United stays on top in men’s softball

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 34026, 15 December 1975, Page 14

United stays on top in men’s softball

Richmond continued its recent good run in senior men’s softball on ‘Saturday, restricting the unbeaten United side to |a single run in the game' lat Papanui Domain. The teams came out equal on hits — three each — but United was the only side to; [score as it strung two of its hits together in the bottom! [of the fourth i nnings and Leon Fife was able to bring 'Dave Bradbury home. United, which has dropped only three runs tn nine Sat-| iurday games and four runs; in four Tuesday evening; [games, now only has to beat' 'Papanui next week-end to: ensure that it will become! Canterbury’s representative in the national inter-club tournament in Hamilton next! March. But Papanui batted suffici-i lently well on Saturday, making'll hits to beat United[City, 8-0, to make it clear [that next week-end’s decider [should be a really close [affair. A feature of its match was [the calling out of three playjers — Murray Reid. Geoff: (Roberts (Papanui) and Pauli [Tredinnick (United-City) — ; Ifor illegal batting (stepping, [out of the batter’s box). ; [ In the game at Ray Blank' [Park Somerfield surprised in; recording its first win of the; season when it beat the luck-, I less Western Suburbs side,' 10-5. The game was very; [close and tense through-out; land the outcome not certain ;until the end of the seventh innings.

Richmond began the game in : a manner which seemed to be ' ' a follow-on from its fine batting 1 display against Papanui four days ■ earlier, as the lead-off batter, Doug Chee, singled with a hit to left field. But succeeding batters did not follow Chee’s good example and j the next 12 el] failed to make base safely. Riclnnond’s only real scoring chance came in the top of the fifth but it was blown. Terry Smith put down a nicely j judged bunt to make first and '• a similar effort—even if it re- ; suited in a sacrifice—seemed es- ' sential by the next batter-up. Doug Baker. When it was obvious ; that Baker was not going to doH this Smith tried a dangerous, steal of second and was duly tagged out. Baker was then',

struck-out and a one-base hit to right field by Kevin Steel ■ bore no fruit; admittedly it is hindsight but a Baker sacrifice would have seen Smith in a run scoring position with Steel's hit to come. Late in the game Gary Lay was injured as he collided with! Baker shortly before the latter, took a magnificent catch, diving full-length to take a hit from' Xiuk Oorschot. Richmond's coach.: AH' Brown, brought in a ’athci surprising substitute. I amen Noonan. the former New Zealand outfielder who has not played regulai senior softball for many years, in an attempt to get on• the scoreboard but he had onl-. one chance to show his former I batting skills andwas. rather pre-' dictably. struck-out. Although five United players] made first base during the match —two as the result of rather! sloppy fielding the side only; looked close to scoring e.n two; occasions apart from Bradbury’s run; in the first innings Pau! Me-1 Farlane was narrowly tagged on i third base and in the fourth! Fife was left high and dry on, second when Kevin Thorn was struck-out. Kelly Smith took only four strike outs but had his opposing batters in some trouble with his high rises and. aided by a generally alert field. restricted United’s chances to a minimum. Richmond was without the No. 1 Canterbury catcher, Greg Panagiotidis. but Doug Chee confirmed his reputation as a most versatile player by filling in very ably. Somerfield 10, Western Suburbs 5{ Suburbs put early pressure on Somerfield at the bottom of the first innings when Greg Timms. Murray McOscar and Neville Hob-i son all hit two-baggers. Alh three came home—Hobson mak-j fug it after a Somerfield player; threw the ball to third base j when there was no-one on it. It was not until the top off the third innings that Somerfield really entered the game. Safe! hits were made by Craig Shana i han and Marty Fitzsimmons, and I a flyball by Bruce Cameron,: which was caught by the left-' field. John Schuyt, allowed Shan-i ahan to come home. Ray Marsh; hit a mighty three-bagger, but the innings ended when Roger Kukas was out on first base. Somerfield repeated its performance in the fourth innings! when Craig Thompson and Alan! McNeil came home, and in the. following innings, three players — Bruce Cameron, Ray Marshand Roger Kukas — scored. Marty Fitzsimmons should have; got home too, but an excellent throw by the outfielder. Owen Stuart, from a hit by Marsh, saw him tagged on third base Thompson also got a three-! bagger in the innings. Punishment was again dished. out in the top of the sixth in-» nings, when McNeil. Shanahan and Cameron all came home. A! safe hit by Fitzsimmons gave; him a 1000. but he was again: tagged on third base. -j However, Western Suburbs be-} gan to come back into the game] at the bottom of the sixth. Hob-! son made a safe hit, to give him! 750, and came home on another! safe hit by Bob Gordon. In the seventh innings, Timms! made a safe hit. and an error j allowed Les Butts to make first base and Timms to come homed A walk was given to Murray! .McOscar. and it looked as though i Somerfield had a chance to! snatch back the game. However, a big hit by Hob-j son was beautifully caught bv | the pitcher. Kukas, who quickly

(threw the ball to second base to’ take McOucar out and end ! the match. Kukaa. tlie Somertield piuliei, ’who looked very despondent afI tor the bad pitching at the bottom of the first innings, psyched himself up to take five strike outs and concede eight safe hits and a walk. The pitcher tor Western Suburbs. Colin Suthei land, made two strike-outs and conceded 1.1 hites. Papanui 8, United-City 0 Papanui made a slow start to the match and was only able to make three hits in its first foul innings, although three further batters did make base by various other means. Two of the hits were made by the old reliable. Colin Chee [lie scored both the runs made |in the first half of the match, the second being a great right field slam on to Sawyers Arms Road which gave him his third I homer of the season. Things really came to lite in rthe top of the fourth a< Papa ; nui went right through its batting order wih Chee. Chris .McDonald, Tony Bishop ta two-base j hit in the hole between the i infield and th? outfield i. Johnny ;Petersen (a two-bagger>, Gordon Phillips, and Geofl Roberts a | two-bagger) all hitting safelv and six runs were scored

Colin Chee, with three hits out of five, was the top batter for Papanui while Bruce Chee, two out of lour, and Phillips, two hits and a sacrifice, also made good contributions McDonald made only one sale hit — a nice low punched drive — but actually made first on each of the other three occasions he faced the pitcher, twice from errors and once from a fielders choice.

United-City managed to get three batters Paul Emms. Chris Vest\. and Tony Mountford - on base from safe hits but. none were able to get past the second baseman. Bruce Chee.

Roberts took only four strikeouts, far less than his normal quota, but pitched very well to his field working up a lot of pace with the tail-wind at Papanui Domain.

POINTS TABLE P W L F A pts United Q <) 0 44 3 18 Papanui 9 3 1 72 8 16 Richmond 9 4 ,■> 47 42 8 United - City 9 6 58 6 West. Subs 9 •> 7 29 64 4 Somerfield 9 1. 8 21 72 2 United , Richmond 0