NEXT DAVIS CUP

Hokitika Guardian, 6 February 1920, Page 2

NEXT DAVIS CUP

SYDNEY, January 28

Kir Norman Brookes was looking for trouble when, at the tennis dinner on Saturday night, he complained against the Davis Cup rule, which says that one' out of three Davis Cup ‘matches', wh’p/n |Au|stminaia are the holders, should be played in Now Zealand. The prompt and vigorous reply of the New Zealand tennis president was timely and. expected. Generally tennis comment here does not support" Mr Brookes, but there are an unsportsmanlike few who ‘‘do not see why New Zealand should be in it at all.” The newspapers, during the match were scrupulous in calling it “Australasia versus British Isles,” but in other directions it was “Australia versus British Isles.” Naturally New Zealanders without being petty, were a little hurt. It was not as if New Zealand is clinging to Australia’s coat-tails in order to be carried to a little cheap glory ; New Zealanders in the past, have very completely won their nameless place in the “Australasia” of tennis. Australia would never have climbed so high in tennis records without Anthony Wilding, and it is only the tragedy of war, which carried off that champion and other promising younger New Zealanders, which leaves the Dominion ‘unrepresented in this Australasian Dayis Cup team. Mr Brookes’s weather argument in the circumstances, is really funny. No Davis Cup match was ever played under such adverse weather conditions as the one just completed. Nearly every one of the matches had to be broken off or postponed owing to per. sistent heavy rain. Yet Mr Brookes says that Australians and Americans do not want to go to New Zealand boa use of the possibility of unsuitable weather. The “Sun” newspaper, in its column,.has a laugh at Mr Brookes over this matter. Then Mr Brookes urges an amendment of the rules to permit the holders of the Cup always to play on thoir own ground. This is to allow the Australians to refuse to go to’ New Zealand to defend tlie Cup in New Zealand. Just what he is going to do when the team includes New Zealanders —as it will again eventually—is not explained.