P.M. sends telegram

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 80

P.M. sends telegram

PA Wellington Telegrams and gifts of champagne are flowing from Parliament buildings to the New Zealand cricket team to celebrate its innings victory over Australia yesterday. The Prime Minister, Mr Lange, said he had sent a congratulatory message to team captain Jeremy Coney. “I know all New Zealanders will join me in offering heartiest congratulations on your magnificent and historic test win,” Mr Lange’s telegram said. “The team spirit, determination, and sheer brilliance of play, is rightly reflected in your decisive win.

“A special tribute to the tremendous performance by Richard Hadlee, and the superb innings by Martin Crowe, and John Reid.”

And the Minister of Sport, Mr Moore, said he had sent

the team a bottle of champagne, along with a telegram. Mr Moore’s telegram read: “Well done. All New Zealanders were listening. Great effort. Our next stop is Perth. “We launch our Americas Cup yacht in Auckland, on November 30, and it’s called Kangaroota,” Mr Moore said.

Mr Moore said in a statement he had also moved to “normalise” relations with the Australian Government by telegraphing the Australian Minister of Sport, Mr Brown.

That telegram read: “For the next test series we will send our B team.

"C.E.R. is working, but if we took it into sport, your cricket team would be improved, but our rugby team would not. Hope this does not mean our Trans-Tasman Cup is off.”