TENNIS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 358, 12 February 1937, Page 2

TENNIS.

(By Ground-shot.”) The expected happened on Saturday last when the Methodist A team had an easy victory, while the B team sustained a crushing defeat. With Hailwood and Harkness playing A, the B team was further weakened, otherwise the result may not have been quite so devastating.

The tennis for the day was not of a high standard owing mainly to the fact that. competition in both cases was not severe. Butcher and Vivian probably had the most interesting play in their tingles, flashes of bright play being Witnessed, with Vivian fairly fully extended. Misses D. Pople and M. Gatton were somewhat disgraced in their doubles, not winning one game. However, it was just a bad pitch in a fairly good day, because otherwise they acquitted themselves fairly well.

A matter which might well occupy the , attention of the Petrie Shield committee before next season is the advisability of having separate competitions for A and B grade. When a team can win a victory by 15 sets to one or 14 sets to two —and so many results have been as one-sided as that , this year—it does seem to indicate the need for separate campetitions. Were this suggestion adopted, on performances this season, the A grade teams. 1 would consist of Stratford A, Methodist A, Douglas and Cardiff, with Midhirst, Ngaere, Radnor Road, Stratford B and Methodist B teams in the B grade. The winner of the B grade could perhaps qualify, for the A grade, by playing off at the end of the season with the lowest team in the A grade.

Under present conditions opportunity is admittedly given for weak players to be matched against strong. This is only profitable for the weaker players, when the standard between thorn and their opponents is not too diverse. It is doubtful whether any advantage accrues to the weaker teams, when the results are so lop-sided. Also, should the present arrangement be continued next year, one can foresee the possibility of the competition losing its zest for those belonging to The A teams. When tennis is made too easy, it ceases to be very enjoyable. The change over to a two-grade basis would help to remove the objection of those who consider that too many matches are being held, making the club courts unavailable for those who do not belong to a team, but who have paid their annual subscription like the rest.

Next Saturday the A team should* have an easy victory over Midhirst, but the match between Ngaere and Methodist B should be even and interesting.