Cricket Behind Barbed Wire

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32215, 6 February 1970, Page 15

Cricket Behind Barbed Wire

LORD’S GROUND TO BECOME “FORTRESS”

j (N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LONDON. Three hundred reels of barbed wire were shipped to the Lord’s cricket ground yesterday, to keep anti-apart-heid demonstrators off the field when the England-South Africa test match is played there this summer. An M.C.C. spokesman said this was the first move in a | gigantic security operation ‘to protect the South Afri-' leans’ tour. ; Wire will also be erected! on top of the high outer wall| round the Lord’s ground, i and as an additional obstacle'.

to demonstrators, the outer walls will be smeared with a special slippery paint. Similar measures will be taken at the other test match sites—Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham and Kennington Oval—and at Leicester, police guard dogs are already making night patrols. Test matches have never I been played behind barbed [wire in England before. But an official at the Oval said: t"lt is legitimate, because it ) harms no-one unless he is lout to do damage.

“It is not our fault that we are having to turn our grounds into a garrison fortress. We refuse to give in to the militants.” Britain's cricket administrators were yesterday challenged to state publicly whether they would receive financial backing from South Africa to help pay for police protection during the tour. The challenge came amidst widespread press reports that the estimated £250,000 ($535,800) costs for police protection during the tour would be ruinous to many of the smaller clubs hosting the South Africans. A statement issued by the “Stop the Seventy Tour” committee said: “It is difficult to see how the tour could go ahead without a substantial subsidy in. view of the perilous state of county club finances.

“We ask the M.C.C. and all county clubs to state publicly whether any arrangements have been made either directly or indirectly, to receive a cash offer from South Africa.” Meanwhile, Government sources denied that the Home Secretary (Mr James Callaghan) was exerting pressure on the M.C.C. to cancel the tour. The sources said Mr Callaghan had told M.C.C. representatives last week that he believed in the right of private organisations to hold sports events Without interference from the Government. But he had defended the right to demonstrate peacefully against such fixtures, while condemning the use of violence. Mr Callaghan had also made it clear that clubs hosting the South Africans would have to pay for police supervision at all fixtures during the tour. For a match lasting several days this could cost between £2OOO and £3OOO ($4280$6420).