Strong competition for softballers

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32873, 23 March 1972, Page 22

Strong competition for softballers

The Canterbury entry, Papanui, should not be complacent about its chances in the. national inter-club men’s softball championships ait Blenheim.

Papanui, which will not have the chance to win the premier club award, the John Lennon trophy, will have to maintain its best form if it is to be the first winner of the new second section of the tournament, being held at Lansdowne Park in the next four days. The presence of K. F. Herlihy, who again proved himself to be among the top pitchers in the world at the recent world championships in Manila, and G. W. Tattersfield, a veteran of the 1966 and 1988 world championship tournaments, pose threats in the Tom Voyle Trophy second section.

h The record entry ofls dub sides forced the New Zealand Softball Association to introduce its two-section system—which was approved by a national annual meeting two seasons ago,—for the first time. • , The association has based the division of teams on the performances of 'the club sides representing their provinces in the Auckland tournamentlast season. Thus, the performance of. Canterbury’s Deep Freeze, which was ranked only fourth in the province but gained entry because ’ United, Tapanui and Richmond were not available, in finishing tenth out of 12 teams at Auckland, has put Papanui in a lower section. ; It will be interesting to see if the national champion side, the Cameron’s Cardinals* of Hutt Valley can retain the title with the return of its four; world-champion-ship team members, J. D. Dawson, T. J. Nunns, B. Mc-

[oy our sopoau reporter> Lean and D. P. Sorenson. Even if these players cannot* find their best form after the gruelling 23-game South African tour and the world series, the presence of the former internationals, W. Baldwin and T. J. Bell will add depth to a powerful batting line-up, . The strong Miramar team, with P. J. Priddey, D. L. Cheyne, J. Lowes and N. D. R. McKercher, will be handicapped with the loss of the promising K. Henderson, who has measles, and the Hawke’s Bay entry. Wolves — Who replaced the ’’giantkiller” of last season, have the third New Zealand pitcher, O. Walford, and a number of other Hawke’s Bay representatives. The other sides in the eight-team top section are United of Auckland, led by the former international, S. Kinghom, Red Sox, of Manawatu, which will have the national trialist, P. Roberts,

as its pitcher, Otago University—the first University side to enter the torunament — Aces of Wanganui, and United of Wairarapa. Herlihy will pitch for the Waikato club, Cambridge Blue Streaks, but might be severly handicapped by the lack of a catcher capable of consistently holding his speed ball, as he was when playing for Waikato at the Beatty Cup provincial tournament earlier this season. The Southland entry, Cardinal Collegiate, won the premier trophy three seasons ago by beating Miramar, 4-3, after being down 3-0, until the bottom of the seventh innings. The Collegiate team will include Tattersfield, as well as present internationals, J. Purdue and W. Somerville,

and other highly-rated players in N. Eade, G. Stevens and A. Pennicott. Papanui will have the advantage of playing in what must be among the hardest-

fought provincial club competitions—the Cooper Henderson Motors championship, which has only just concluded. The side will have 10 present or former Canbury representatives, including G. A. Roberts, D. Phillips, D. Eagar, P. J. Morel, C. N. Chee, and the coach, I. R. Pollock, of this season’s provincial Beatty Cup team. A lot will rest on the young shoulders of its only recognised pitcher, Roberts, it will be interesting to see if he has improved in consistency since his plucky but erratic displays at Auckland during Christmas - New Year.

Papanui’s other opponents in the second section are

Pukekohe (Counties), Woodbourne (Marlborough), Yankees (Nelson) and the New Zealand Police, the winner of the national inter-services championship.