B TEAM TAKES SOFTBALL LEAD

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31519, 6 November 1967, Page 15

B TEAM TAKES SOFTBALL LEAD

Richmond B, with a splendid victory over Richmond A, took a clear lead in the men’s softball championship after the fifth round, played under ideal conditions on Saturday.

Far more aggressive at bat, Richmond B rapped early runs and hung on behind the pitching of K. Smith to win the game that could decide the local champions. United fulfilled early season promise in upsetting an Avon side with aggressive play. United overcame the barrier of some early Avon runs and finished with vigorous play and hard hitting. Results: Richmond B 6, Richmond A 3. Papanui 8, Deep Freeze 0. Suburbs 13, Kaiapoi 12. United 10, Avon 5. Competition points: Richmond B 5, Richmond A 4, Papanui 4, United 3, Avon 2. Kaiapoi 1, Suburbs 1, Deep Freeze 0. LEAD DECIDED Richmond B opened the scoring in a sprightly manner in the first innings. D. Lew, playing another fine game, started the batting with a single to mid-field. Vincent and K. Smith also claimed bases with Smith scoring on some left field play of well below senior standard. The veteran Canterbury representative. G. Woods, took a typically forceful stand in the batters box and drove the ball for a three-base hit and later scored from that base. This gave the B side some room for manoeuvre and Smith

pitched purely defensive softball to contain the A batters. Two more runs in the fourth innings from Brown and Lew, with a rippling drive that flashed into the outfield for two bases, another example of the accuracy of D. Lew. This made the score 6-0, with the A side being well beaten at this stage. The ex-Auckland representative. K. Bingley counselled his side well and in the sixth time at bat the A side gathered runs. E. Noonan hit a right field home fun, Mattison and Joyce also scored after grealy improved batting. But the B attack of K. Smith to G. Smith simply lifted its game and ran the rest of the side out to ensure a handsome victory. K. Smith struck out five, allowed five hits and no walks. Bradbury, for the A team, three, seven and none. Richmond B, 4,0, 0,2, 0,0, o—6. Richmond A, 0,0, 0,3, 0,0, o—3. FIRST WIN Suburbs won its first game, for the season in an exciting but below standard game at Middleton Park. Suburbs scored seven runs in the first two innings, Shaw (2), N. Hobson (2), Smith and Mullally (2). Niall and Eager scored in the first Kaiapoi innings and with Sheperd scoring in the third, Suburbs was ahead 7-3 at this stage. Kaiapoi inexplicably started the game with Bennett and Roa on the sideline but they were soon brought into play. Driving play brought the teams to equal terms in the last turn at bat. Kaiapoi had Bennett, Seaward and Johns son all in scoring positions but better Suburbs fielding won the day Western Suburbs, 4,3, 0,0, 3. 2,0, I—l 3. Kaiapoi, 2,0, 2,0, 3,1, 4, o—l2. LATE RALLY Avon, ahead by four runs at one stage, found United too much of a handful in later innings and was well beaten. Avon changed its pitcher-catcher combination four times to try to curb the United hitters. Davis and Whittington played a big part in the United win with the stocky Davis striking out twelve batters. McKenzie struck out six in four innings and was replaced by Busch and Edward for Avon. United. 0,0, 0,2, 3, 5. o—lo Avon, 0,1, 4, 0. 1. 0 .0 —6. LACK OF SKILLS Papanui blanked Deep Freeze in a game that demonstrated the lack of Deep Freeze infield skills and the inability of Papanui to maintain batting pressure. Papanui scored six runs in the first innings, C. Chee, D. Chee, B. Waine, B. Chee, M. Skerrett and I. Pollock. Marcom then pitched Papanui out in the next three innings for no score with only Pollock and B. Chee looking for runs. Single runs in the sixth and seventh innings from D. and B. Chee ended the Papanui score. Burke played a competent game on first base for Deep Freeze. Papanui, 6, 0. 0,0, 1, I—B. Deep Freeze, 0,0, 0,0, 0, 0,-0.

Malvern XI. — The Malvern schoolboy representative cricket team to play in the sub-associa-tion tournament at Rangiora on November 9-10 is; B. Hawkins (captain), G. Taege, T. Jenkins, F. Innes (Sheffield), T. Farrant, G. Stewart, R. Jarman, G. Gunn (Darfield), P. Smith, N, Brown, D. Grice (Hororata), and J. Catherwopd (Kirwee).