Tennis LACK OF INTEREST

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 15

Tennis LACK OF INTEREST

'Volleyer.")

Club Championships Kave No AUraction COMING EVENTS

(By '

TenniB club comjmittee^ haye now tjegun their seasonal outCty againsf tiie lack of interest in club championships. This very real lack of interest is eaaily explainedWhen an Ppen tournamenfc is arranged, definite dates are adverti«Qd; compe'titors are attraeted, not only by ihe fcennis, b'ut alsq by tho prospect of meeting friends. To mqst people onq attraction is as great as the othor. But in a club fchampionship, the secretary, hhvihg eolleoted entries from the playera -he knowa best, puts up a copy of the * ' draw ' ' on the p&vilion and leaves it at that,- Attached to tlus notice there is nsually an intinjatiQn to the efEect that any players wko have noE coihpletqd their first Tound by a certain date will be " scratchqd. ' > Tho players, knowing quite well that no pno wili be 'pcratched,,» ignore the notice; the summer holidaya arrive, and nothing can be done. Some time in the prepent month the secretary, mindful of fche entrance f eee, cajoles- most of the eompetitors ihto a few isolated matches, but the events may not be .fiamhod nntil the following spring. If each club arranged its owa ehampionship and handic?4P fourney on o defihite' week-end, a lot of trouble WQUld be eayed for both players and committee. ' In a large club, separate week'ende rnight be neoessaty -for the championship and handicap divisions, but as long ap tbe dates were defmite the players could be sure of the congenial" cDmpany which makes for e paccessful tournamcnt. Event* of Dnpoxtance, Apart from club matches, the next few weeks will bring eeverai events of importance in local teanis circieg. On March 13 the Hawke's Bay ropresentative# will travel tq Wanganui,- and with the Wanganui team at Luii strength out side wiil be lucisy ta avoid defeat. Tbie vill be the hvst match played away from home by Hawke's Bay smce the. 1933-34 eeason. AHhough finance ig admittedly a diificnby, it seems unfortunate tnat annual representative matches cannot be arranged, quite apart from ihe ChriBtie Cup serieahew of pur local players evcr have an of^ortunity tp gaiu cxporionce on strange courtg, An interesting, though - anofficial, practiee match, Town v. Country, wili ue piayed at the eud of" this month. Siich contesfs, with no cups or trophies lo be won, are the best forin of tennis or any other sport; another which would be worth playing this season in Hawke's Bay would be Manied v. Singlel In this the last Christie Cup team would be evenly divided, and no oue wquld bet on the xesult. Napier Easter Tourney, ' At the end of hlarch tho Napier Easter tournament is to be rcvived bv the Hawke'e Bay Lawn Tennis Club, but the dates have yet to be ratified by the Now Ziealand Lawn Tennis Assoeiation. Tfie new grounds of the Hawke's Bay Club are most impreseive. In a few years' tijne they might obtaiu a NewZealand championship, In provious notes the writer has disCUSaed the present position of tennis in this district; we have many player? bttt few good ones. Can this state of afiairs be attributed to the evergrowing popularity of the beaches? Tfie fcldw rhythniic moveroenta of tha swimmer, while splendid for muscular development, are the wor3t possibie training for games like crieket and tennis, which requite sudden and epeedy movemont from hands and feeV Many of our young tennis players, while keen enough on the game, appear lethargic on th.e court; this may be duo to tho influence of the sea.