LASTED EIGHT MONTHS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20267, 9 August 1937, Page 14

LASTED EIGHT MONTHS

A LONG TENNIS MATCH. AUBBIE CLUBS COULD NOT MEET. RAIN, WEDDING, AND HOLIDAYS. For many months four hard-court tennis teams over in Australia have been trying to complete matches set down for last season. Soon the new season will be on them, but they are still trying to dispose of last year's games. One long tennis match will last eight months I In the Eastern Suburbs one contest has been in progress since December of last year, while in the Northern Suburbs successive draws in a semi-final have added to the length Of a grade match. The Eastern Suburbs marathon embraces some unusual features. In December, Avenue and OCaroola Clubs

were to have met but after a few sets it rained. Other matches had to be played, and then the annual championships put a stop to the grade contests for 14 weeks. At the end of the titles the clubs found that through illness, loss of players, annual holidays, and a wedding the match -could not be played. The association made a number of attempts to complete the division, but when each club had full teams rain forced a postponement and more weeks dragged into months. The association had almost given up hope of holding the contests but the weather cleared, and Avenue defeated Karoola. However, that did not end the trouble. More Rain. Avenue still had to meet Eastcourts to decide the winners of the division. The match was set down for the last Saturday in July (only about two months to the new season) and the players had just walked on to the court when rain fell. Whichever team wins it will have to meet Aloha in the Anal. Rain also forced the postponement Tor many weeks of the semi-final between N.C.C. and Rangers in the Northern Suburbs B2 men’s Sunday competitions.