Bid to ban team fails

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34061, 27 January 1976, Page 1

Bid to ban team fails

CN.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. January 26. A Lower Hutt city councillor, Mr John Seddon, failed at a council meeting tonight to have South Africa banned from the world softball championships.

The championships are due to start at the Hutt Recreation Ground on Saturday.

Mr Seddon was allowed by the Mayor, Mr John Kennedy-Good, to put forward three motions, but because correct notice had not been given he was not allowed to speak to or to offer any arguments in support of them.

The motions were that the council ask the Government to take steps to ban the South African team from competing, that the council refuse the South African team the use of any of its grounds or sports facilities, and that no civic reception be held for any softball

team if South Africa competed. More than 40 people were in the public gallery during the 50-minute council meeting. Councillors defeated the motions 10-5, 10-5, and 11-4. Mr Seddon said after the meeting that he considered he had been technically ruled out from speaking on "specious grounds.” “I don’t really think there is much else I can do, as this was my practical demonstration to the South African entry,” he said.