The construction crews are back at work on Harvard's indoor tennis courts, and it's a safe bet that the huge plastic-domed structure will be finished by the beginning of reading period.

Had weather, construction, delays, and finally a complete shutdown in building kept the courts from being finished anywhere near their December 1 deadline. In mid-March the Long Island company which originally undertook construction ran into difficulties and called its workers off the job.

Construction got underway once again just before spring vacation, with a Boston firm heading the operation this time. Builders now expect the three clay courts to be in shape by May 20.

Clay Courts Crowded

In the meantime, a fairly sizable traffic jam has developed on the six remaining clay courts, the only ones available to undergraduates at Harvard. Priority on the courts is given to the top ten varsity players and the top eight freshmen; after that it's an open scramble among varsity and freshmen squad members with the losers being shunted off to the Soldiers Field hard courts.

Next year, however, the indoor courts will permit year-round all-weather play, and will also cut off the chilly wind that whips in off the Charles to heave tennis balls around.

With the indoor courts in shape, coach Jack Barnaby hopes to be able to schedule intrasectional matches that aren't feasible now. "We can't ask a team like North Carolina to come up and play us now when a day's rain means they've made the trip for nothing," he explained. "But once we get these courts built and can play under any conditions, we can schedule anyone."