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Symcox's June 7 testimony

MR GAUNTLETT: Alright. Now could we go to that first meeting? You indicated that there were not Management involved, and you answered our colleague Ms Batohi, that in particular Mr Woolmer wasn't there. Is that right?

MR SYMCOX: Yes.

MR GAUNTLETT: Now, why wasn't - why was it a team meeting with no Management involved? Why were they not there?

MR SYMCOX: I didn't organise the meeting, so I was asked to come to the meeting.

MR GAUNTLETT: Sorry, I didn't ask you whether you organised it, Mr Symcox. You go to a lot of meetings. Why, to repeat the question, what did you think when you saw no Management was there? Why was there no Management there? What inference did you draw?

MR SYMCOX: Well, obviously when you get to a meeting and there's no Management there, there's a good reason why, and that is because it was a money offer and that was to be decided by the players. And those players were going to make that decision, as we talked about. It certainly wasn't going to involve the Coach and the Physiotherapist and the Doctor.

MR GAUNTLETT: But potentially, it could influence the outcome of the match, couldn't it? It could pull a game.

MR SYMCOX: If what happened?

MR GAUNTLETT: I'm sorry. We cut against each other. Would you repeat?

MR SYMCOX: It could - what did you say - I didn't...?

MR GAUNTLETT: I said to you potentially it could affect the outcome of a game. That surely concerned Team Management.

MR SYMCOX: Sorry, I'm going to ask you to just go back. I missed that first part of the question.

MR GAUNTLETT: Surely it could have affected the outcome of the game. It affected Team Management, as a consequence.

MR SYMCOX: I think the issue here we're talking about is do you accept an offer to throw a game or not. And once you've made that decision, it's no, it's not going to affect the Team Management at all.

MR GAUNTLETT: Yes, but we're going round in a circle, Mr Symcox. You went to the meeting to seriously consider the serious offer. You didn't know at that stage that it would be seriously rejected, did you, otherwise you wouldn't go to the meeting.

MR SYMCOX: Yes. I didn't know what the offer was before we got there.

MR GAUNTLETT: Well, I'll come back to that aspect. But may I just ask you about the team meeting? We've established then, there's no Management there. And it's been put to you that it will be the evidence that some of the players were specifically told not to disclose what was communicated to you to their wives. You yourself have no recollection of any such discussion amongst the players?

MR SYMCOX: I don't. And I would have found it very strange that a player would not tell his wife what's going on. When it comes to that, certainly.

MR GAUNTLETT: Yes. Now, the meeting you say there was no real debate as such. But then you've told the Commission 3 people who you recall as expressing a view against the acceptance of the offer, and you've explained to the COMMISSIONER how, in the ordinary practise, the discussion went round the room. Correct?

MR SYMCOX: Yes.

MR GAUNTLETT: So did everyone get a chance to speak?

MR SYMCOX: As I recollect, yes.

MR GAUNTLETT: And was it just then the team that was due to play the next day which was there, or were there others who were present?

MR SYMCOX: That team hadn't been selected I don't believe, because there were all of us - all the guys in the squad were in the meeting.

MR GAUNTLETT: So it's the whole squad as you recall it, apart from those you've - you've already explained, those who had already left to go back?

MR SYMCOX: Yes. Allan Donald and I think, Jonty.

MR GAUNTLETT: Now you've indicated to the COMMISSIONER that you didn't understand this offer to be being made by the Prime Minister. It was pretty clear from the circumstances it would have to be some sort of betting syndicate. Is that right?

MR SYMCOX: Yes.

MR GAUNTLETT: And was that made apparent early on, I take it, when Cronje, lying on the bed, said, 'Look, there's been an offer, and this is the nature of it.'?

MR SYMCOX: Yes. He made - that's exactly what he said.

MR GAUNTLETT: What is exactly what he said?

MR SYMCOX: We'd been made an offer as a team to throw a game, and were we interested? What should we do?

MR GAUNTLETT: And you had no doubt that the offer was from some sort of betting syndicate?

MR SYMCOX: Well, I would have thought it would - that's what I said. It was not going to be the Prime Minister. It had to be somebody involved in that kind of business.

MR GAUNTLETT: Now was there any initial indication by Cronje in putting the offer that, 'Look, we have people in South Africa, we have the Cricket Board, we have kids and whoever else believe in us. We're being asked to pull a game. I mean, this offer's been conveyed to me and I'm just putting it to you, but I think it's dishonest, we can't do it.' Anything like that?

MR SYMCOX: Not that I can recall.

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