Aiken Hakes (NZL) appealed against his exclusion from contesting the Plate. He acknowledged that he had withdrawn from his last game in the block play phase but emphasised that his withdrawal was only from that game, not from the event. The withdrawal was from a late game in a satellite venue without lights and in his opinion would not affect block positions for advancement to the KO phase.

Bruce Fleming confirmed that the announced withdrawal was from the last game of the block play phase and not from the event.

The tribunal, consisting of Tony Hall, Graeme Roberts, and Jim Clement, whilst deploring Aiken's withdrawal from a block play game, could find no regulation which barred him from competing in the Plate, and upheld the appeal.