Easy Men’s Softball Win To Richmond

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31234, 5 December 1966, Page 14

Easy Men’s Softball Win To Richmond

The Richmond men's softball team gave its most impressive performance of the seoson to humble the defending champion. Papanul, 11-2, at English Park on Saturday. Richmond attacked from the start and left no doubt as to the outcome of the match when six runs were scored in the first innings. From then Papanui was fighting a lost cause as Richmond cruised comfortably to the top of the championship table. Most of the Richmond batters showed vast improvement on their recent form, a good sign for the Canterbury Beatty Cup team and Richmond’s national inter-club tournament aspirations.

Western Suburbs and Avon moved up to join Papanui in second place with wins over United and Kaiapoi respectively. They are only one point behind Richmond. Results:— Richmond 11, Papanui 2. Western Suburbs 15, United 3. Avon 17, Kaiapoi 3. Championship points are Richmond 7. Papanui 6, Avon 6, Western Suburbs 6, United 2, Kaiapoi 0. Richmond Rampant Any hopes that Papanui had of beating Richmond were dashed in a remarkable first innings when Richmond scored six runs, forced Papanui to change its pitcher and removed from the game the tension that has become associated with the meeting of these teams. Two more runs in the next innings promised a five-innings result but D. Phillips scored in

Papanui's fifth innings to avoid such an embarrassing finish for the title-holder. Richmond could do no wrong with the bat. Time and again the ball fell just short of the fieldsmen. In all, D. Chee and 51. Reid conceded 13 safe hits. Chee took two strike-outs and gave one walk and seven safe hits Ln two pitching spells. Reid’s record was similar except that he conceded six safe hits. The Richmond pitcher, K. Smith, had a dominating influence on the game. Five Papsnui batters were struck out and only three safe hits were conceded by Smith. One was a massive home run over E. L. Noonan’s head at centre field by B. Chee. T. Smith, Noonan, Napier and P. J. Joyce batted extremely well. Noonan hit a home run through centre field and R. Storer capped the first innings onslaught with a home run through right field. In the field Richmond was far superior to Papanui. The Richmond throwing, fielding and catching was done with the maximum of authority and the minimum of errors. G. Woods and A. Hall were particularly impressive. Papanui played in spasms but its pitching was not sufficiently strong to give the team any real incentive. For Richmond, Noonan (two), Joyce (two), T. Smith (two), Napier (two), Woods, K. Smith, and Storer scored runs. B. Chee and Phillips replied for Papanui. Six Home Runs Four Avon batters scored home runs against the innocuous pitching of D. Hammond, who replaced L. Seward midway through the first innings. Seward was brought back in the fifth innings but he also could not contain Avon. M. Busch scored two of the

home runs. J. Hooper, who came home after a mis-field and a series of badly directed throws, and R. Bartley, whose hit through centre field was possibly the best of the game, scored the others.

Only a three-base hit past first base by B. Roa to score G. Dunn in Kaiapoi’s third innings spoilt a solid pitching performance by Busch. When he was replaced by R. McKenzie in the fifth innings, J. Shepherd, and then Dunn, celebrated by scoring home runs, bringing the total for the game to six. There were numerous errors by the Kaiapoi fielders. Catches and ground hits were misjudged, throws were inaccurate and positional play was suspect. For Avon B. Mansfield (three), McKenzie (three), A. Ballantyne (three), Busch (two), H. Moore (two), Bartley (2), Hooper and S. Whittington Scored runs. Dunn (two), and Shepherd scored for Kaiapoi. United Dominated After holding Western Suburbs scoreless in the first innings, United lost control of the match and could not equal its earlier 6-8 loss to the Suburban team. United was not at full strength but bickering amongst its players did nothing to assist its cause. The United batters could not harness the erratic pitching of K. Smith, who gave four walks and three safe hits in return for one strike-out. For United L. Ellis took one strike-out and conceded one safe hit but it was off N. Price that Western Suburbs scored its runs. Price took one strike-out but gave 10 safe hits and four walks. For Western Suburbs R. Scott (three), E. Hobson (two). O. Stuart (two), M. McOscar (two). Smith (two), R. J. Mallally, N. Hobson. C. Monteith and R. Vesty scored runs. United's runs were scored by C. Reid (two and J. Dorrans.