Softball EIGHTH-ROUND MATCHES

Press, Volume C, Issue 29699, 18 December 1961, Page 4

Softball EIGHTH-ROUND MATCHES

Leading Teams Win The leading teams Ln the men's senior solfball competition had comfortable wins in the eighth round of games played in ideal conditions on Saturday. The competition leaders. Linwood, swamped a weakhitting United, and Spreydon retained form to win comfortably against Kaiapoi. Results: Linwood 13, United 0. Spreydon 10, Kaiapoi 4. Papanui 14, Christchurch 4. The match between Papanui and Christchurch was disappointing. with errors in abundance. and a marked reluctance by the Christchurch players to try to wrest the initiative. Papanui played well below the fielding form shown in previous games. L. Clarkson and M. Bell were the Papanui pitchers, with Kinley pitching two frames for Christchurch before being relieved by Beswick. The game started quietly, both teams being unable to score in the first innings. The second baseman, T. Smith, scored a run for Christchurch in its second innings. After hitting on base, he was assisted round the bases by a hit from Mayhew and a wild throw to first to try to dismiss Mawer. Papanui equalled the score when Shaw strolled home on a well-executed outfield hit from Waine. The batting was starting to improve and hits were becoming more frequent, but so in proportion were the fielding errors. McCormick and Mansfield, top-of-the-list batters for Christchurch, both scored runs on the first attempt at team battihg seen in the game Facing Beswick as pitcher, Papanui began to middle the ball, and runs started to flow. Beswick pitched quite well, but behind him the fielders were all too often bustled by base runners. with the ball arriving at the base behind the runner in most cases. The fourth and fifth innings added three and five runs to the Papanui total. The five-run innings had the fielding wide open on some clean-hit driven from Waine, Bell, and C.arkson, which assisted Papanui to clear. Christchurch was batting timidly against innocuous pitching from the spin ball pitcher, Belf Bell relished the indecision of the opposition, and. with spin, curve, and change of pace, he put Christchurch right out of the game Smith, in the midst of scratchy infield hiu from his Christchurch team-mates st iwed spirit, and sent a spin ball from Bel) right on to the cycle track for a home run. The next two Christchurch batters went out from third base to first and an a fly ball to the short-stop. Papanui widened the gap to impossible proportions bv hammering in another five runs in the sixth innings, with the middle-order batters hitting well and the last placed men in the batting list increasing the score with decisive hits. Christchurch, in a flash of determination, loaded the bases in the last innings, but when Storer clipped away a line drive Bladder, at second, leapt high to his left and caught the ball, to leave the runners stranded off base, and the game was over. Christchurch made seven errors to Papanui’* five in fielding. Christchurch scored five hits and Papanui 10.