Tasmanian side tough proposition for N.Z.

Press, 11 July 1980, Page 24

Tasmanian side tough proposition for N.Z.

■ The Launceston Casino basketball team to play New Zealand tomorrow arrived from Sydney on Wednesday evening. The team, which Australian Federation officials believe to be comparable in strength to their national side, will provide stiff opposition for the New Zealanders. The Casino team finished eighth in this year’s Australian League, and was one of only two teams to beat the eventual winner, St Kilda. Although they hail from Tasmania, the players include four of the 38 Americans who are spread through the 12 teams in the Australian League. All four, Jim Eriksin,

Curtis Coleman, Auden Ulrich, and Cliff Martin will be the key men in the squad. However, Martin will not arrive in time for the first “test” to be played at Cowles Stadium at 2 p.m. tomorrow. The team drove straight to Ashburton, where it practised before a match against an invitation side. The Casino coach, Max Pike, said: “Everywhere we go we expect to come across your national players. We’ve played against the best in Australia, so we’re confident that the same strategies will work against New Zealand.” Other team members are: Andrew Clements (captain), Mike Parsons, Steve Warren, I

- Andrew Longden, Dean 1 Draper, and Steve Heald. I Also on the flight from * Sydney was a former bas- " ketballer who has made his 1 name in a different field. • The rock star and actor, Jon English, arrived almost un- _ noticed except by surprised Z fans of the television series, “Against the Wind.” { He said that he was in ; town to do some pre-public--5 ity before his tour later this > year. “We’re three-quarters j full already so I could have t stayed home in bed,” said [ English. And his basketball ex- : perience? “I used to play for , the New South Wales underJIS team.”