TENNIS CONTROL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 13

TENNIS CONTROL

"TENNIS"

Small Clubs Urged to Form Separate Body A PLAYER'S PLEA (To the Editor) Sir, — For ioin© years I haye been a member oi an affiliated tennis club of Hastings; by this I mean affiliated to j the Hawke's B&y Lawn Tennis AsSociaj tion, and for the life oi me I cannot understand why this fatce is allowed to go on. ! A word of explanation : Every year ' uli the clubs desirjng to partieipate in the bounty of the Hawke's Bay Association pay so mUch pei: head for each member. If I am not mistaken, I think the amount is one shilling per memi ber. For years, since my Club (along j vvith othef Clubs in Hawke's Bay) has been formed, this amount has been paid out to the Hawke's Bay Association annually. In the first place each Club |s asked to send a dolegate to the Hawke's Bay Lawn Tennis Association's annual meetings The same procedure is gone j through every year and the same clubs j are elected on the committee, leaving • the small clubs out, as before. Reports j and balanoe-sheets are sent out to the ! clubs saying that all number pf gOCd things have been arranged for ihe cOmmg year, SUch as sendiug the top players from the larger clubs to give exhibitions at the smalier clubs, eto. This, i firmly believe, is done more cr less to blindfold the small clubs and lead them ixi believe that at last something is to be done for the advancemeut of the grade of tennis aild incidentaily to make theffi feel that perhaps this year the. fee will be worth while paying. So it goes on. MeanWhile, we are still waiting for a visit from these illustrous players, Now for the great concessions allowed to clubs who join this "great Brotherhood". Members of affiliated clubs beCome eligibl® to enter inte varioUs Competitions held by the Hastings club and the Hawke's Bay Club in Napier, and to enter into the Luxford Shield cOmpetition. This letter is written in a desire to help the great game of tennis to a step forward i.n Hastings and Hawke's Bay. Tennis, is a wonderful game played under ideal conditions, promoting a feeling of good fellOWship and comradeship and is character-building and health-promoting. I have made mere iasting friefids on the tennis court thaii oii aUy other field of sport, and spent the happiest times of my life there. . It is in this gaxne's interest then, that I say that while tennjs is controlied in HaWke's Bay by a certain few the game will never advance. The same fevir are chosen each year to represent Hawke's Bay (even your paper remarked on the "Has BeeUs"). Tfiere ara, I hava always maintained, players in the smalier Clubs who, if giveii a chanCC, would rise to greatU'ess. There is the argument that the budding player should joiu the "best" club and so get the practise or enter into the tournUments run by these clubs-. To that I say that until the atmosphere of these clubs is a little mofe congenial and members of small ciubs are treajbed ks eqUals instead of being barely tolerated, thittgs are not going to imprOve that way. Here and no.w I urge the Bmaller clubs to unite and form a separate body. Break away from the old body. which is buried in its own dust afid cobWebs which abviously (from your own experiences) WaUts none Of yoUi teiinis but just yOUr fees to keep the social gatherings (called representative tennis matches) going. You do not see these players nor do you benefif by their inclusien in tho teams.' Form a separate body, say a tennis league. This has been. done before by smnff clubs .who h.ave been. desirous of advancing and found so satisfactory that they have refused to rejoin the old body at a reduced rate of charge. Ther© are bright, capable, energetio members of the committees of the small clubs who cOuld take tip this work and carry it out satisfactorily. Form a tennis league and have your clubs rcpresented on the committee, and make your own rules and regttlations. To suceed you must tinite with all tho small clubs in Hawke's Bay. This would be a great step and I feel sure an iipward one.— -Your s, eto.,

Mastmgs, jj'eornary 10, 1937.