Top softball sides topple

Press, 30 December 1976, Page 20

Top softball sides topple

PA Wellington, In successive games at the Rothmans national softball j championships yesterday the only unbeaten sides. Welling-■ ton and Hutt Valley, were toppled unceremoniously. Wellington was surpris-i Ingly bowled by Waikato,! struggling through eight inn-: mgs to lose. 3-2, and Hutt l " <s edged. 1-0. bv Hawke’s Bay. Both Wellington and Hutt atoned later in the day, the, former downing Canterbury,! 3-1, and the latter thumping' Manawatu, 6-1. Canterbury started well! against Wellington, Peter. M9cD<->u<»all in the! tecond innings. ihe home side retaliated' in the third, scoring all three! of its runs.

The second base man, Marty Dawson, and Wayne Lamb both batted three out of three for Hutt against : Manawatu. ■ Dawson particularly impressed, scoring Lamb with a ihome run in the first and batting in two more runs in the I second. Waikato, after its great ■showing against Wellington, subsequently collapsed to a 10-0 five innings defeat ■against Auckland. Auckland had a mixed day, i I earlier being outbatted byi ‘Canterbury eight hits to four/ but still scraping in 5-3. Auckland scored John; Money. Alan Russell and; •Barry’ Exeter in its first turn! [at bat through a combination j [of Canterbury errors, a field-' er's choice and a hit from ;Phil Rountree.

i Russell crossed on a field‘let’s choice in the third, and i Money batted in the safeI hitter Stu Kinghom in the l same innings for Auckland’s [fifth run. All Canterbury’s scoring ■came in the sixth, Leon Fife I being batted in by Brian I Mountford, Gordon Phillips [crossing on a wild pitch and Mountford coming home on a 'wild pitch. ! Fife (2), Tiny Lawrence. [Tony Bishop, Phillips, Paul McFarlane and Alan Hall hit I safely for Canterbury, while i Money. Russell, Rountree and ■ Kinghorn replied for Auckland. Auckland’s pitcher, Peter .Cameron, conceded all eight ■hits to Canterbury, Kevin Tuuta and Hall sharing the duties for the losers.

I Results:— I A section.—Waikato 3, Wei- ! iington 2; Auckland S, Canteri bury 3: Hawke’s Bay 1. Hutt I Valley 0; Counties 3. Manawatu I 1; Auckland 10, Waikato 0; Wgl- ■ lington 3, Canterbury 1; Hutt I Valley 6. Manawatu 1; Hawke’s I Bay 4, Counties 0. ; B section.—North Shor® 9, i Horowhenua 0; Combined SerI vices 4. Wanganui 0; Nelson 7. I Otago 2; Southland 12. North I Shore 2; Horowhenua 3. Com ! blned Services 2; Nelson 6 Wa inganui 2; Southland 5. Otago 2 j. C section.—Marlborough 9 I Taranaki 5; Poverty Bay 3 ! North Otago fl; Wrltrarapa 6 i Taranaki 1; Marlborough 13 ! North Otago 4; Rotorua 4 ; Poverty Bay 0. I Points:— ; A section.—Hutt Valley. Wei ! lington, Auckland. Hawke s Ba; 8; Waikato 6: Counties 4: Can • terbury 2; Manawatu 0. ' B section.—Southland. Nelson '■ Otago 10; North Shore 6; Horo whenua. Combined Services 2 I Wanganui 0. C section.—Walrarapa. Rotorur 8; Mariboroi-gh fl; Poverty Bai 2, North Otago. T«ranaki 0.