Softballers’ two big wins

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32443, 2 November 1970, Page 26

Softballers’ two big wins

The Canterbury softbailers began their representative programme on a high note, outplaying Marlborough, 11-2, and Nelson, 20-2, in a triangular tournament before several hundred spectators at Papanui Domain yesterday.

Almost unblemished fielding and batting capable of hits throughout the order bolstered' the three steady pitchers used to place Canterbury’s play well above that of its opponents.

Marlborough provided Canterbury with much stiffer opposition in the main fixture than Nelson had done in drizzly conditions in the morning, and proved its superiority over Nelson in another high-scoring, but untidy game, which Marlborough won, 16-8. Canterbury's most productive innings against Marlborough was at the top of the fourth innings when four runs were scored. Batting No.

1 again, C. I. Chee drove a ball past the short-stop into left-field, and advanced to third base on a hit-and-run play from a sacrifice bunt by P. McOscar.

Then I. R. Pollock scored Chee with a triple-base hit over centre-field, and scored himself when G. Roberts’s sacrifice hit put Waine to second base.

Roberts scored on a passed ball, while N. Mattison, who had also been walked, added Canterbury’s sixth run when the pitcher, K. Smith, drove a ball into centre field.

Two beautifully placed bunts down the first-base line by the top-of-the-order J»atters, C. I. Chee and McOscar, were responsible for the two runs in the fourth. McOscar beat the throw from the first baseman, who had taken the bunt, but the - ball was dropped by the pitcher, covering first base, and D. Chee and C. I. Chee raced home. Hits to the out-field by Waine, Smith, D. Phillips, who had substituted for E. Crown as a pinch-hitter, and D. Chee gave Canterbury’s win a runaway appearance as the Marlborough pitcher, T. >1

Forrest, tired in the final in-

nings. Marlborough was not disgraced in gaining eight hits to Canterbury’s 12, although four walks conceded to it, and several clever plays by Canterbury make these statistics deceptive, ; . Marlborough scored runs in the third and seventh innings and also had runners on bases in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

However, the safe hits by the former Canterbury outfielder, G. Woods t(wice), W. Luke (twice), B. Tuckerman (twice), J. Gleeson and J. Coster were too widely spread to cause Canterbury much concern.

Nelson managed to keep the score against Canterbury within respectability until the bottom of the sixth innings when the Canterbury batters overwhelmed the Nelson pitcher, P. Matakatea, arid his substitute, P. Bartlett, to score 12 runs. Every member of the team gained safe hits or was walked during this innings. For Canterbury, D, Phillips, C. I. Chee, G. Roberts and E. Crown stood out in a team

which seized every opportunity to brighten the proceedings with more runs in the dismal conditions. Phillips scored two runners! in the first innings with a double base hit, another in the third with a double, a home run over centre-field in the fifth innings and was walked in the sixth. C. I. Chee batted three hits out of four, including a home run, while Crown hit a home run and was walked twice. Roberts also got three hits out of four.

Canterbury did not have a complete monopoly on the game’s hits, for T. Robinson gained a home run off a tiring D; Bradbury in the* fourth innings, and M. Tyree and T. Grant hit singles.' Steadier pitching and a field which committed fewer errors allowed Marlborough to master Nelson, after it had scored 12 runs in its first four innings. For Marlborough, R. Tulloch, with three safe hits, and M. Guillmont, with two, were the best batters. E. Wilson (two), T. Robinson (two) and D. Thom, with a home run, stood out for Nelson.