LAWN TENNIS NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 308, 27 November 1936, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS NOTES

At the meeting of the management committee of the Manawatu Lawn Tennis Association held on Monday several motions of which notice had been given by Mr H. N. Watson were dealt with. The most important of these was that which was opposed to the proposal of the management committee of tlie N.Z.L.T.A. that the entries for the New Zealand singles and mixed championships should be limited to 32. This proposal was to the effect that 28 or 30 should be accepted, leaving 4 or 2 blanks in the draw for the first round, and that the balance of players should play off in a qualifying competition to be held for two or three days before the tournament, the finalists being included in the draw if only 2 were needed, and the senior finalists also if 4 were needed, the rest of the players being rejected and taking no part in the tournament proper. Under this scheme players from a great distance might be beaten at once after going to considerable expense, while the 2 or 4 accepted would be put to an extra two or three days expenses. In the report which appeared in this paper it was stated that the motion dealt with at Monday’s meeting proposed that twice the number of entries in excess of 32 should be placed in a qualifying competition. This is exactly contrary to what the motion proposed, ivhich was that instead of the excess of entries being placed in a qualifying competition they should be drawn in the first round. If this were done all who entered would be eligible to compete for the New Zealand Plate, which is open to all losers in the first and second rounds, so that all losers in the first round would be sure of at least two matches, and all winners of at least three. The proposal to limit the entries to 32 was rejected at the quarterly general meeting of the N.Z.L.T.A. by a majority of 18,093 votes to 12,767, or 14 associations to 5. Another motion at Monday’s committee meeting of the Manawatu L.T.A. was that'the association should oppose a motiou by Mr N. A. Foden that the. New Zeaiapd championships should be held in Auckland next season. followed by Christchurch and Wellington in that order. It was added that this association should instruct its delegates to oppose any move to localise the New Zealand championships to the four big centres. This addition was quite unnecessary for such a thing was not contemplated. The objections to Mr Foden’s motion were, firstly, that it is the duty of the management committee, and not that of a general meeting, to fix the date and place of the championships, and secondly,_ that it should be dono each year, as is done in all other sports,, and not fixed more than three years ahead as proposed. As a matter of fact, s 6 far as one can see at present, the championship tournament will in all fairness fall to the associations mentioned in Mr Foden’s motion in that order, but many things may happen in the meantime to make it desirable to hold it elsewhere.

For many years past the tournament has been held at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, becauso no other associations have applied for it, or have had accommodation complying with the necessary conditions. The fourth big centre, Dunedin, lias not had the tournament for years and apparently doesn’t want it. This year, however the South Canterbury Association, though a comparatively small one, has made the necessary improvements to their courts and has been granted the championship tournament, which will be held at Timaru.

i In spite of the broken weather tbere has ‘been plenty of play at all tho local clubs. At Linton Street quite a number of ladder matches have taken place, and with all teams, for. matches being based on the ladder, as in other places, it is hoped that this will lead to many competitive games instead of the merely friendly ones which arc pot a reliable test.

One enthusiastic young lady, not content with challenging players above her, has challenged the player next below her. It is hard to say what the logical result of this match will be. The rule is that when a player challenges the one next above, and wins the match, they change places. If the challenger in this case wins her match will she change places with her opponent ?