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Rebellion, race and Rhodesia: international cricketing relations with Rhodesia during UDI

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 12; Issue: 4-5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17430430802702798

1743-0445

Charles Little,

African studies and sociopolitical issues

Abstract This essay examines the dynamics of Rhodesian cricket during the period of that state's Universal Declaration of Independence (UDI) from Britain (1965–79). During this period of international isolation under the white minority regime of Ian Smith, Rhodesian sport was subject to a variety of pressures and influences. Most significant amongst these were the various attempts to impose an international sporting boycott upon it. The principle purpose of this essay is to analyse the impact of this campaign on cricket, both domestically within Rhodesia and its impact on the wider cricketing world. Particular attention is given to the role of the British Government in instigating and promoting this boycott and the responses of cricketing authorities to such calls, including the MCC's decision to avoid playing in Rhodesia on their planned 1969 tour of Southern Africa and the responses of various governing bodies and national governments to private tours of the republic. Notes 1 For an overview of the historical treatment of sporting contacts with Rhodesia see Little Little, Charles. 2005. Preventing "A Wonderful Break-Through for Rhodesia": The British Government and the Exclusion of Rhodesia from the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Olympika, 14: 47–68. [Google Scholar], 'Preventing "A Wonderful Break-Through for Rhodesia"'. The only acknowledgement of the cricketing boycott is a small section in Chesterfield's recent analysis of Zimbabwean cricket. Chesterfield Chesterfield, Trevor. 2004. "Zimbabwe Cricket: A Challenge almost Won". In Cricketing Cultures in Conflict: World Cup 2003, Edited by: Majumdar, Boria and Mangan, J.A. 129–43. London: Routledge. [Google Scholar], 'Zimbabwe Cricket', 137–40. 2 Mansergh Mansergh, Nicholas. 1982. The Commonwealth Experience: Volume Two; From British to Multiracial Commonwealth, London: Macmillan. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], The Commonwealth Experience, 163–201; Lloyd Lloyd, T.O. 1996. The British Empire 1558–1995, Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar], The British Empire, 357–80. 3 Chitty (Rhodesia Political Department) to Tupholme (British Amateur Athletic Board), January 10, 1967. Public Record Office (hereafter PRO) Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), 36–316. 4 Little Little, Charles. 'The Sports Boycott against Rhodesia Reconsidered.' Paper presented at The New Currency of Sport: Inaugural Political Studies Association Sport and Politics Study Group Conference, Newtown, Wales, February 24–25, 2007. [Google Scholar], 'The Sports Boycott against Rhodesia Reconsidered'. 5 For the history of cricket in Rhodesia see Winch Winch, Jonty. 1983. Cricket's Rich Heritage: A History of Rhodesian and Zimbabwean Cricket, 1890–1982, Bulawayo: Books of Zimbabwe. [Google Scholar], Cricket's Rich Heritage. 6 There were some occasional calls for Rhodesia to break its ties with South Africa and seek independent international affiliation, but these never received official backing from the Rhodesia Cricket Union. Moreover, these were usually due to 'provincial squabbles', such as when the SACA refused to reconsider Rhodesia's demotion to the B Zone of the Currie Cup in 1962, rather than over broader political or racial issues. Evening Standard (Salisbury), February 13, 1962, 12. 7 Rhodesia Herald, February 11, 1966, 22; February 12, 1966, 6; August 25, 1966, 24; August 26, 1966, 25; September 2, 1966, 26. 8 Willcocks (Cultural Relations Department) to Griffith (MCC), July 12, 1967. PRO FCO, 36–316; Young to March, July 21 1967. PRO FCO, 25–549. 9 Yorkshire Post, September 13, 1967. 10 Yorkshire's players expressed their support for the tour. Fred Trueman was quoted as saying, 'I don't know what the hell the fuss is about. All I know is that I want to go and play cricket and nowt else'; and captain Brian Close opined, 'Cricket should be above politics and the fact that Rhodesia is said to be an illegal regime means nothing as far as our game is concerned'. Daily Express, September 13, 1967; The Daily Telegraph, September 13, 1967. 11 The Daily Telegraph, September 13, 1967. Other editorials critical of the Government's intervention appeared in the The Times, Sunday Express and Sunday Telegraph, while both the The Times and Yorkshire Post printed large numbers of letters to the editor with a similar viewpoint. 12 The Times, September 19, 1967. 13 March to Young (Rhodesia Political Department), July 14, 1967. PRO FCO, 36–316. 14 The Times, May 27, 1968. 15 The Daily Telegraph, May 30, 1968; May 31, 1968. 16 Murray Murray, Bruce. December 2001. Politics and Cricket: The D'Oliveira Affair of 1968. Journal of Southern African Studies, 27(1): 676–84. [Google Scholar], 'Politics and Cricket'; Murray and Merrett Murray, Bruce and Merrett, Christopher. 2004. Caught Behind: Race and Politics in Springbok Cricket, Johannesburg and Scottsville: Wits University Press and University of KwaZulu-Natal Press. [Google Scholar], Caught Behind; Oborne Oborne, Peter. 2005. Basil D'Oliveira: Cricket and Conspiracy – The Untold Story, London: Time Warner. [Google Scholar], Basil D'Oliveira. 17 He was on record as saying Colin Bland's exclusion from Britain in 1968 (see details on p. 531 of this article) was 'very much to be regretted', and he took a leading role in the Heath Government's decision to lessen British lobbying against some sporting contacts with Rhodesia in the early 1970s. The Times, August 20, 1968, 1; Galsworthy (Rhodesia Department) to Green (Department of the Environment), October 18, 1972. PRO FCO, 36/1293. 18 Daily Mail, May 27, 1968, 1. 19 Little, 'Preventing "A Wonderful Break-Through for Rhodesia"'. 20 The planned Test match was, however, cancelled due to the intervention of the Argentine Government. 21 Little Little, Charles. 'No Politics, Mucho Rugby: International Rugby Contacts with Rhodesia during the UDI Period'. Paper presented at 'Le Rugby: du village au global' Conference, Paris, October 11–12, 2007. [Google Scholar], 'No Politics, Mucho Rugby'. 22 Rhodesia Herald, July 19, 1969, 24. 23 This was despite the fact that Australian Prime Minister John Howard's justification for his Government's intervention, that 'I'm not going to stand around and allow some kind of aid and comfort be given to [Robert Mugabe] by the greatest cricketing team in the world visiting his country', almost precisely echoed the British Government's entreaty to the Committee of the Yorkshire CCC committee that any visit to Rhodesia would provide 'aid and comfort' to the Smith regime. Australian Broadcasting Corporation News, 'Howard Pulls Plug on Zimbabwe Tour'. ABC News [online]. http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/13/1921510.htm; Yorkshire Post, September 13, 1967. 24 See for example, Cashman et al. Cashman, Richard, Franks, Warrick, Maxwell, Jim, Stoddart, Brian, Weaver, Amanda and Webster, Ray, eds. 1996. The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket, Melbourne: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar], The Oxford Companion to Australian Cricket; Harte with Whimpress Harte, Chris and with Bernard Whimpress. 2003. The Penguin History of Australian Cricket, London: Andre Deutsch. [Google Scholar], The Penguin History of Australian Cricket; Andrews Andrews, Malcolm. 1980. The Encyclopedia of Australian Cricket, Sydney: Golden Press. [Google Scholar], The Encyclopedia of Australian Cricket. 25 There was no mention of the announcement of the tour's itinerary in the Sydney Morning Herald (June 16–28, 1969), Sun-Herald (June 1–30, 1969); Bulletin (June 14–26, 1969), Age (Melbourne) (June 16–30, 1969), Australian (June 1–30, 1969), Courier Mail (Brisbane) (June 16–30, 1969) or Advertiser (Adelaide) (June 24–28, 1969). As well as having been publicized in the Rhodesian press, the itinerary was also widely reported within South Africa. 26 McAlpine, a member of the MCC, voiced his disappointment that the MCC had cancelled England's visit to Rhodesia and dubbed the refusal to grant Colin Bland entry into Britain as 'disgusting'. Daily Mail, August 20, 1968; Rhodesia Herald, February 15, 1969, 15; Cricketer, May 2, 1969. 27 8 O'Clock, September 28, 1974; Bulletin (Australia), September 21, 1974. 28 The New Zealand team had played in Rhodesia on its 1961–62 tour of South Africa, but would make no further tours to Southern Africa until a 'Young New Zealand' team toured Zimbabwe in 1984–85. A proposed tour to South Africa in 1971 was cancelled at an early stage of planning, negating any potential debate about whether any fixtures in Rhodesia would be included on its itinerary. Test players Bevan Congdon and Bruce Taylor did visit Rhodesia in 1973–74 as the unofficial New Zealand representatives in a double-wicket competition. McConnell and Smith McConnell, Lynn and Smith, Ian. 1993. The Shell New Zealand Cricket Encyclopedia, Auckland: Moa Beckett. [Google Scholar], The Shell New Zealand Cricket Encyclopedia, 256; Winch, Cricket's Rich Heritage, 123. 29 Sports Post (Wellington), August 24, 1974; Dominion (Wellington), August 29, 1974; Trevor Richards to K.M. Comber, September 17, 1974. Alexander Turnbull Library, Trevor Richards Papers, 99-278-12/05. 30 Winch, Cricket's Rich Heritage, 111–37; Turner Turner, Glenn. 1975. My Way, Auckland: Hodder and Stoughton. [Google Scholar], My Way, 114. 31 Rhodesia Herald, September 12, 1975; September 24, 1975; Galsworthy (Rhodesia Department) to Green (Department of the Environment), October 18, 1972. PRO FCO, 36/1293; Aspden (Rhodesia Department) to Rellie (UNMIS, New York), August 26, 1975. PRO FCO, 36/1775. 32 Bulawayo Chronicle, July 13, 1973, 16; Rhodesia Herald, September 27, 1975. 33 Sobers and Harris Sobers, Garry and Harris, Bob. 2003. My Autobiography, London: Headline. [Google Scholar], My Autobiography, 295; Rhodesia Herald, July 19, 1969, 17. 34 Sunday News (Bulawayo), March 4, 1962, 12. 35 Bulawayo Chronicle, July 17, 1973, 10; Rhodesia Herald, September 16, 1975, 14. 36 Rhodesian cricket remained segregated at this point, so any multi-racially selected team would have been a first. The West Indian tour was being planned by the non-European cricketing bodies in South Africa, who were in negotiations with Rhodesia's Indian Cricket Union about staging a match in Salisbury (the Indian Union had hosted a match against Basil D'Oliveira's South African Non-Europeans team earlier in 1958). An official from the Indian Union said that it would likely grant the right to stage the match to the Rhodesia Cricket Union, on the condition that a multi-racial team were selected. Rhodesia Herald, November 25, 1958, 24. 37 Beckles Beckles, Hilary. 1998. The Development of West Indies Cricket; Volume 1, The Age of Nationalism, Barbados: UWI Press. [Google Scholar], The Development of West Indies Cricket, 151–3. 38 Evening Standard (Salisbury), February 21, 1962, 10. 39 The Times, January 31, 1962, 4; Evening Standard (Salisbury), February 21, 1962, 10; Winch, Cricket's Rich Heritage, 81–5. 40 The Queens club had previously turned down the opportunity of hosting a match on the proposed tour in 1961 for the same reasons. Chesterfield, 'Zimbabwe Cricket', 138–9: Bulawayo Chronicle, September 16, 1961, 12; February 9, 1962, 16. 41 Advocate (Bridgetown), August 24, 1966, 10; August 26, 1966, 12; January 31, 1967, 1, 8. 42 Although the full range of Caribbean newspapers was not available for examination, this was no specific reference to Bland's Rhodesian citizenship being a cause of controversy in any of the newspapers viewed by the author, namely the Advocate (Bridgetown), August 21–October 4, 1966, January 1–February 28, 1967; Daily Gleaner (Kingstown, Jamaica), August 24–September 11, 1966; Nation (Port of Spain, Trinidad), August 1966; and Guyana Graphic August 25–31, 1966. 43 Examples of headlines from the Advocate newspaper included 'PPM deplores inclusion of South Africans' and 'Sir Learie raps selection of South Africans'. Advocate (Bridgetown), August 26, 1966; August 31, 1966. 44 Advocate (Bridgetown), January 31, 1967, 1. 45 For example, during the period of 24 August to 10 September 1966 (when the initial debate over the invitations was at its height) reports on the political situation in Rhodesia appeared on the front page of the Advocate newspaper in Barbados on no less than five occasions. Advocate (Bridgetown), August 25, 1966; August 27, 1966; September 4, 1966; September 5, 1966; September 10, 1966. 46 Sobers and Harris, My Autobiography, 292–304. 47 Beckles Beckles, Hilary. 1998. "The Unkindest Cut". West Indies Cricket and Anti-Apartheid Struggles at Home and Abroad, 1893–1993". In A Spirit of Dominance: Cricket and Nationalism in the West Indies, Edited by: Beckles, Hilary. 100–22. Kingston: Canoe Press. [Google Scholar], '"The Unkindest Cut"', 100–22. 48 Michael Manley claims that Greenidge's Rhodesian connection was the cause of the controversy, but this is not backed up by an examination of contemporary newspaper reports. Manley Manley, Michael. 2002. A History of West Indies Cricket, London: Andre Deutsch. [Google Scholar], A History of West Indies Cricket, 450; Guyana Chronicle, February 5, 1976; February 6, 1976; Sunday Chronicle (Guyana), February 8, 1976. 49 The Times, May 20, 1976; Beckles, '"The Unkindest Cut"', 112–14. 50 Winch, Cricket's Rich Heritage, 91–2, 186. 51 Rhodesia Herald, August 19, 1968, 6; September 3, 1968, 1. 52 Winch, Cricket's Rich Heritage, 104–5. 53 The Times, May 14, 1976, 2; May 15, 1976, 1. 54 Morning Star, September 22, 1970. 55 Bulawayo Chronicle, July 13, 1973, 16. 56 Herbert (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) to Offen (Department of the Environment), January 18, 1977. PRO AT60/120. 57 For a thorough analysis of race and racism within Rhodesian sport see International Olympic Committee International Olympic Committee. 1974. Report of the Commission of Enquiry for Rhodesia, Vienna: IOC. [Google Scholar], Report of the Commission of Enquiry for Rhodesia. 58 Rhodesia Herald, November 25, 1975, 8. 59 Rhodesia Herald, December 2, 1975, 1, 18; December 3, 1975, 1, 24; December 4, 1975, 14, 24; and, Shepherd Shepherd, John. 1977. "My South African Connection". In Cricket in Isolation: The Politics of Race and Cricket in South Africa, Edited by: Odendaal, Andre. 189–92. Cape Town: The Author. [Google Scholar], 'My South African Connection'. 60 For instance, when Peter Chingoka (who is now President of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union) sought to play senior club cricket in 1975 he was refused membership of the Old Georgians club (the old boys club of the school, St George's College, which he had attended) on the grounds of race. Rhodesia Herald, January 4, 1975, 15. 61 Daily Mail (Salisbury), January 2, 1963, 7; January 11, 1963, 8; Sports Herald (Salisbury) September 21, 1968, 6. 62 Rhodesia Herald, January 13, 1975, 13.