TENNIS IN SCHOOLS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 167, 5 October 1927, Page 12

TENNIS IN SCHOOLS

HELPING THE CHILDREN ASSOCIATION’S EFFORT To make lawn tennis a school game like- cricket and footlmll. the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association may present racquets to the puptfls and organise inter-school contests. A oonferencie with headmasters and teachers is to be held to see what can be done. The subject was first raised by the report of the meeting of the Now Zealand Association, at which Mr. Goldie had commented that the paucity of entries in the Dominion girls’ championship last year was due to want of interest on the iiart of the Auckland Association. Mr. H. G. Thompson commented that Mr. Goldie was certainly speaking out of turn, for the Nev/ Zealand Association had controlled! the entries. Mr. E. W. Griffitins: Auckland knew nothing about the. entries received until the last moment. .No one was more surprised than Auckland to realise that there were so few. Later the president, Mr. E. ITickson, said that he would like'to see a committee £ ppointed to go into the very important question of junior tennis. •’I don’t think we do enough in the organising of school tennis.'’ ho said. '•Clubs might be asked to give a third of their courts for organised play on Saturday mornings. Teachers and those in terest€*d in the game would put it on the right lines.” Mr V. R. Johns: There will be twice as much play on the courts this year. We will have to find out if schoolboys could be; allowed on. "Something should be done to help the primary schools,” said Mr. E. W. Griffiths. The president said that a number of schools had courts, but there were no competitions as far as he knew. Mr. Johns: The big obstacle to the

schools is the buying of racquets and balls. We might be able to lend them to the children. A committee was set up to confer with headmasters and discuss what could be done to encourage' tennis in schools.