OCR Text |
Show PRANK K. BAKER MaJ I TfLIOKAM IPOMJ I0ITOP. Registration of Frank Mehner at the University of Utah last week came as good newt to tennis boosters interested in-terested in developing local players into stars of national importance. With Dick Bennion quitting serious tennis and Mehners family moving to San Francisco, it appeared for a time that Utah would have' to begin again at scratch in its effort to develop some more nationally prominent players here again. With th leit-handed Mehner returning to Utah for hit collegiate work, thera Is strong possibility that he will campaign cam-paign during tha summer as a repreaentativ of local net circles, too, all of which Is good news to those delegated with the responsibility respon-sibility of getting strong representation for this region, because ha has shown promise of developing Into on of tha best players in tha state. Bennion probably could hava become tha best tennis star ever developed in Utah had ha been inclined to devote few mora years to tha game. With his regular collegiate day at an end, however, Dick elected to continue his law studies in the east, even though it meant sidetracking his tennis program. Dick has not exactly thrown his racquets away. A star of his caliber could hardly dismiss tennis altogether with one sweeping sweep-ing action. He will still play at tennis occasionally, enjoying, perhaps, few week-end matches or even finding time to enter soma of tha lesa important tournaments, but from here on out tennis will be a sideline with him. And as such it may bring even mora genuine pleasure than ha got out of his competitive program in which so much was always at stake. Those Intensive practice campaigns and tour af tha tournaments b longer com la his program. He'll be toe busy readying himself for mora Important issue in Ufa for that kind of emphasis an tennis, which is good, sound logic, I but nevertheless an nnfortunate thing so far a Utah's tennis repreeentatloa U concerned. Bennion was the outstanding net ambassador Utah has had since Ralph McElvenny hung up his racquets in 1931 and began his business career. With e thorough game, backed by an almost tireless physique, Bennion's brand of tennis was fundamentally sound. He hsd a steady set of ground strokes, powerful overhead game and general agility which made him dangerous both at the net and on retrieves. The left-handed Mehner has shown considerable promise of becoming one of tha state's best players, and with his family moving to San Francisco, local net enthusiasts thought for a time that he would wind up with one of the California net squads. Bennion's decision to retire, leaves Gordon Giles, Malcolm Mal-colm Booth of Provo, Ray Dubois, Bill Pardoe and Paul Harmon to carry the immediate load and it probably will be several years before any of them are ready to fill the post so well at their predecessors. ' t : Giles may be more ready than the others. He turned In some fine work as he teamed with Bennion on their tour of eastern east-ern tournaments and especially in the Intercollegiate doubles meet His exposure to such important competition may help him develop faster than some of the others, but he still needt more seasoning and maturity to match Bennion's possibilities. Whatever disappointment there may be at departure of a star ilka Bennion, considerable hope can be found la tha prospect that the field is now wide apea for the development of mora young talent Although they still hava a big edge In experience, mea like Davo Freed, the state champion; Fred Dixon, Grant Evans and a few af the ether standby . can't go on forever. If the youngsters don't ran Into to many seasoned anea In th early rounds, tha 1131 tournaments tourna-ments may find quite a few strange names in the advanced 1 matches. And that's th bast way t train the young prospects pros-pects by experience. |