LAWN TENNIS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 942, 8 October 1910, Page 12

LAWN TENNIS.

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Club Competitions, • .-The': local. Management Committee. has : decided to.adopt,'a.new >;set ,of conditions for the control'of- this . season's club ! competitions. mitted to .the city and suburban clubs, in. ; the form of. a-, proposal, .'lfqr ■ their consideration. .The replies"received ,wcro favourable to the - proposal, : and tho Management ■'.!■ Committee.,-, then adopted ■them without-'alteration. The clubs have-now been-invited'to nominate teams for-Hhe, pomp'etitiohs'S'-■'Entries will .close. intended to start the competitions' ?:>on October 15.. The Management -Committee has resolved to act as the -Ma|chi,Committco for tho competitions, and,/has' : agreed to accept the" following ".'recommendations:—Eirst: In.grades' A in both-:competitions" the matches ;'are p to' beV arranged so'that they will be' completed-,',;before Christmas. Second:'As'-far' oS : po'ssiblo, the ladies and /menVof-the same-olub«and in tho same grade/shall play/oil .the. same ground. : Thtffirst recommendation is a " sound one.'.ahd: should-bo'welcomed by the senior' :c|.nbs: ..As;;sobri.>ns tho holidays commence': a large, nunvber of playei-s— mbsily;; senior, to the .Various' tournaments,. aiid if tho club matches; happen::tb.be '.closely contested, tlio absence of a'" : pla'yer:"or two kills all interest: Then -again, "after Christmas, most of- the clubs, want to get off their club championships, which are of as much importance to the bigger clubs'as ..tho competitions are, and it is much moro satisfactory to-all concerned to play on a Saturday afternoon than to havo to bustle a three-set : match off'between five o'clock and dusk.- ; The second recommendation is a good one, but it can hardly bo put into practice unless the- Match Committee is allowed the free use of at least three courts belonging to every club entering' ladies' and men's teams for the A grades. Should any club be unable to offer more than two courts, then the Match Committee, will be compelled- to draw tho ladies' and men's teams from that club to'play on different grounds. ' ■■'■"/

Under the new conditions, teams in both A grades and in the B grade in-the men's competitions will require the sole use of one court, and the partial use of another, during an afternoon,- if played in the city. In other words, two matches in'.these grades can be played- on three courts. But if'played at Day's Bay, or any distance from, town, eaoh match will take up two courts. Matches in the other grades will only require ono court each, whether in or out of town. ' The following appointments have been made to carry out the duties for the club competitions :-rMatch secretary,. Mr. J. W. Barclay; Postponement Committee, Messrs. Beero and Kean, Ground.Committee, Messrs. Beere, Kean,. and Salmoud.

Country Club Competitions. It-has been'' decided, to arrange for separate competitions for the Wairarapa and Manawatu districts. ' In the'past the country : districts - have competed, for a cup in one competition, which was so arranged, that the. winners in each .'district would' have to play-off in a final round. During the last two seasons this fiual round was; not played, owing to the difficulty of getting teams to travel late in the season. More' interest should be taken in the competitions under the; new arrangements. "; ■ . ' Paid Association Secretary. .'■ The -Management.Committee , of ;the New Zealand Association intend to move, at the annual meeting of :.the council, to be held on October 14, that a paid secretary and treasurer be appointed for; the association. This proposal is the outcome of Mr. GoldieV resignation of the honorary secretaryship. It would be in the best interests. ..of the association if the appointment could, bo postponed for a year, and- an :attempt. made to induce some. enthusiast to take up the honorary secretaryship in the meantime. There.iv no doubt thai the association would be better served If. the 'office of . secretary could be- filled by, an honorary officer. No'paid offic"er.;.would( give,: nor could be. Expected to 'give, the. attention that Mr. Goldie gave to all matters, even matters' of the smallest -interest to lawn tennis. Through his energy and enthusiasm he made a. large amount of. work for himself, which might [ easily, be - lessoned , without harm to the association, and now that the Davis: Cup match, has been postponed for a year, the proposed appointment .could well: stand over, and thus give the provincial associations an opportunity to .prepare ;for. ; .ther.additional-, tax which will, fall' on', them. The larger associations have a difficult task at present to make a profit on a year's working, and the■'proposal,',,if as suggested,;would probably compel some of these associations,to consider the question of asking, their district clubs to form separate associations of -their own. . Items of Interest.

The Wellington, Lower Hutt, Pctono, Trinity. ChuTch,. and St. John's Club's,. opencd : their seasons lost Saturday after-' noon. -'■'■■•:•..••■" ' "' ;," '.. .The Newtown., and ' Kilbirnie ' Clubs' courts; ; will be declared. open this -afternoon.;; '!■■■' '"'. :'■■ •'■'"""-.!■! ■■ . . ' . ■'. The Borbwh.en.ua Club has decided to change' .its. ria'mo, and will. in", future be known as the Levin Lawn Tennis Club. Jn. future week-enders, at Day's.. 1 Bay will have, to pay, a'.ground fee to theassociation for . the'privilege of playing 'on'. the association's courts. Passes- will be : issued to members,of affiliated clubs on payment of a-fee of 2s. 6d., and; to non-affiliated players for a fee of '10s. 6d. Mr..J..C,.Blair leaves for Melbourne, via, Sydney, by. next .Friday's steamer.