Coney keen to settle ‘car affair’ quickly

Press, 11 February 1986, Page 40

Coney keen to settle ‘car affair’ quickly

Jeremy Coney, the New Zealand cricket captain, is anxious that the Richard Hadlee car affair is settled before the return test series against Australia begins on February 21. Hadlee has announced his intention to hold on to the Alfa 90 he won as International Cricketer of the Year in Australia this summer and is considering making some form of cash contribution to the team fund in compensation for holding on to the car.

Last evening Coney said from Spring Creek, near Blenheim, that he did not know when the New Zealand players would discuss the matter further. But as captain of the side Coney said ' he wanted to make sure that the dispute in no way affected any of the players’ performances in the forthcoming threetest series. “If there are any problems they will have to be resolved before we play Australia,” he said.

Coney said that he had “no comment whatsoever” to make about his personal point of view and regretted the fact that the matter had been made public. The team which contested the one-day series in Australia is believed to have voted seven to five, with two abstentions, in favour of the car being sold and the proceeds shared. Hadlee, on the other hand, has cited precedents of previous winners keeping cars

and said he had put two cars in the team fund on other occasions. Coney said that the matter was something for the team to discuss and he (Coney) was only one of 14 in that case. “And what about the team that went to Australia before Christmas. Hadlee’s performances then went towards earning the award.” The Canterbury captain, Vaughan Brown, one of the New Zealand players in Australia before Christmas who did

not return for the oneday internationals, yesterday came out in support of Hadlee’s right to keep the car. “That’s fine,” said Coney. He said that the players would make their own minds up about compensation: “They will decide.” Mr Dave Elder, who will again manage the New Zealand team over the return test series, said it was difficult for him to comment. He did not want to be seen to be taking sides.

“The thing has been blown out of all proportion.” It was something, he said, for the players to decide themselves. He added that the car was only worth $14,000 in Australia and that Hadlee was unable to sell it for two years otherwise he would be hit with sales tax and duty. “It’s hard to work out the value of it” Mr Elder said that as far as he knew there never had been anything

in writing but “traditionally in New Zealand teams any - individual awards—cars or whatever —have been split among the teams.” The team voted on whether Hadlee should keep the car on Monday of last week on the plane between Launceston and Sydney, said Mr Elder. By his announcement that he wanted to keep the car Hadlee had actually invited the team vote.