ANOTHER DEFEAT FOR UNITED

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32778, 1 December 1971, Page 18

ANOTHER DEFEAT FOR UNITED

Papanui have Western Suburbs to thank for allowing it to increase its outright lead In the Cooper Henderson Motors senior men’s softball minor championship. But the Papanui players who stayed to watch Western Suburbs give the title-holder. United, Its second successive defeat at English Parts last evening, were adamant that they would not be showing their gratitude when the two teams meet under floodlights next Tuesday. “Papanui will get the same treatment,” the jubilant Western Suburbs coach, Mr G. Asher, said after his team’s 4-2 win. He admitted before the game that he was not confident of his side troubling United after its disappointing, 1-6, defeat to Papanui last Saturday. His team must have sensed his disappointment for it routed the highly-vaunted D. W. Bradbury for three safe hits and three runs at the top of the opening innings and then held on grimly for the victory. Besides the hits of the outstanding players of the game, L. Fife and M. P. McOscar and N. Hobson, an uncharacteristically nervous United conceded three errors in the field which contributed to the runs.

United rebounded with its first turn at bat, the lead-off batter, D. Daw, hit a home run and B. W. Mountford forced an error and scored from three passed balls when R. J. Mullally experienced difficulty in holding Fife’s violently-moving drop ball. With the score at 3-2, the tension remained until the end as both pitchers had scoreless Innings after innings. While Bradbury dominated batters with his speed to the extent of taking 13 strike-outs, it was Fife’s control and movement through the air which was the feature of the game. Many times he left batters groping by employing a ball which just reached the strike zone at knee level and then dropped out of reach. It was a ball which the masterful G. W. Tattersfield would have been proud to acknowledge as his own.

United had the chance to take the lead in the fourth innings when Bradbury, Thom and Nelepa hit consecutive safe hits. However, the cumbersome Bradbury was “called out" for accidentally intercepting Thom’s hit as he ran between first and second bases and a double play between Hobson and Timms ended the threat. In the curtain-raiser, Papanui demolished the ' bottom-placed Kaiapoi, 12-1, in only five innings, and with a total of 10 safe hits, showed it will obvipusly be a leading contender for the $5O prize awarded to the team scoring the most runs in floodlit softball.

Polnti table P W L F A Pts Papanul 9 8 1 59 23 16 Richmond 9 6 3 19 14 13 United 9 6 3 55 36 12 W. Subs 10 4 6 43 47 8 D. Freeze 9 3 6 39 45 6 Kaiapoi 10 1 9 31 79 2