LAWN TENNIS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 259, 30 September 1936, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS

PALMERSTON NORTH CLUB. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Palmerston North Lawn Tennis Club was held on Monday, Mr Lindsay Gardner presiding over a very good attendance. The report, as follows, was adopted on the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr W. R. Beattie:-—’ The nominal membership of the club is: Active 103 (110), country 18 (13), junior 28 (21), honorary 39 (39) and life members remain at 15. The annual open tournament was held in conjunction with the ninth annual tournament ol the Manawatu Lawn Tennis Association. This year the club was fortunate in not only getting a very good entry from the point of view of quality, which materially assisted towards the success of the tournament, but also we were doubly fortunate in persuading Messrs V. B. McGrath and E. F. Moon, the visiting Australians, to attend the tournament on the second day and play a series of exhibit??!! matches. Later in the year members also had the opportunity of seeing Henri Cochet in action, when these exhibition matches were played on the club’s courts. This opportunity should be taken to offer the club’s thanks to the Manawatu Boxing and Wrestling Association for tlieir kindness in lending the stadium seating for the tournament and exhibition matches, without which it would have been quite impossible to accommodate the crowd. The winners of the various sections were: —Men’s singles ichampionslup, E. D. Andrews; men’s doubles championship, J. Charters and D. Coombe; ladies’ singles championship, Miss D. Nicholls; ladies’ doubles championship, Misses N. and M. Beverley; mixed doubles championship, J. C. Charters and Miss D. Nicholls; boys’ championship singles, S. Hooper; girls’ championship singles, Miss M. Beverley. The interclub competitions were again conducted by the association. The team won the Saturday A grade, and in the inter-section final defeated Levin. The Wednesday competition commenced with eight teams, divided into two sections, but due to two clubs withdrawing their teams, and to a series of wet playing days, this competition was not completed. All other competitions were well patronised. The annual men’s match, Palmerston North v. The Best was won by the Palmerston North Club by 9 matches to 6. The ladies’ match ivas abandoned owing to unsuitable weather. We extend our congratulations to the winners of the various championships within the club, who are as iinder: Men’s singles, D. B. Livingtone; men’s doubles, D. B. Livingstone and D. I. Robertson; ladies’ singles, Mrs A. Waldin ; ladies’ doubles. Mrs Beattie and Miss N. Astle ; mixed doubles, R. Hill and Mrs Lennon; Vicar’s Cup (junior girls), Miss L. Boag. The courts, as in former years, were kept in splendid order and condition and stood up to the particularly heavy year more than well, and once more we must place on record the club’s best thanks and appreciation to our groundsman (Mr J. Kershaw) for his loyal and enthusiastic service. ‘The year’s working has been disturbed very much by the storm of February last, when most of our fences were levelled to the ground and the top of the pavilion blown off. The income and expenditure account for the thirteen months ended August 31 shows an excess of expenditure oyer income of £34 6s 3d. Whilst the income increased by £37, the expenditure amounted to £7B more than the previous year. It will bo noticed that wages are greater by £53, the club having employed the groundsman for the full thirteen months on account of the extra work incurred by the storm. Tlie fences were restored at a cost of £3l 11s 7d after allowing for recoveries of part cost from adjoining owners. Tlie storm left the pavilion in such a state that the committee deemed it advisable to recommend to the club that steps be taken to erect a completely new pavilion. This project was taken up enthusiastically by the members and the new building is now almost complete. This valuable facility would not have been possible, however, without the generosity of Mr H. N. Watson who agreed to advance a further sum of £lkoo to meet the cost. At tlie close of the year £3OO of this amount has been received, being paid as progress payments become due.

“Members fully appreciate and thank all those who provided cars when teams visited country clubs. ' 'Tlie committee thank the many who have given assistance in various ways during the past season, and particularly Miss J. Barnett and the members of the ladies’ committee responsible for the tea arrangements, who assisted so willingly during tlie annual tournament and throughout the year, and the committee responsible for the club’s first annual ball, which proved so outstanding a success.”

The election of officers resulted as follows: Rati on, Mr H. N. M atson; president, Mr J. T. McDonald; vicepresidents, Mrs G. E. Haggitt, Messrs H. R. Cooper, W. L. I'itzherbert, A. M. Ongtey, A. W. Thompson, J. W. Rutherlurd, H. F. Gibbons, R. H. Spencer, L. Gardner, J. A. Grant, Drs E. O. Barnett and R. V. Hooper; committee, Messrs T. Young, L. 1. i’liinmor, D. 1. Robertson, \V. R. Beattie, H B. Reid and C. C. Yates ; secretary, Mr W. S. Fox; treasurer, Mr R. O. Donald; auditor, Mr K. C. Clayton; ground superintendent, Mr A. E. Blaekbourn; club captain, Mr L. I. Plimmer; selector, Mr Plimmer; delegates to Manawatu Lawn Tennis Association, Messrs C. C. Yates and J. T. McDonald.

in regard to the selection of club representative players, Mr Watson expressed the opinion that the position of players on the club’s ladder should be taken into greater consideration.

Mr Watson was asked to take control of the ladder and he agreed to do so. Mr E. W. Espiner wrote tendering his resignation from the club on account of having left the city and expressed hits regret at having to sever a long connection with the club.—Mr McDonald referred to the many years of service Mr Espiner had given the club, both as secretary and a member of the committee, and on Mr McDonald’s motion Mr Espiner was elected a life member.

The question of subscriptions was discussed at some length, and it was decided that they remain the same as last year. An amendment, proposed by Mr Livingstone, that they be increased by os all round, was lost.

It was decided that the committee fix the date of the opening day, a recommendation being put forward that it be October 17.

The following were appointed members of the ladies’ committee :—Mesdames J. Fisher, R. Chisholm, W. R. Beattie, C. Anderson, I. C. Robinson, C. C. Yates, Misses J. Barnett, J Rennie, P. Patrick, D. Wischnewsky, and D. Niccol.

Motions of thanks were accorded the outgoing committee, the ladies’ committee, delegates to the association, ground superintendent, the Press, and the caretaker. Mr Donald made special reference to the valued services ’of the retiring presi-