Tennis...

Students' Performances In Provincial Tourneys

The top men players are D. Robinson, J. Walls, B. O'Connor, C. W. Pritchard, B. K. Reddy, T. Eichelbaum and A. Robinson. Judy O'Brien, Ann Walker, Lois Holland, Sheila Hutchinson lead the women players.

At the beat of times, players who are eligible to play for University are often reluctant to do so, since opportunities for good practice games are not as good as other clubs, The departure of C. W. Pritchard to Dunedin, Miss O'Brien to third year T.C. at Dunedin, and Misses L. Holland and S. Hutchinson, who have gone abroad, is a blow to the club and will not prove an incentive for too players to represent V.U.C. in the future. (Miss B. Nelson is eligible to play at University but it is doubtful if she would do so now.)

D. Robinson (N.Z. University single champ.) ranked No. 5 in Wellington, won the South. Wairarapa singles and mixed doubles title this season, reached the third round of the singles and quarter-finals of the men and mixed doubles at the flew Zealand championships in Christ-church, and was a runner-up to the well-known players R. Howe and P. Nicholls in the men's doubles event at the championships in Masterton.

A. Robinson (brother to Don) played extensively over the vacation, being runner-up in the North Island junior singles championship, winning the junior singles and doubles titles at Waipawa and losing 6-4 in the third set to M. Dunn in the quarter-final of the New Zealand junior singles championship at Hamilton. He also played in the Slazenger Shield team.

T. Eichelbaum reached the semifinal of the North Island men's singles championship, beat fellow club member B. K. Reddy in the quarter-final of the same event in the Wanganul championships, and partnered by R. Sandilands won the Manawatu doubles championship.

C. W. Pritchard, who has always been a steady player for 'Varsity, played at various North Island tournaments but did not shine as well as expected. M. Wakefield, of Hamilton, the subsequent title-holder of Bay of Plennty singles championship, bent him 7-5. 7-5 in the third round of that event. Pritchard was ranked about 15th in Wellington.

Jack Walls, who was ill during part of the season, has been playing well and has not lost an inter-club match to date.

Misses A. Walker and L. Holland won the ladies' doubles championship at Rotorua, were runners-up at Tauranga in the same event, and both of them reached the singles semifinals at the Rotorua championships. Miss Holland also was a semi-finalist in the singles event at Tauranga and the mixed doubles finalist at Rotorua. She was partnered by M. Wakefield.

The four courts at V.U.C. are in reasonable nick; two new nets have been put up and the club looks forward to the prospect of gathering in new talent from the ranks of the "freshers" in the 1953 session.