MEN’S SOFTBALL Papanui Beats Avon In Cup Final

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30274, 29 October 1963, Page 12

MEN’S SOFTBALL Papanui Beats Avon In Cup Final

Papanui, the host club, forgot about etiquette and beat all its guests, winning the Cardinal Cup, 3-2, against a strong challenge from the Avon Club, in the final Batting and fielding with confidence throughout the tourney, Papanui had to battle all the way to win the cup. Avon, the other finalist, played confident softball but burst apart under pressure and was forced into the background by Papanui in what proved to be a superb game of hard, no-quarter softball. L. Clarkson, after some mixed displays as Papanui pitcher, blunted the Avon attack, reputed to be the best in the local competition. Results of semi-finals: — Papanui 9, Richmond 3. Avon 17, Spreydon 4. Papanui battled mightily against Richmond and overcame a five run deficit in the middle innings to storm home and blank Richmond right out of the picture. In the other semi-final, Avon hammered Spreydon to all points and won with ease. Lewis, fronting Spreydon, pitched a game that had little comparison with those that put his team into the semifinal. Spreydon, after producing some wonderful form, slipped into mediocrity and allowed Avon to coast home untroubled. Opened Cautiously Both Papanui and Avon opened cautiously in the final and neither scored in the first three innings. In the third Papanui innings, C. Chee raced round third base to beat a thrown ball. Mansfield tried to tag Chee but was hurled to the ground as Chee went past to score the first Papanui run. Avon, in its third, had benefited from a wonderful three

base hit by Barry Bridgeman, but frittered away thia bonus by batting poorly. I, Pollock, of Papanui, hit on to third base and was off on a hit from T. Bisman. Ballantyne, the Linwood pitcher, faked brilliantly to hold Pollock on base and appeared to throw Bisman out at first base. Instead BaUantyne wheeled to home and threw the ball to dismiss the advancing Pollock. C. Whittington, the catcher, fumbled the throw and Pollock was under the glove with a lucky run. Stack In Glove Seconds later Whittington throw toe first throw of a well rehearsed fake play to second baseman, Campbell, but the ball stuck in Campbell's glove and Cooper slid home to score what proved to be the winning run. These errors, on what were well drilled play*, proved to be disastrous for Avon and Papanui contained them with no single runner past second base for the rest of the game. To its pitcher, L. Clarkson, Papanui could give grateful thanks, for he pitched softball that in toe circumstance* proved to be tremendously effective. Clarkson stopped trying to pitch out the strong Avon batters and served up a tempting mixture of near strikes and slower balls. The impassive Clarkson watched with grim pleasure as Avon tried to slam him out of the park all the time ignoring the fate this action was producing. Papanui deserved to win and with it a considerable re-valuation of the local senior competition becomes necessary. The umpires were Messrs Marshall, Bartley and Easterbrook,