Twice Finalist, Turned Down By Wimbledon

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31081, 9 June 1966, Page 19

Twice Finalist, Turned Down By Wimbledon

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) LONDON. K. Fletcher, of Australia, Wimbledon doubles finalist for the last two years, has not been accepted for this year’s Wimbledon doubles championship.

Fletcher and his Hong Kong partner, G. Sung, son of a Chinese millionaire, did not make the list of 59 accepted doubles combinations for the tournament.

There are five places still open and these will be fought for by 32 pairs accepted for the qualifying competition. Fletcher and Sung have no chance of gaining one of the five places as they did not even make the qualifying list Judged On Results

The Wimbledon referee. Captain M. B. Gibson, said at Wimbledon yesterday that acceptances were judged by the Wimbledon committee purely on results over the last year. “We realise that Fletcher is one of the top doubles players In the world and that he reached the finals here last s ear with R. Hewitt and the year before with R. Emerson,” Captain Gibson said. “It must be remembered

doubles is a two-man game and unfortunately Fletcher is playing with a different player this year. “Many players were not accepted. Fifty-nine went straight in, 32 will play in the qualifying competition and

another 50 players were turned down.

The referee said that Fletcher and Sung were not accepted for the qualifying competition because Fletcher had said he would not play in it. Fletcher now based in Hong Kong, said that he was upset at not being accepted. “We could beat many of the combinations accepted. “We have had some good wins in the last year, one 1 remember being over Britain’s Roger Taylor and New Zealand’s number one Lew Gerrard in Brisbane.

“Naturally they were accepted,” Fletcher added. He said that the tournament would have been good experience for Sung, Hong Kong’s top player. “He is only 19 and has a good future in tennis with more experience.”