Softball tour sought

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 42

Softball tour sought

PA Wellington An all-out effort will be made to bring a top American softball team to New Zealand next season. The New Zealand Softball Association’s council meeting in Wellington agreed in principle to sending a talent scout to this year’s United States championships in the hope of being able to sign up a leading club to come here. ~ t Although efforts would be made to find a sponsor to back the proposed tour, the council thought that if no such support was forthcoming the N.Z.S.A. could tackle the venture alone. The tour could cost as much as $60,000. As well as meeting New Zealand in as many as five “tests” the Americans could play combined invitation

teams and association repre-! sentative line-ups in double-! headers. Plans to send a New Zealand under-23 team to Asia) next year have run into! problems. The association’s council; was told that while Taiwan would welcome a team on terms suitable to the N.Z.S.A., the Japanese association was unwilling to host a side and Hong Kong would only do so on the condition that all expenses were met by New Zealand. The association has dropped the Dustin Cup after accepting a sponsorship from Stars Travel for the national women’s interclub championships, for which the Dustin Cup has been the premier award since 1946.

! The Dustin Cup will join the Beatty Cup, the John (Lennon Trophy and the Bensel Cup, other former top awards which have been dropped. The council will press for a change in the American association rule which requires players from overseas going there for a season to be in the United States by March 1. This year, a number of New Zealand pitchers are playing for American clubs, but under Amateur Softball Associationrules, they are not eligible to play in the national championships there unless they arrive before the beginning of March. Most of the New Zealand players did not go there until April. _