S.A. squash players’ visit 'private’ — local head

Press, 9 April 1977, Page 48

S.A. squash players’ visit 'private’ — local head

Although Christchurch is believed to be one of the venues for a tour of New Zealand by a team of South African squash players, the local association knows nothing about it.

"I don't know anything apart from what 1 saw in the paper some time ago,” said the president of the Canterbury Squash Rackets Association (Mr Viv Hargreaves) last evening. A N.Z.P.A. report, published in ' The Press” on December S, quoted a Hamilton nffirial Mr Pp)af

Buckland, as saying that “aq group of South African indi-p ividuals” would be visiting! 'the city early this year dur- I ing a New Zealand tour but < that the trip was organised 1 by “the Waikatos”. i Mr Buckland said that the < Waikatos were an unofficial group of Waikato squash i players who had visited andu

;played in South Africa about! i two years ago. I This is about the limit of Mr Hargreaves’ knowledge! of the visit. “I don’t know! what the itinerary is, when! ;they arrive or what,” he said. i “We’ve certainly, heard I nothing at the district level! land when questions were

Tasked at a recent New Zealand association meeting the 1 Waikato delegate knew nothsling about the visit.” ' Mr Hargreaves added that! i'“these sorts of private! ! things” did not go through' ■ the various local associ-1 I j ations unless an organisation! llhappened to write to them. ; : He cited a recent case

v. tien ms uwu mgn aciiuui Old Boys club played a group of Australians. “Information about this came to me through a travel agent and never came to the notice of the association.” ’ “No club has reported to i the Canterbury association ‘ and for all I know the South \ Africans might just be going to Hamilton and back out ! |again. '! “If it's a private thing, it’s a private thing just like you 'land me and someone else •[teeing up a game of golf or Hsquash with a similar ■ group,” added Mr Har--1 greaves. ■j Although the South I Africans are officially rejgarded as a group of indi- ■ viduals the Halt All Racist '.Tours organisation believe lit “is much more than that.”! In a recent letter to the ■Prime Minister (Mr Mul- ' doon) H.A.R.T. claimed that! ■[“many people believed that, the tour is in fact comIpensation to South Africa for having been banned from the world championships in [Canada this year” and as far las South Africans were con-1 Icerned the visit was re-' garded as official. According to H.A.R.T., the (South Africans are . due to, (arrive in New Zealand on April 11. If they do come to Christ-' jchurch, it is likely that the organisers will attempt to] (make the visit a very lowj [key one and not allow the: venue to be publicly known. I I —