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Tennis coach Jack Barnaby has a knack for developing one type of team year after year: no super-stars like Princeton's Herb Fitzgibbon, but a host of strong players all the way down the ladder.

This year will be no exception. Harvard is at least as good as the team which compiled a 16-3-1 record last year, including the losses to Georgia and Presbyterian on the Southern tour when the squad was split into two teams of equal strength.

Gone are seniors Frank Ripley (number one), Bob Inman (four), and Captain Sandy Walker (seven), flock of rising juniors and sophomore but a Dick Appleby will fill the gap.

Junior Dave Benjamin, who has moved up from number two into the top position, will be just as tough there as Ripley, says Barnaby. Benjamin is not a bruising offensive player like Ripley was. Rather, he depends on ground strokes, touch, and speed. He can drive anyone crazy with his varsity shots, and on Harvard's slow, windy courts he's misery to the best of hitters.

At number two is Clive Kileff, a junior from Southern Rhodesia and another baseliner. Following Kileff is Captain Dean Peckham, who moved up from eight to number six last year just in time to thrash Princeton's highly-touted Lee Rawls, 6-0, 6-1. Last fall he defeated teammate Chauncy Steele in a challenge match to take over the varsity’s third slot.

Chum Steele may be the key to Harvard's chances for a good or great year. At times, as against Princeton last year, he is as good as any player on the team; he is undoubtedly the best doubles player with his blazing serve and big game. With Princeton’s Keith Jennings, he is ranked tenth nationally in men's doubles.

Steele has enormous tournament experience, which includes & victory a few years ago over Australia's Ashley Cooper, one of the world's best professionals. Yet at other times he plays totally uninspired tennis.

Appleby, the top player on Corey Wynn's freshman team last year, and senior Terry Robinson will play a test match this week for the five and six positions. Robinson has been valuable in doubles for Harvard, but this is the first time he has moved into a starting spot as a singles player.

Rich Friedman and Todd Wilkinson, both juniors, hold the seven and eight places on the varsity. Sophomore Brain Davis, often exceptional, often erratic and sloppy, is playing number nine, and Mike Tarre rounds off the team at ten.

Doubles, a Barnaby special, is often the saving grace for Harvard against teams with individual strength. If Harvard can at least split the six singles, then victory is an almost sure thing. Take last year's Princeton match for example. Harvard trailed 4-2 after the singles as was expected, and then completely baffled everyone by easily winning two doubles matches. Only a tremendous effort by Fitzgibbon salvaged a 5-4 victory for the Tigers.

Doubles Combinations

This year Harvard's doubles combinations are likely to be Steele-Kileff, Benjamin-Peckham, and Appleby-Davis (or Robinson).

Harvard, is extremely tough, but nevertheless has to be rated a step below two opponents in the Eastern Intercollegiate Tennis League, if only because of their home-court advantage.

Princeton, although definitely hurting without seniors Fitzgibbon. Speed Howell (number three), and Hugh Lynch (five) is still the team to beat, especially on its home courts. When Princeton edged Harvard here last year, Fitzgibbon was the only player on either team to win in both singles and doubles. This year, led by juniors Keith Jennings and Ham Magill, the Tigers are once again an awesome crew, but without Fitzgibbon, who knows?

Along with Harvard, Pennsylvania will be Princeton's chief challenger. Harvard, which knocked off Penn 6-3 here last year, must face the Quakers on hard courts in Philadelphia this year. Since the Crimson netmen generally count on steady play rather than big attacks, they rate as slight underdogs. Even on slow courts, Penn's hard-hitting top players, John Reese and Bailey Brown, whipped Ripley and Steele last year.

Indoor Courts

Two factors will be going in Harvard's favor: the new indoor courts and the Southern trip. For the first time, the entire varsity has been able to practice in the winter before heading south during spring vacation. Stroke weaknesses and doubles problems are being ironed out now, while the Southern trip will be devoted to competitive-play.

Barnaby has split his 14-man squad into two balanced teams. Benjamin, Peckham, Friedman Wilkinson, Tarre, Dean Bauer, and Dudley Blodgett make up Team A; Kileff, Appleby, Robinson, Davis, Dan Kleinman, Dave Hodges, and Alan Terell are Team B.

The varsity plays Byrd Park Club in Richmond Saturday, and then splits up to face Presbyterian, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Clemson next week.

Steele, who has been invited to play in the prestigious Carib-Hilton Tournament, will miss the trip, but will join the varsity in its first regular match against Navy, April 10.