Auckland team new softball champion

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 26

Auckland team new softball champion

Undefeated in its six games, Metro College underlined the strength of Auckland women’s softball when it won the Dustin Cup national inter-club championship at English Park yesterday.

Metro was able to finish only third in the Auckland club championship, but it beat the best that the rest of New Zealand could offer during the four days of the tournament. Its victims included Monowai (Christchurch), Broadway (Wellington) and Leopards (Hawke’s Bay), the national champions in the last three season. For the Metro pitcher, P. Walters, who was little known outside Auckland before this season, the tournament was another triumph at the national level. SUBSTITUTE PITCHER

She helped Auckland retain its inter-provincial supremacy at the Bensel Cup tournament during ChristmasNew Year, after being a lastminute substitute for the injured New Zealand pitcher, Y. Holton. Metro virtually decided which team would take the Dustin Cup when it beat the holder. Leopards, 7-6, in an eight-innings game of swiftly changing fortunes on Saturday. When Broadway, the only other team with a chance of over-hauling the Aucklanders in their bid for the trophy because it had suffered only one loss, was upset by Saints (Hutt Valley) later on Saturday afternoon, Metro, had won the tournament with a day’s play remaining. RECOVERY SPECIALISTS A team which had earned the reputation of snatching decisions with late rallies, Metro maintained its unbeaten record yesterday when it

defeated Saints, 3-2, after the latter had led 2-0 until the top of the seventh innings. The former Canterbury representative, S. McDonald, who was the hero of her team’s win over Leopards on Saturday, featured again when the tying runs were scored. Fittingly, however, it was Walters who got the winning run in the eighth innings after a hit by M. Taylor. The most exciting game of the tournament was undoubtedly that fought out between Metro and Leopards. The Hawke’s Bay team dominated the early innings and led 3-1 at the third. However, a three-base, blocked ball hit on to the cycling track by

McDonald tied the game in the third innings. McDonald tied it up again, at five-all, in the sixth with a hit into i centre-field. ANOTHER LATE BID Leopards regained the initiative in the eighth innings. , a double-base hit by J. Foote scoring the pitcher, R. I Paki. By dismissing the first i two Metro batters, it ap- : peared to have ended the i Aucklanders winning run. ' However, McDonald gained ' her third hit of the game, Paki conceded a walk to J. J Blucher, and B. Wines, the ’ captain and short-stop, drove 1 a ground ball oast the Leo- ' pards right-field, G. Barber, ' to give her team the game. 1 Leopards ensured itself of : second position over-all yes--1 terday wheh it beat Broad--1 way, 5-0. Saints, with wins over Monowai and Broadway on I Saturday, and Monowai, ; which had comfortable wins , over Panthers (Southland) • and Rajahs (Otago), finished : equal third with Broadway.

Results of the week-end’s matches and final points: Saturday.—Saints (Hutt Valley) 3, Monowai (Christchurch) 2; Metro-College (Auckland) 13, Panthers (Southland) .3; Broadway (Wellington) 7, Rajahs (Otago) 4; Monowai 11, Panthers 1; MetrcMCollege 7, Leopards (Hawke’s Bay) 6; Saints 7. Broadway 5. Sunday.—Monowai 9, Rajahs 4; 1 Metro-College 3, Saints 2; Leopards 5, Broadway 0.

P W L F A Pts Metro 6 6 0 48 20 12 Leopards 6 4 2 39 18 8 Saints 6 3 3 31 27 6 Broadway 6 3 3 40 32 6 Monowai 6 3 3 27 27 6 Rajahs ..6 2 4 34 47 4 Panthers 6 0 6 23 70 0