JAPANESE TEAM BEATEN

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28099, 15 October 1956, Page 3

JAPANESE TEAM BEATEN

LINWOOD WINS AT LYTTELTON Whoever wrote of the "inscrutable Oriental" obviously had not seen them playing softball. A Japanese softball team playing the Linwood softball team at the Recreation Grounds at Lyttelton yesterday was far from inscrutable—they were boisterous. Every good play by either side

was greeted by a prolonged shouting of "umai,” which apparently is the Japanese equivalent of "Well bowled, air!” Whenever Mr Hashimoto, the pitcher, fired down a wickedly curving ball to the confusion of the batter. Mr Ishii, the catcher for the team, beamed back at him and added a few "umais” of his own. Mr Kimer. a local player, acted as umpire for the game and conducted his task well until the Japanese decided that a foul ball was dead. Taking advantage of a caught ball in foul territory, a Linwood player sped to the home plate, only to be met by a Japanese delegation who appeared to regard this stolen run in the same light as an international incident and seemed prepared to take the problem to the United Nations if necessary. This was not necessary, but it took an interpreter as well as the umpire to iron out the situation. The player went back to his base, the pitcher back to his mound, and with a hearty "umai” and a polite bow to the umpire, the battle commenced once more.

Interviewed after the game—which incidentals was won by the home hide 4-I—Messrs Nishikawa. Sahaki and Okingawa. made it quite clear through an interpreter that softball is only played in Japan by schoolgirls and the team were actually * baseball players of a calibre equal to the honourable Brooklyn Dodgers.