaps —December 26, 27, 28 > 29 (at Hawera). Waikato East Championships and Handicaps—December 29, 31, Jainuary 1 and 2 (at Matamata). Gilagoi Chalmpiom'ships and Handicaps— January 1,2, 8 (at Dunedin). Wanganui Championships and Handicaps—January 1,2, 3. (at Wamgai mui). Taranaki Championships and Handicaps • —January 2,3, 4, 5 (at New Ply mouth). South Canterbury Championships aind Handicaps—January 1,2, 3 (at (Timaru). I Pahiart.ua Club Championships and Handicaps —January 1,2, 3 (at Pahiatua). Mamawatu Championships and Handicaps—January 7,8, 9, 10 (at Palmerston North). Waipukurau Club Championships and Handicaps—January 10, 11, 12 (at Waipukurau). Waipawa. Club Championships alnd Handicaps—January 15, 16, .17 (at Waipawa)., Wdlingltom Champion-ships and Handicaps—January 19, 21, 22, 23 (at Miramar). Wairarapa North Island Championships and Wairarapa Championships and Handicaps—January 19, 2.1, 22, 23 ( (at Mas-teuton). Canterbury Champ ion ships and Handicaps—January 24, 25, 26 (ait Wilding Park). Auckland Championships and Handicaps—January 25, 26, 2S, 29 (at Stanley Street). West Coast Championships alnd Handicap's —January 23, 24, 25 (at Greymouth) . Da/nuevirke Club Championships and Handicaps—Janaury 26, 28, 29, 30 (at Dammevirke). Maori Championships—March 19 to 23 (at Hamilton), and aill finals Ngaruawahia. ! EASTER DATES.

Otagoi—South Island Championships (at Dunedin). Wellington—Hard Court Championships and Handicaps (ait Miramax). Nelson—Championships and Handicaps (at Nelson). Canterbury—Open and Handicaps (at Wilding Park). Hawke’s Bay—Championships and Handicaps (at Napier). North Auckland —Championships alnd Handicaps (at Whangaxei). Waikato—Championships and Handicaps (at Hamilton). Thames Valley Championships and Handicaps (at Te Aroha). ' St. John’s Club —Championships and i Handicaps (at Wanganui). Birkenhead -and Northeote Club — Championships and Handicaps (at Nortlrcote). New Zealand University Chataipiotnships (at Christchurch). Tennis players in the Dominion olre being weili catered for with tournaments this season, there being 38 already approved by the New Zealand Association. From Christmas time right -up to Bolster tennis players will halve championship and " handicap tournaments in plenty to pick from, and they can compete in the sunny North at Whalmgarei, or ais far So-uth. I-nvei* air gill, with many intermediate locations- to select from -for tennis’ jaunts. The Kaikoura, f - Rodney, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, To ! Aroha -and Whakatane clubs, which ran ( tournaments last year, have not yet sent in applications, but they may do j so- iu the neat future. The Motueka | Club in the past has run a big tournament which catered for clubs in that | district, amd the club would do- well to see that am application is sent through the Nelson Association to the New Zea- ! land Association for approval this year. J

LOCAL COUNTRY CLUBS.

To-daiy .sees the second series of the Egmont (Country) Association’s fixtures: St. Joseph.’s (Eltkam) v. Auroa, ait Eltham; Riverlea v. Kaponga, ait Riverlea! ; Otakeho v. To Ngutu, ait Otakeho. The matches will be continued for three more Saturdays. It is excellent to see such keen enthusiasm among the smaller clubs and the movement must be a valuable aid ito- the | game in this area.. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. The entry forms for the thirty-ninth annual New Zealand championship meeting alre now in circulation. The national title's axe to be 'contested os the Auckland Association’s' courts at Stanley 'street during 26th, 27th, 2Sth, 29th and 31st December, and following days If necessary. The following events are on the programme: Men’s singles, Indies’ singles, men’s double's, ladies’ doubles, mixed double's, boys’ singles, girls’ singles, boys’ doubles, girls’ doubles, and .junior mixed doubles, as well ais the New Zealand Plato singles, which is open to. players who have been defeated in the first or second rounds of the men’s singles championship. Entries must reach the secretary, Mr D. Murray Kean, 219 Lambton Quay, Wellington, on or before Friday, 14th December. Junior events will nut commence before 27th December. In events 1 to 5 inclusive oil tho programme, tho draw will bo “seeded” by the management committee. In junior events 6 to 10 inclusive, no contest will be held in any event for which the minimum entry is not received. The minimum entries shall be: For boys’ and girls’ singles, not less than eight in each; for boys’ and girls’ doubles, and junior mixed doubles, not less than four pairs in each event. Play will commence each

day at 9 a.m., and “Davis” ball's will be used. The draw will be made in the office -of the secretary on Monday, 17th December, at 8 .p.m.

THE GAME ELSEWHERE. The view was expressed by American Lawn. Tennis that though W. T. Tilden had been declared- ineligible to compete in tournaments and matches 1 played under tho auspices of tho United States Lawn Tennis Association, that he would still be able to. play at Wimbledon, and also l in the championships of other nations, but the Lawn Tennis Association of the British Isles has rather upset calculations by passing the following resolution at a recent council meeting:— “In accordance with the rules of the Internation.ail Lawn Tennis Federation the .Lawn Tennis 1 Association is bound to enforce the suspense of Mr W. T. Tilden, second in this country'.” So Tilden is barred from playing at Wimbledon, unless his own association lifts the suspension before next June. It will be interesting to. see (remarks j “Hukat” in tho “Evening Post”) ifthe French Association' follows the I lead of the British Islos. Speaking of tennis in England, Mr Sabelli (manager of the English team) said that the standard of women’s play was very high, and that of the men wais steadily rising. The game of Miss Betty Nuttall is, he said, in a: .transition stage at present, ais she is changing from an unhenhand to am overhand service. In the United States 1 ‘a tournament open to. amateur and professional players is shortly to> be held. This highly significant event is 1 likely to attract the attention, of lawn tennis authorities in Great Britain, amid no doubt ihii the Dominions, too, for if it- succeeds the demand for similar tournament's in England and on the Continent will be all the stronger. Papular opinion, which also' seems 1 to have- the backing of the press, including

I those papers tlialt axei all for amateurism, seems to ibe, in favour of these mixed tournaments, and thene' does not seem: Itoi be any essential reason why such, touTnUmeints should not be generally held. If, however, the barrier that has hitherto kept amateur oJnid professional players strictly apart iwere broken down, and if, above all, the professionals were allowed to enter for Wimbledon, it iSs fairly certain the professional side of the game would at once, expand rapidly. It is almost certain that if the professional is acknowledged at Wimbledon, then it may mean that any promising player would no longer halve any motive, for retaining his amateur status, and within a few years the whole chanI acter of the game might undergo a radical change. There will be many, no doubt, to regret such a. change. But it is doubtful whether, in face of the powerful financial a/nd publicity interests surrounding sport, the change can be indefinitely resisted. On the other hand: the difficulty nowadays is that the standard of all games has risen to such arduous heights that any young man with eyes on chtumpionisihip titles usually has to make the game his profession, in spirit if not in actual fact. Consequently there is something to be said for a lawn tennis innovation which would abolish a distinction that has become none too simple to preserve in practice. At the same, time, however, the question to be considered is l how far such a change could be introduced without impairing the essentially sporting at- j mosphere which the galme has so far i preserved, and which gives to a lawn I tennis tournament ai distinctive chatrm , usually absent from the athletic arena ' where large money prizes usually hang oa the result. --