Personalities In N.Z. Sport

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 815, 8 November 1929, Page 7

Personalities In N.Z. Sport

President of Auckland Lawn Tennis Association

A PARTICULARLY busy man these days is Mr. E. Hiekson, president of the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association. He has undertaken the self-appointed task of visiting all the clubs affiliated to the association, fifty-one in number, and there are now only 11 which he has not called upon.

his younger days Mr Hickson ," a n enthusiastic tennis player, and " ‘ s , flrsl to the old West Enel b -iiib '’which is now extinct. Its courts 1 ‘ ■on Bishopscourt grounds, in ' Zen Street, Fonsonby. Mr. Hickson ,cft the Bayfield school just over 23 rears ago. and ever since he has been connected with tennis.

VVhile at the West End Club, c n >red by Professor J. P. ?enssmann, professor of history at u.g S Auckland University College, u. Hickson won the men’s doubles eharnoionship of the Auckland province.

iwiin in 1913. when his partner was \lr H G. Goldsmith, he won the was “ *M* Hickson was always prominent , s an administrator, and for a numf veiU -s was secretary and treathe West End Club. He was -r o°n the club committee all the a he was a member. "Titer he joined the Remuera Club, and after serving on the committee - t i m e he was appointed secretary. u« still retains his connection with Remuera Club. He \sas elected a ire-nresident of tlie Auckland Lawn nlnnis Association before the war, and I, .he past three years. 1927, 1928. and 1929 he has been its president. Mr. Hickson never actually suerreded in annexing the Auckland Ingles title, although on one occasion reached the final, to be put out liy M. Keith. , , . . , .. , In the combined doubles section he partnered Miss Anne Gray on many Lcasions. Miss Gray had a line retold in women’s championship singles, and partnered by Miss CJorrie, in the womens championship doubles also. On one occasion Mr. Hickson won a place in he Auckland provincial team, and v:isited Taranaki. Mr. Hickson is a real live wire in the lawn tennis world, and his three yea’s in the position of president of the controlling asso-

ciation has seen the game make big strides ahead in Auckland. His object in visiting all the affiliated clubs —a big task, and one takmg a great deal of time—is to do something to let them realise that the association is not a body out to take everything it can get from the clubs without giving anything in return. I his year the association, under the direction of its president, is making big efforts to secure more courts. Application has been made to the City Council, and it is quite probable that the Domain scheme, whereby the council will lay down and keep up ten courts, and let them to the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association for club matches on Saturday afternoons, will be in operation by Christmas. This will do much to relieve congestion caused by the playing of grade matches on club courts, when none but the members of the teams can get in an afternoon’s tennis. To bring this end about, Mr. Hickson thinks that club members will not mind the small extra levy* necessary 7 to secure more courts, as club members will benefit by getting more tennis. Today the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association, as far as playing members is concerned, is bigger even than the Auckland Rugby Football Union. It has an affiliated membership of 4,112, and is the second largest lawn tennis association in New Zealand. There are, altogether. 27,000 tennis players affiliated through their various associations to the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association. The Canterbury Association has a membership of 4,500, but Auckland’s total would be greater than that were it not that there are sub-associations-in the North and Waikato districts with a total membership between them of 3,500. Mr. Hickson at one time was also a keen golfer, and in 1920 he reached the semi-finals of the amateur championship of New Zealand.