LAWN TENNIS IN TARANAKI

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1930, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS IN TARANAKI

PLAY ON LABOUR DAY OFFICIAL- OPENING AT WAIT AR A. .-■PROVINCIAL MATCH IN PROSPECT. (By . Vpßey.”) .. Providing weather conditions prove favourable lawn tennis enthusiasts throughout Taranaki should find plenty of scope for,their-activities on Labour Day. At Waitara the/official opening ceremony .of. the Waitara Lawn .Tennis Club will take place, and as it is antir cipated .thgf-alarge number of-member? and visitors will be present ‘a successful -gathering' should result. The official opening of• the Ingle wood. Tennis Club ■will also be . held when a match arranged bycthe committee will be played. In Central Taranaki the Stratford Teilnie Club, which' held it? opening a fortnight ago, intends to hold a tournament .when- the morning will be de-' voted' to ladies’ and men’s, doubles and combined doubles will be played in the afternoon. In addition there are already a number of other clubs in the .province which have their courts open for play and .on these and several, public courts there will be seen a large, number of players engaged 'in friendly games. , . - T.Wo of the minor clubs-affiliated to the Taranaki Lawn Tennis Association, Ufenui in the north and Alton in the south, have recently held their annual meetings. The Urenui-Club-, reported a successful. season and showed a profit on the year’s working. It was .decided to open the- courts on November 8 and that the club enter a .team for the .Fergusson Cup competitions. The annual report- of the Alton Club stated that it had lost the services of its secretary (Mr. Clemance), who had left the ,district during - the year. This- position he had held during his six years ? association with.ithe club. The opening day was fixed for October 20. ..

The official opening of th© New Plymouth Lawn Tennis Club will be held on November. 8,- but the courts will be open for play to members on November 1 subject to the approval of th© grounds committee. The Rotokare Tennis Club will officially -commence the season u’l November 1, although the courts will

n?njeßt.'necessiVat?<l. tlje closing of. several courts for some time before the tournament so that they: may be in good "condition for this- annual event, and also the loss of: a week’s play by members who.are not participating in the tournament. while it -is,- being held. Then again further time is lost after ■ the' meeting while the courts are being brought back to a fit condition for play. JYom the point bf view of the New Plymouth, Club it undoubtedly -would be better for it if the tournament was held 'elsewhere, and its first- consideration is to its own members.-. Then arises the question: If the New. Plymouth Club 'does not conduct the tournament where will .it 'be held? In Hawera there are two clubs, either of which could conduct the tournament, .but may decline to,do so for- the same reasons which, have actuated ' the New Plymouth Club. This year Taranaki has been allotted January 6 to 10 as the dates for the provincial championships’, and in addition has been granted the. North Island championships. For . a number of years the Hawera: Club has conducted a-tour-nament during Christmas ’ week. The Hawera Club may agree, to hold the provincial championships- on its courts instead.of.its usual.tournament-if it..is granted its usual dates for the meeting. ' This, however, the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association is not likely to: agree to as-. the' Dominion 'championchips’, will be held at'Christchurch,-dur- ( ing Christmas week and it is expected nearly, all the. leading, players' in New Zeala’nd'will participate as usual in. thia outstanding tennis event of the season. Them there is the danger that tlje New Zealand Association' may deim » to transfer-the North Island- championships to-'Some-other- association to control,and '.if .this. should. occur, .it would be a "matter, 'for . regret .as-, the. Taranaki Association.- ha,s endeavoured to secure, the .'.North ; Island championships - for; a. number, of'.years-. , ■

■ The position . that - has arisen.- thpoijgjv the .action of - 1 the "New Plymouth 'Club! brings'up'the question of the; need foxy association .epurfo. During the-past'year the management committee of the assdcigtion';circularised the varioijs clul»6i with'a view to enlisting their aid ip establishing;* association courts, but 1 the response' was Vefy disappointing. _ A number of blubs replied to the effect; that '.they' had their own financial troubles-and consequently could not.give any ’material apsisfahce .to the scheme. This, is in striking contrast to the an-nual‘-reports of'-most clubs in which- it was stated'a-'successful season had been experienced. • " ,

Lawn tennis is becoming increasingly popular as a summer'pastime' throughout the Dominion as indicated by the fact that there: are over 30,000 members of affiliated clubs in-New'Zealand The need for . association courts in Taianaki. cannot be too strongly emphasised and their establishment should'do a-lot

to. promote lawn tennis in/the'province. However, the a’npual meeting of the association will'be held this evening, when jt is quite probable the matter of the provincial championship tournament and association courts will be thoroughly 'discussed. ' .

PROFESSIONAL PLAYER RETIRE'S

Maintaining that professional tennis was far too strenuous for what returns the player received from it Vincent ’Richards, holder of the American professional title, has intimated that he intends to retire from the game. -Tins information was contained in a cablegram recently received from America. At a very early age Richards gave promise of becoming one of the world’s leading players, and was only 15 years of age when he became a national champion; winding the American doubles championship in partnership with W. T. ' Tilden. Three years later he extended 'W. Johnson to five sets in the 1921 American championship. Defeating Rene ' Lacoste he won the Olympic singles title 'in 192-1 and the doubles with F. T. Hunter. Playing with Miss Helen M ills he won the American combined doubles title the same year. In 1925 he twice defeated Tilden, both matches requiring five sets. He also secured a victory over Lacoste in the fourth round of the American championship, but was beaten by Tilden in the semi-final. Lacoste, however, soon had his revenge,_ as he gained two victories oyer Richards without the latter winning a. set. In 1'926 he scored two consecutive victories over Tilden and after representing America- in the challenge round of 'the-Davis Cup followed the example, of Mlle. Lenglen, .who created, a sensation in tennis circles- by! joining the ranks of the professionals with.a.view to playing a Aeries of; exhibition -matches. .- It is how stated-that .there, is every probability that -Suzanne Lenglen will a pply. to be reinstated as an amateur’, land' if • successful ,'.in. her application it ■ ip-.likely, she-will • take part in championship: doubles; and combined doubles.