Dear Ernie,

I was giving my personal opinion, not anything to do with the
ACA. What follows is also my personal opinion.

At 09:32 PM 18/08/2009, you wrote:
>I feel that minor width short falls are not important, but short
>falls in length
>can cause problems particularly if you have to do a take-off from
>one baulk to the other.

TH: For me, a roll from a side yard line to a hoop is just as important.

>One of the Brisbane clubs (Windsor) has recently modified three of its courts
>(reduced the length by 5 feet) but the fourth court is full size. I
>feel that this situation
> can be confusing, particularly during a tournament, if the player
> is required to move
>from one size court to another during a days play.

TH: I'm quite used to moving from one club to another, so the
difference doesn't matter to me. I'd prefer to play on full-size
courts as much as possible.

>What do you feel about this situation, and does the ACA have any
>basic rules that must
>be met before acceptance of a venue for a major tournament eg Aust
>Open or Trans Tasman.

TH: My opinions are above. I don't think the ACA has any policy
other than that the State which has been delegated to conduct an
event should do its best to provide proper facilities, which include
full-size courts. In 1997 when I was the chairman of the organising
committee for the Australian Championships in Sydney I found it
necessary to use Marrickville as we needed 28 courts one day. That
court is four or five yards short. We told the players, who
understood the situation and there was no problem. It is certainly
not desirable, however.

Best Regards,

Tony