LAWN TENNIS IN THE KING COUNTRY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 546, 1 March 1913, Page 3

LAWN TENNIS IN THE KING COUNTRY.

(Contributed).

When in 1911 Dr and Mrs Howard so kindly donated a Shield for competition among the five clubs then affiliated to the newly-formed King Country Lawn Tennis Association, it waa thought that this should prove an incentive enough to create a friendly rivalry between the various clubs that naturally each club would atrivn to become the holders of the coveted trophy.

In reviewing the contests a brief outline may be of interest to illustrate how half heartedly tha generous assistance of Dr and Mrs Howard has been responded to. In the first round for possession in 1911, four clubs competed, namely, Taum'arunui, Rangaroa Manunui, and Te Kuiti, Mangapehi being unable to put forward a team owing to the absence of several players. Te Kuiti proved too strong for the remaining clubs and annexed the Shield, holding it until 1913, when it was secured by the Mangapehi Club in its third attempt. The only other challenge put forth was that of Rangaroa, in 1912, which resulted in a win for Te Kuiti. Where, then, have Taumarunui and Manunui been? Surely they should have enough enterprise to attempt to secure the trophy. Certainly there has never been much incentive to any club to visit Te Kuiti, and without question the courts provided there are decidedly the worst in the King Country. Why they do not attempt to improve their sand courts or put down asphalt courts is a question asked by many. So much for the Howard Shield contests. Further, to show how very alive the King Country clubs are, an Easter tournament (championship and handicap) was sanctioned, permission was granted by the Auckland Association, Taumarunui's three courts were available, and a committee consisting of two members of each club wa3 set up, and everything looked promising. To further the arrangements a meeting was called at Taumarunui on 21st inst., and was attended by the representatives of only three club?, viz., Taumarunui, Rangaroa and Mangapehi. Each club was asked to vote £1 Is towards the tournament to assist in providing trophies, and the request was promptly responded to by the above three clubs. The unrepresented clubs, viz., Te Kuiti and Manunui, not only did not send their delegates, or appoint proxies, but did not even have the courtesy to send a letter of apology, pass an opinion regarding the tournament or offer to assist financially. Actually, this did not occasion the surprise that might have been expected, as in the past little assistance has been givn by these clubs, but at the same time their action was strongly commented on by those present. Consequent upon the poor support accorded, it wa« decided to abandon the idea of conducting a tournament this year, as although a large committee had been elected it was recognised that the onus of conducting the tournament would fall on a few energetic enthusiasts as is too often the case in fixtures of this kind. A point much to be regretted which had been overlooked until recently waa that although holders of the Shield, the Te Kuiti Club, has been unfinancial for the last two seasons, viz., 1911 2, and 1912-3—Manunui likewise, whilst the other three clubs hav<=i alone been contributing to the funds of the association. It might be pointed out that whilst unfinancial that members of the unfinancial clubs are not eligible to compete in open tournaments held under the authority of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association, and in fairness to their members Te Kuiti and Manunui Bhould look to this aspectwitbout d^lay In conclusion, it is to be hoped that now Mangapehi has possession of the Shield, that contests will be of more frequent occurrence, and it may be of interest to newly-formed King Country clubs to know that the King Country Lawn Tennis Association would be pleased to add their names to its list of affiliated clubs 'with a view to making the Huward Shield matches more widely known and appreciated -^^^^^^^^^^^^_