TENNIS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 301, 4 December 1936, Page 7

TENNIS.

(BY GROUNDSHOT). The season is sufficiently advanced in the Methodist Tennis Club for prospects of certain of the players to be reviewed. The men’s section of the team play will be stronger than last year. An interesting though somewhat disappointing decision of the F!->lrie Shield committee is that only four men will be in each team, instead of s x as has been customary.

Butcher will be hard to defeat for first place, though he will not find the position easy to maintain. When on form, this played should hold his own in match play during the season. Boyd has not been able to practice so much this year, but he should’be in the first team.

Ward is on the courts consistently and will make a strong bid for an A position also. Vivian will need to practice, though in any case, will be very near Ihe first flight. Dick has a most attractive style and should shortly stand very high on the club ladder. He is almost a certainty for the A Team. Palairet shaped well earlier in the season, but will require practice 1 if he wants to make a serious bid for team honours.

Should the club decide to enter two teams for the shield competition, Hailwood, Sugden, Harkness, and Sherson will have chances of selection also.

Last Tuesday evening at the Methodist Courts, members of the club joined in a farewell 'to the vicer president, Mr. S. W. Why’te, who has gone to the Waikato to reside. In making a presentation, the president, the Rev C. O. Hailwood, referred to the energetic assistance Mr. Whyte had rendered, especially in the executive responsibilities of the club. The first-class condition of the club property and finance, was partly due to the vice-president’s interest and support, and he took with him the good wishes of the members who knew him and valued his work. Mr. Whyte in reply, spoke of the pleasure association with the club, had given him and stressed the very sociable atmosphere that pervaded club activities.

With the unfavourable weather In the past week, there has been little play at the l Stratford Club’s courts. Members, however, have been active in getting the courts in first-class condition in preparation for better weather to come. The tar for the renewal of two of the hard courts is already on the spot and the work will be commenced almost immediately.

The decision of '.he Petrie Shield committee to limit the. teams to four this year will probably enable Stratford to enter three teams' instead of two.

At a meeting next week the committee will make final arrangements for a Cemtral Taranaki competition for senior players. If '.he clubs of the district accept this proposition, the match play in the district should be much more satisfactory for both junior and senior players than it has been for some time. * if. *

It is to be hoped that the Taranaki L.T.A. will make some mbve in the direction of either making the selection qf the Taranaki team correspond with the ladder or to introduce some system of ranking matches.i C'hjs would be .the means of bringing the Stratford club back into the fold which would be of advantage to the association and also to the club, if for no other reason, than that it would render its junior members eligible to be chosen to play at the New Zealand championships under the N.Z.L.T.A.’s scheme, which includes an offer to meet half the expenses.