Squash Club Money To Be Repaid

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31086, 15 June 1966, Page 19

Squash Club Money To Be Repaid

. All debenture money, and the interest stipulated, paid by investors in the Wilding Park Squash Club will be repaid, it was decided at a meeting of the management committee of the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association on Monday evening.

A motion from Mr M. C. Healey that no further action be taken was passed without dissent.

Mr A. C. Felton, the president of the C.L.T.A., moved that the committee return all the debenture money paid and the interest stipulated by the investors on their forms. “I feel this squash venture was one of the most enterprising ever brought forward by the management committee of this association,” said Mr Healey. “The result was most disappointing. 1 feel that it was because we did not do as much lobbying as the opposition. “I guess that there were 15 of the 30 who voted against squash who did not know what they were voting for. It just shows democracy does not work in sport. It would have freed Canterbury tennis from all its monetary problems." Mr Healey said the management committee had been let down very badly by the delegates. “Here was a wonderful opportunity of turning a white elephant into something very valuable. I think it was very poor of the delegates to lobby against their own representa-

tives, especially after all the work that had been done,” he said. “Misrepresented Facts” “A lot of those who spoke against squash misrepresented the facts when speaking,” said Mr N. Curry, the association’s treasurer. “A motion, ‘that the motion be put’ prevented me from correcting the mistaken impressions some of the speakers had given. “I think it has let down the whole business community, and I think that if tennis cannot help itself then it will get no help from the business community.” Mr E. Biddle said the result was not unconstitutional. All those delegates at the meeting were accredited delegates from their clubs. “I was instructed by letter from my club to vote against squash, although I was not invited to the meeting of the club which decided this,” said Mr J. Anderson. “I voted as my club directed, but I did not like it.” A motion from Mr B. Crofts, the secretary of the association, that the list of members be made available to any other organisation wishing to start a squash dub, was passed. A further motion that the plans of the courts be sold to defray some of the costs, was also passed.

The meeting received a letter from Mr G. E. R. Atkinson, a life member of the association, setting out other projects which, he wrote, “Elmwood will support.” The letter suggested:— “That the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association obtain a separate title for the portion of land required for the squash courts and surrounds. That the squash committee be formed into a separate incorporated dub or limited liability company. That the club or company purchase or lease the land described in the new title and pay to the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association an annual rental or repayment charge. The new dub or company to receive all income from squash and pay all expenses and arrange finance. Mr Healey's motion was then put, and no further action was taken on Mr Atkinson’s letter. A new sub-committee, comprising Messrs R. Murphy, M. C. Healey and F. G. H. Johnstone, was appointed to bring down proposals for finance in the future to the next meeting of the management committee. Five Canterbury junior players, J. Mitchell, L. Sherwin, Miss J. Bishop, Miss R. Legge and Miss R. Dillon, have been selected to attend the 1966-67 Wilson and Linton Cup trials.