Softball Competition Leader Beaten

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31222, 21 November 1966, Page 9

Softball Competition Leader Beaten

The defeat of the competition leader, Richmond, by Avon,. in the senior men’s softball competition has made the championship a four-team contest. Three teams, Richmond, Papanui, and Suburbs, now share the lead. Avon is one point behind.

These four teams will provide tremendous tussles in the remaining games. Kaiapoi and United appear destined to fill the lower places. The pitching duel between A. Ballantyne, of Avon, and K. Smith, of Richmond, provided absorbing interest in the main game at English Park, and these talented players added real fire to what proved to be the finest game of the season. Results: Avan 2, Richmond 0. Suburbs 11, Kalapol 0. Papanui 11, United 0. Competition points with seven games played are:—Richmond, Papanui and Suburbs 5, Avon 4. United 2, Kaiapoi 0. Honours to Ballantyno A. Ballantyne showed vintage form to out-think and out-pitch Richmond. D. Birdling raced on base to start the game for Avon, but was stranded there, as K. Smith dismissed the batting with fiery pitching. Smith, with a low drive, was on for Richmond, and when his borther, Terry, also hit on base, Richmond looked sure to get the first run. But through an error on base Richmond was all out. J. Hooper, the Avon captain, who played a splendid game, claimed first base in the second innings, but Smith screwed the ball past McGregor for a strlkeout to end the innings. M. Nelapa drove the bail to right field for a base in the Richmond third innings. E. L. Noonan, hitting solidly, speared the ball through centre field, and again Richmond was pressing hard for runs. Ballantyne struck out P. Joyce tn a superb succession of pitches. It was a strlke-out which, in retrospect, finished the game for Richmond. B Mansfield hit a home run that was still rising as it shot

over the glove of the Richmond centre field, Noonan, and Avon was on the board. Noonan got another hit in the sixth innings, and M. Busch scored to make the score 2-0 to Avon. A remarkable dismissal by Busch, lying on the ground, and B. McGregor on the base, and a brief scuffle between two players which was quickly quelled by the umpires, ended the game. Suburbs Wins on Bunts Western Suburbs won easily, 11-0, but the game was of an unusual pattern. Suburbs has much for which to thank its coach, R. James, and N. Hobson. Kaiapoi placed like trojans in the early innings, and at the end of the fourth Suburbs had only two runs. Kaiapoi had played some of its best softball of the season. But James called a bunt play, Hobson laid down the trickier, and Kaiapoi floundered the pick-up. Suburbs dropped the short ball all around the edges of the diamond, and Kaiapoi, in a dreadful caricature of its previous play, misfielded and fumbled, threw wildly, and juggled as Suburbs scored nine runs for the .innings and ended the game. For Suburbs, B. Grimes struck out four and Seaward two, with three walks. Stuart and McOscar scored Suburbs' runs in the third and fourth Innings, and every member of the team scored runs in the fifth. Papanui Outplayed United outplayed Papanui for most of the game, and in spite of two runs by G. Phillips and L. Clarkson in the first innings, Papanui rarely looked to be in charge of the game. Papanui wore down the United pitcher, N. Price, and slammed six runs in the sixth innings to end the game.