S.A. squash player rejected because of anti-apartheid reaction

Press, 7 April 1979, Page 60

S.A. squash player rejected because of anti-apartheid reaction

By

TIM DUNBAR

Inevitable protests by anti-apartheid demonstrators have brought the rejection of South Africa's greatest squash player. Roland Watson, for the Ballins international series in New Zealand this winter.

Brownlee and Murray Lilley,! !who are contracted to Bal-! Tins through an agreement l I with its sports consultant,! 11.M.G. Brownlee and Lilley, who! (became the first New Zea-; Hand squash players to be! signed by 1.M.G., in September, 1977. have just been; joined by the five-times! national women’s champion,, I Pam Guy. Last year, two top Pakis-| ; tanis — Hiddy Jahan (the; world No. 4) and Torsami Khan — Contested the series, but Mr Urlwin said. that no overseas players had 1 ’yet been settled on for this year’s series, probably to be held in late June. It is believed though, that the slender Pakistani, Gogi Alauddin (ranked fifth in the world), is a strong possi-

Watson was offered to the organisers of the series,! Mark McCormack’s International Management Group ,[ but “knocked back" because L of the reaction his presence would spark. “Roland is a real gentle-■■ man and we didn’t want to subject him to all the hassl-'l ing of the Trevor Richards people,” said the New Zealand vice-preisdent of I.M.GJI <Mr Jack Urlwin) in Christ-’ church yesterday. Some of that “hassle” was ■ evident at the North Shore [1 club last October when Watson, ranked No. 6 in the world, competed in the New Zealand Open. Two leading overseas! players are required for the challenge series to compete I against the leading New . Zealand professionals, Bruce ’

, Ibility for the series, and his I ■! superb stroke-piay would be 1 :1a real attraction. Some play-j , j ers have apparently de-| [manded large appearance! •!fees and have been ruled out] ■ as a result. Mr Urlwin did say that! | the 1977 world amateur ‘ichampion, Maqsood Ahmed ''(Pakistan), who is rapidly i advancing up the professional rankings, might be Tavailable but “it’s really up ; I to our London office which I i is in constant contact with “the players.” II In 1978, the series was held at "seven different ! venues from Auckland to Ti--1 maru with the finals in Christchurch. Mr Urlwin is again planning to finish the! series in Christchurch but

lone or two North Island 'venues might be changed. | With conventional courts, (numbers of spectators are (severely limited but there is j the exciting possibility that. | this problem could be done 'away with for the 1980 series. Mr Urlwin said that portable courts have been made in Sweden which can be assembled in a day. “You can put it into a small circular area and give about 1100 spectators a clear view. “The thing weight a couple of tons and if I applied for a licence now it would take several months to get it into the country. But it might be a definite ‘on’ for next year,” Mr Urlwin said. One idea as a venue for 'the 1980 series was the King Edward Barracks.