Will We Enjoy Another Turkish Delight?

14-Apr-2008 - Robyn Castle

The ITF World Seniors and Super Seniors World Team Championships will start a day earlier than usual to cater for the record number of teams that have entered this year. A total of 376 teams from 38 countries will grace the courts of the two resorts in Antalya from October 12 – 18.  Australia will have 6 teams at Belek, (W50, W55, W60, M50, M60 and M70) and 11 at Manavgat (W45, W65, W70, W75, M35, M40, M45, M55, M65, M75 and M80).

Club Ali Bey Manavgat

Men’s
Italia Cup - 35
Tony Trabert Cup - 40
Dubler Cup - 45
Austria Cup - 55
Britannia Cup – 65
Bitsy Grant Cup – 75
Gardnar Mulloy Cup – 80

Women’s
Suzanne Lenglen Cup - 35
Young Cup - 40
Margaret Court Cup - 45
Kitty Godfree Cup – 65
Althea Gibson Cup – 70
Queen’s Cup - 75

Club Ali Bey Belek

Women’s
Maria Esther Bueno Cup - 50
Maureen Connolly Cup - 55
Alice Marble Cup – 60

Men’s
Fred Perry Cup - 50
Von Cramm Cup – 60
Jack Crawford Cup – 70

In the Seniors, Australia will be amongst 226 teams, the highest number being 29 teams in the Italia Cup, followed by 28 in the Dubler, 26 in each of the Tony Trabert and Fred Perry, and 23 in the Austria Cup. The Senior Women have Margaret Court and Maria Bueno with 21 each, the Maureen Connolly and Young Cups 18 each and the Suzanne Lenglen, 16.

 
Super Seniors have traditionally had high numbers in the Von Cramm, 25, Britannia and Jack Crawford, 23 each, with the Bitsy Grant a creditable 15 teams and the Gardnar Mulloy 11. In the Women’s there are 19 in Alice Marble, 15 in Kitty Godfree, 10 in Althea Gibson and 9 in the Queen’s Cup. A total of 150 teams will compete for these Cups.

In 2007, Australia won the Austria Cup, the Britannia Cup and the Jack Crawford Cup, and Silver medals in the Gardnar Mulloy, the Althea Gibson and the Maria Bueno.

 
In the Individuals we have many players defending titles: Bruce Osborne and Wayne Pascoe (50MD), Andrew Rae (55MS), Liz Allan and Kerry Ballard (55WD). In Super Seniors there are: Tom Downie and Murray French (65MD), Peter Froelich (70MD), Max Byrne (75MD), Doug Corbett and Ward Hillier (80MD), Carol Campling (60WD), Nola Collins and Margaret Robinson (70WD) and Elsie Crowe (80WS).

Go, Aussies, go for GOLD!