Beatty Cup: Hutt ahead

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32801, 29 December 1971, Page 3

Beatty Cup: Hutt ahead

(From Our Own Reporter) AUCKLAND. The unbeaten Hutt Valley team took the lead in the Beatty Cup men’s inter-provincial softball championship at Hobson Park, Auckland, when Auckland surprisingly thrashed the titleholder, Wellington, during the second day’s play yesterday.

With the last day of A and B section play today (teams qualifying for the Beatty Cup final play-offs maintain their section points), Hutt Valley has gained a possible of five wins, while Auckland and Wellington have four wins each. Auckland would have been at the top, too, but it suffered defeat to Hawke’s Bay in its first game yesterday.

Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury, with three wins, are the leading candidates for places in the cup play-offs, six teams being eligible. Canterbury continued to bat well to complete a reasonably successful day with two wins and a loss. It plays Hawke’s Bay and Otago, its two main rivals for a position today, and providing it can win one of these games, is assured of a place. Auckland caused one of the upsets of the day when it beat Wellington, 8-3. A home run by T. D. Lowes with N. D. R. McKerChar “aboard” had enabled Wellington to gain a 3-0 likely winning lead. However, at the top of the fifth innings, Auckland recovered to tie the game. Wei-

lington substituted A. Whlshart tor K. Henderson, but he could not prevent the host province trom gaining the lead. D. Hayward relieved A. W. Dormer on the pitcher’s mound when Wellington came to bat in the same Innings and pitched an outstanding relief stint However, the Auckland players backed him well, and completed the rdut. INCIDENT There was a distasteful incident in the match between Hawke’s Bay and Auckland, won by Hawke’s Bay, 4-2. E. G. Kohlasse, the ebullient Samoan and former New Zealand representative, collided with the base umpire, Mr D. Brewer, in rounding Erst base, after a hit. Kohlasse and Mr Brewer appeared to exchange angry words,' and M. W. Forsyth, Kohlasse’s team-mate, had to be escorted from the diamond by his captain, S. C. Kinghorn, when he ran on to the field of play. Play was resumed but Kohlasse voluntarily left the diamond, only to be persuaded to return by team-mates moments later. Wellington struggled In its last match of the day when It was locked, 1-all, with Southland for nine innings before batting pressure by C. Ward, K. Henderson and D. Cheyne at the top of the ninth enabled It to win, 3-L CANTERBURY 7, WANGANUI 1 A top-of-the-first innings batting rally, which produced five safe hits off the Wanganui Pitcher, W. Sain, and a 5-0 lead, enabled Canterbury to avenge its 1-2 defeat to Wanganui at last season’s tournament. C. N. Chee, D. Phillips, G. A. Roberts, B. W. Mpuntford, and P. Spillane sent nits into the outfield to enable Canterbury to gain a four-run lead with none down. Swain retired the next three batters but not before Mountford had added the fifth run on a passed ball. The Wanganui captain and catcher, L. Brewer, drove his brother, M. Brewer, home in his team’s first innings and it appeared that the game might be a free-hitting affair. However,

G. A. Roberts, and to a lesser extent Swain, kept the hits to a minimum for the rest of the match. Canterbury added to its total with driving batting by D. Daw in the fourth, and Phillips, Mountford and Daw In the fifth. Roberts exhibited far better control than on Monday to finish with six strike-outs while conceding a walk and five bits. Swain gained one strike-out and gave up a walk and 11 hits. For Canterbury, Phillips, Roberts, Mountford and Daw (two), Chee, Rea and Spillane gained hits, and for Wanganui, M. Brewer (two), L. Brewer, Swain and G. Terry were successful. Hutt Valley 4, Canterbury 8 Canterbury never provided a serious threat to the cup favourite, Hutt VaUey, being unable to counter the speed of J. D. Dawson. Hutt Valley gained two runs in each of the second and fourth innings with the former international, T. J. Bell, the game’s top batter, driving in runners in both rallies. G. A. Roberts, having bls third game of the day as Canterbury’s pitcher (P. Spillane has a suspected tom ligament in the shoulder and might not be able' to play again in the tournament) contained the powerful Hutt Valley attack for the most part and yielded only six hits. Roberts completed the game with five strike-outs while walking three batters and giving two hits to BeU (three). D. P. Brenson. B. McLean and L. Barlow. Dawson gained 10 strike-outs and gave up two bite—to C. N. Chee and D. Rea. Chee was the only Canterbury player to advance past first base when he hit to centre-field and successfully tested the arm of T. J. Nunns to steal second base in the third innings. Canterbury 6, Nelson 0 It took Canterbury until the fifth and sixth innings before it was able to gain a comfortable lead. However, in the fifth, G. Dunn. D. Egar end D. Rea lashed outfield drives to push Canterbury from 1-0 to 4-0. G. A. Roberts, with a long home run, and D. Daw. with a triple, completed the scoring in the next innings. G. A. Roberts gained five strike-outs and scattered just two hits for the game, and Y. Booth took two strike-outs and gave up eight hits for Nelson. Dunn was Canterbury’s best batter, with two hits, but Rae, Roberts; Daw, Mountford, Clifton and Egar all contributed to the team’s total of hits. Other results:— Section A.—Otago 3, Southland 0: Hutt VaUey 5, Nelson 0; Southland 3, Hawke’s Bay 0; Hutt VaUey 8, Wanganui 0; Auckland 11, Otago 1; Wanganui 3. Nelson 2. Section B.—Waikato 7, Horowhenua 2; Manawatu 14, Navy 0; Army 12, Air Force 8; Waikato 4, Counties 1; Manawatu 10, Horowhenua 0; Army 13, Bay of Plenty 2; Waikato 6. Navy 0; Manawatu 3, Counties 2; Bay of Plenty 10, Air Force 7. Points.—Section A: Hutt Valley 5 wins 0 losses; Wellington, 4,1; Auckland, 4,1; Hawke’s Bay, 3,2; Canterbury 3,3; Wanganui 2,4; Otago, 2,3; Southland I, 4; Nelson 0, 6. Section B: Manawatu, 5,0; Waikato, 4,1; Counties, 2,2; Army, 2,3; Bay of Plenty, 2,2; Horowhenua,2,2; Air Force, 1,4; Navy, 0,