N.Z. Tennis Players Doubt Wisdom Of Inviting Australians To Compete For Titles

Southland Times, Issue 24056, 21 February 1940, Page 10

N.Z. Tennis Players Doubt Wisdom Of Inviting Australians To Compete For Titles

By

TOPSPIN

During the New Zealand lawn tennis championships which concluded last week at the Wellington Lawn Tennis Association’s courts at Miramar, and which resulted in all the major trophies being won by the official Australian team, consisting of J. Bromwich, J. Crawford, Misses N. Wynne, T. Coyne and M. Hardcastle, there was considerable discussion about the Australians’ visit. The discussion was mainly on two points, namely, whether such tours by leading overseas players resulted in any appreciable benefit to New Zealand tennis, and whether the interests of New Zealand players were being considered when they had no reasonable chance of gaining the championship titles of their own country. Why, they asked, should the Australians receive so much favoured treatment? Their boat fares were paid, also hotel accommodation and incidental expenses, and in addition they received a generous allowance. Other competitors received nothing.

Of course, the Australians proved a decided draw, and no doubt recouped the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association for the financial outlay. Competitors were given the experience of competing against players of world class, while hundreds of ordinary club players among the spectators would benefit from watching the tactics employed, and the manner of executing strokes by acknowledged masters of the game.

The suggestion generally favoured was that if it was necessary to have a tour of overseas players to mark

New Zealand’-; centennial year this could have been confined to a series of exhibition matches, which would have had the desired effect of educating tennis players generally, and giving New Zealand’s leading players matches against the visitors, such a tour to be arranged either before or after the New Zealand championships. POOR ARRANGEMENTS This year’s tournament at Wellington was termed the centennial tennis championships, but some of the arrangements were hardly in keeping with the occasion. There were insufficient umpires and players were called upon to assist. Ball boys were available for only about three courts; they were poorly trained, or not trained at all, and even at the end of the tournament their inefficiency was often the cause of holding up play in important matches. The so-called souvenir programme contained photographs of leading players, but these photographs were so bad that competitors failed to recognize themselves.

It was something of a contrast to follow the exhibition matches given in Christchurch, after the championships. The Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association has a wonderful asset in beautiful Wilding Park with its trees, well-kept lawns and array of ornamental flower beds. A feature of the play here was the refreshing displays of New Zealand players who were paired with the Australians in exhibition doubles. One of the best of these was between Bromwich and Angas, and Crawford and Brown. It is unfortunate that such players usually confine their visits to northern centres for players in the south rarely see tennis of : uch‘ an order. The most noted visit to Invercargill was that of Henri Cochet some years ago. Southland tennis players who were interested spectators at Miramar were Mrs G. R. Hanan, A. Breen, A. Aitken, T. McChesney, G. Blaikie (Waikaia), F. Lindsay and D. Lindsay, of Winton, and A. Sharp, now of Wellington, L. Wood, now of Masterton, and C. Breen, now of Alexandra. REPRESENTATIVE MATCH The annual fixture between West Otago and Invercargill has been marred during the last few years by unsatisfactory weather. On Saturday, however, the Town team which travelled to Waikaka was more fortunate, and the match was played in warm sunshine. The Town team was a fairly strong one and inflicted a severe defeat on West Otago. | Mrs F. Herbert proved the most resourceful of the country women. She plays a forceful game, with hard drives to the baseline, and occasional sallies to the net. Miss McFeeters also drives well, although she does not come to the net. She is a young player likely to improve. Another young player of promise is Miss G. Browning. Her strokes

are easily produced, but she requires coaching. Correct footwork would help to remedy a weakness in her backhand. The West Otago men were relatively stronger than the women, and provided stiffer' opposition. N. Sharp was the most successful, winning both his singles and the second men’s doubles with A. McFeeters.

The inter-provincial match with North Otago was also to have been played last Saturday but as the prospects for a fine Saturday were not bright, it was thought advisable to postpone it. As it turned out, it could have been played, but no one was to know that the weather would improve sufficiently. No decision has yet been made about when it will be played. The match with Otago will be played at Dunedin on March 9. The Central tennis courts are temporarily out of commission. The recent flood covered the courts to a depth of several feet and the surface is at present covered with a quantity of mud, thus repeating the unfortunate experience of this club of five years ago. The Rugby Park pair, Hughes and Sleeman, resisted a challenge from G.

Barnes (Central) and J. Clarkson (Waihopai) on the town doubles ladder with the score 7-5, 11-9. The association president, Clarkson, was hitting forehands with great vigour, while Barnes brought off winners at the net, but the younger pair lasted the distance better. Fixtures set down for Saturday are as follows: Central District v. Town at Southend courts, starting at 1.30 p.m.

A Grade.—Bluff v. Southend, at Bluff; Rugby Park v. Central, at Central; St. Mary’s v. Winton, at Winton; Invercargill v. Waihopai, at Invercargill.

B Grade.—Rugby Park v. Waihopai 11, at Waihopai; Waihopai I v. Tisbury, at Tisbury; Invercargill v. Makarewa, at Invercargill.

C Grade.—Bluff v. St. Mary’s, at St. Mary’s; Rugby Park v. Waihopai, at Waihopai; Clifton v. Collegiate I, at Collegiate; Tisbury v. Makarewa, at Makarewa; Southend v. Otatara, at Otatara; Invercargill v. Southern, at Southern; Moana v. Waikiwi, at Waikiwi; Collegiate II a bye. Because of the district representative match with Central district being allocated to the Southend courts the A grade fixture, Bluff v. Southend, will now be played at Bluff. Most of the teams in the three grades are committed to inter-club fixtures for this Saturday and selection of the team to represent Town against Central district will be somewhat limited in scope. There are eight teams in the B grade not involved in matches, Southend, Central, Kennington, Georgetown, Southern, Waikiwi, St. Mary’s and Clifton and players will be selected from these teams with the possibility of one or two A grade players being added to strengthen the Town side. UNBEATEN TEAMS MEET A feature of the inter-club games last Saturday was the meeting of two unbeaten teams i . the B grade, Southern and Invercargill. Colbert was turning out for Invercargill after an absence and beat Southern’s top man Gordon after a long game. Colbert’s Western grip forehand was more subdued than last season, but he proved more reliable on 'he backhand. Gordon would strengthen his game considerably by cultivating a greater backswing before hitting the ball, with more follow through at the completion of the stroke. E. Rout was unfortunate in suffering a mishap to his ankle and was unable to complete the single with McRobie. Southend was defeated by Waihopai by a surprisingly big margin. There were no upsets in the results of the other B and C grade fixtures.