LAWN TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 22145, 27 September 1935, Page 4

LAWN TENNIS

[By Becorder.] Club Openings. The clubs which held their opening clays last Saturday afternoon were favoured by ideal weather. A record number was present at Moana’s opening, and among tlio visitors was Mr W. R. Sinclair, president of the association, who, in a bright speech, wished the club a successful season. . Other dubs which held successful openings were St. Patrick’s and Taieri. Otago Club will hold its opening tomorrow afternoon. Extensive alterations and repairs to its courts. arc responsible for this club’s late opening, but everything should be in order for to-morrow. Interclub Matches. Interclub matches will commence on Saturday', October 5, and club, secretaries are reminded that entries of teams close with the secretary of the association on Monday, September 30, at 9.30 a.m. Club secretaries have already been advised-regarding the forwarding to the papers ,of results of interclub matches. The most important point of this notification is that the forms supplied by the association must bo used by captains of winning learns when sending in for publication the result of their matches. This is important, and team captains are particularly asked to see that this instruction is carried out. United Club. The annual report of this club dates that,'the membership at rlie aose of the season was 67, a reduction of 13 on., the previous season. S' t the commencement of last, season the dub reduced its subscription to players under 21 years of age to 10s fid, and n bile a few keen players took advantage of this reduction, it is felt chat, with the co-operation of members and dubs, this: number could be considerably incrom-ed. Membership of the United Club is open to any member''of a club affiliated to the association. Any players wishing to become members should communicate with Mr T. Grimsdale, Otago Sports Depot.

Eariy History. The following is a list of Otago affiliated clubs and their memborship ; taken from the New Zealand Association’s handbook of 190-1: —Otago, 70'.members, Kaituna 82, North-east Valley 28, Dunedin 215, Boslyn 25, Ex-High School 32, I’ort Chalmers 7, Invercargill 90, Lawrence 27, Oamaru 35, Hill Club (Oamaru) 32. v The total membership of clubs which included Oamaru ami Invercargill was 618, while the members of association clubs to-day, excluding Oamaru and Invercargill, is 1,100. In 1904 there .were 3,591 active playing members belonging to affiliated clubs in New Zealand. Wellington headed the list with 1,047 members, while Otago hold tho record for having the club with the largest number of members, the Dunedin, Club having a membership of 215. It is interesting to note that the entry fee for the men’s championship singles in 1886, the year the New Zealand championships were first played, was £1 Is, and the first prize was £ls, besides a challenge cup valued at 25gs, and the second prize £5. For the men’s doubles, entry- fee 10s each, the first prizes were two cups valued at £5 each and the second prize trophies valued at £2 10s each.

Tbo first New Zealand championships held in Dunedin were in 1889, but owing to wet weather the meeting was not a great success. The championships were again held in Dunedin in 1892, but as on the first occasion rain fell on all four days of the tournament. A successful meeting, however, was held here in 1898, and it was at this tournament that Mr C. C, Cox won his New Zealand singles title. In the championship of 1892, A. E. Harraway, the well-known ex-Otago player, reached the semi-final, when he was defeated by M. Fenwicke, the ultimate winner of the title. World’s Ranking List. Mr, Wallis Myers, who is’ recognised as the greatest tenuis critic in the world to-day, has issued his annual ranking lists, which were published this week. It is interesting to note that Tilden’s ranking was Perry, Austin, Von Craram, and Crawford fourth, but while Tilden’s ranking is on European performances only ’ Wallis Myers was m Australia last year, and saw Crawford defeat Perry, and this no doubt accounts for his having placed Crawford second above Von Craram and Austin. Allison has no European performances sufficiently good to have earned him fourth place, but his defeat of Perry in the final of the American championships gained him his high position. Miss Hartigan (Australia) has been ranked ninth (even), although she defeated Miss Round (sixth) in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.