NEW TALENT NEEDED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 12, 29 January 1937, Page 12

NEW TALENT NEEDED

"Volleyer")

Rising Generation Requires Encouragement age-limit tourney

(By

Where is the talent among the rising generation of Hawke's Bay tennis players? Year after year the same names appear in our representative teaans and tournament finals. In last season's two Ohristie Cup matches, fourteen players represented Hawke's Bay; in the . men's section only one player, Berkins, was under thirty years of age, and he has now left the district. Among the women, while it is unnecessary to inquire too closely into ages, the only young player in last year's team was Miss Glenny. Within the nest few days this senson's representative team will be selected; apart from th© "old brigade" the only player woi'thy of congideration is W. Read, of Hastings. While this state of affairs simplifies the selectors' task, it shows that all is not well with tennis in Hawke's Bay. In the writer's opinion, the present dearth of talent is due to the fact that few of the juniors get any competitivo play. Match play, in itself the best lorm of practice, brings tbe desire to improve. In the early stages of this summer, the Napier and Waipawa Tennis Clubs enrolled seventy and forty new members respectively, so jt is obvious that there is plenty of enthusiasm for the gamo. How can the younger players be encouraged? It might be possibl© to run a teams' competitlon for players under twenty-one years of age. This agelimit, which would esclude every prominent player in Hawke's Bay, would giv« the sinaller clubs a chance to compare against those with a larger membership. From the players in such a grade a team might be picked to play against A grade representatives from the Hastings or Hawke's Bay Clubs. Then why not a, junior champioushdp? As there is no Easter toumey jn this district a suitable date would be available. Open tennis tournaments offer little opportunity to the promising youngster. As the committoes have to rank hlm as a "rabbit," he is likely to meet a seoded player in the first or second round. For a player who cannot expect more than one or two games in each event, tournament tennis is expensive, and in any case no young performer likes to. look silly against a vastly superjor opponent. Urdess the Hawke's Bay Lawn Tennis Association can provide Bome form of competitive play, in which young enthusiasts can meet others of a Biuiilar standard, the present state of affairs will continue. When our present representative players — already known in tennis oircles as the "veterang of-the Bay" — lose their ability, tbe standard of tennis in this district will be far below that of the neighbouring provincial ceutreB.