SOFTBALL Richmond Too Good For Papanui

Press, Volume C, Issue 29669, 13 November 1961, Page 17

SOFTBALL Richmond Too Good For Papanui

The senior men's softball competitions were continued on Saturday under ideal conditions. with most of the spectator appeal in the clash between Richmond and Papanui. This game was one of high-class, entertaining softball. Results were:Richmond 3, Papanui 2. Linwood 8, Christchurch 1. United 5, Spreydon 4. Kaiapoi * bye. Christchurch offered little resistance to Linwood in a dull game and went down passively. United, playing fine defensive softball, staved off a late rally from a determined Spreydon and had a good win, 5-4. Richmond v. Papanui The clash between last year's top teams, Richmond and Papanui furnished a fine noquarter game, with Papanui a little unlucky not to tie in the last innings after Blackler was dismissed inches from the home plate. Seven errors were committed by the teams, but had Papanui capitalised on some earlv erratic pitching from K. Smith the side would have been in a better position to take advantage of the spin pitching of M. Bell. The game opened with Papanui batting and in spite of two walks to Bell and Senior the side could not force a run in and was out to a double plav. Two were out in the Richmond first innings when A Hall drove the ball on to the cycle track for a home run to give Richmond a vital advantage Again allowed two walks in the second innings. Papanui made better use of the chance and managed to force a run from Clarkson to tie the game Richmond was three up and three down in both the second and third innings. With Smith pitching at his fastest, his control was suffering, and he issued two more walks in the Papanui third frame. However, fielding handled the base runners in good fashion and Phpemil lost the game in the early innings by trying to score runs rather than to progress by bases From the start of the fifth innings Richmond tried hard with Joyce crashing a hit to the outfield and Nelepa advancing him to second base. A sacrifice liner bv Graham coupled with a Smith hit. and Joyce and Nelepa had scored tw T o runs for Richmond. Leu hit a fly ball to the second baseman. Blackler. who was playing a splendid game, and a valuable innings was over. The burly Waine middled the bail for a two-base hit and. after Clarkson and Cooper had

added hits, Waine scored for Papanui in the sixth to leave the side one run in arrears. Three successive hits from the Richmond middle batters had the fast running Morel on third base. but Papanui weathered the crisis with some confident fielding to end Richmond’s sixth bat. Papanui was now batting its seventh innings and was faced with scoring one run to tie the game and force it into extra innings. After a weak hit by Blackler. the pitcher. Smith, fired the ball wide of Lew at first base and Blackler was safe on base on the error. Papanui. at last using the tactical batting it had ignored earlier, used a bunt from Senior to advance the runner to second. Bell, the next batter, drove the ball past the short stop where it was partially blocked. By this time Blackler was rounding third with the tying run on the way home to score. E. Noonan, playing centre field for Richmond, picked up the ball and threw it into home base where the catcher. Nelepa. blocked Blackler off and put him out. Waine ended the game when he tried for the fence and the ball fell into the centre fielder’s hands for an out. K Smith, the winning pitcher, struck out three, allowed five hits and walked six batters. The losing pitcher. M Bell, struck out two. walked none and yielded six hits in the game. Richmond was credited with? six errors and Papanui with two. Lower Grades Senior Reserve.—Wigram 7. Teachers’ College 0: Templeton 7, Spreydon 0: Papanui 13. Christchurch 6.