WOMEN’S SOFTBALL TEAM RECOVERS

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30944, 28 December 1965, Page 3

WOMEN’S SOFTBALL TEAM RECOVERS

“The Press" Special Service

AUCKLAND, Dec. 27.

Canterbury, one of the favoured teams to take the Bensel Cup in the senior A competition, at the national women’s softball championships today trailed Manawatu by two runs for an innings but scored three runs in their fifth innings to take the game 5-4.

The tournament began after heavy overnight rain and there were occasional showers during the day.

Auckland appears to be a strong team but Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu both gave good displays in their first senior A tournament. In fact, Hawke's Bay scored a narrow win over the defending champion, Wellington.

Auckland had an easy win over Hutt Valley, and Otago, which was late arriving because of bad weather, had a good win over Waikato. Results were: Hawke’s Bay 5, Wellington 4; Auckland 14, Hutt Valley 0; Canterbury 5, Manawatu 4; Otago 8, Waikato 3.

In spite of good hits by N. Reiri and J. Watts, Manawatu failed to score in its first innings against Canterbury and Canterbury opened its score when B. Makinson ran in after hitting on second on errors.

Manawatu had two on base

and two out when a two-bag-ger by Reiri produced two runs.

With two out, L. Leask (Canterbury) ran with determination to reach third and score on a hit by Makinson.

Manawatu went further into the lead when a twobagger by H. Taitoko, a single by J. Watts and poor fielding

allowed two runners to score.

Improved fielding held Manawatu scoreless for the rest of the game. Three-up, three-down in its fourth innings, Canterbury showed more determinataion in the fifth and from hard drives scored three runs to take a one-run lead which was the winning margin. Canterbury took some time to settle but in the latter part of the game fielded with more precision. The Hawke’s Bay-Welling-ton game was full of incident. The Hawke’s Bay pitcher, E. Bowles, was hostile and consistent. She used her height to advantage, gaining speed with her windmill delivery. The Auckland-Hutt Valley game contained little to enthuse over, although Y. Holton was a steady pitcher for Auckland. Hutt Valley’s fielding was loose and undrilled. When Otago beat Waikato, the Otago second base, B. Simpson, and the catcher-cap-tain, A. McCammon, played impressively. The young Waikato pitcher, P. Noble, took a pounding from the Otago batting. Senior B results were: Tauranga 13, Southland 3; Auckland 8, Hutt Valley 1; Waikato 9. Otago 0: Wellington 7, Southern King Country 0; Tauranga 11, Hutt Valley 0: Auckland 7, Southern King Country 1; Wellington 6, Otago 0; Southland 20, Waikato 9.