Auckland Favoured

Press, 20 January 1979, Page 12

Auckland Favoured

Auckland will be hoping to extend its impressive record of wins when the national senior schoolgirls’ softball tournament is held at Lincoln College from January 22 to 25. The North Island side has already won the title three years in succession and has in fact had its name inscribed on the New Zealand Softball Association trophy 10 times since it was first presented in 1963. Eighteen teams are competing in two relatively equal sections, and section play will continue until Thursday morning. The play-offs will be held during the afternoon and a New Zealand tournament

team will be selected as well as about 15 promising players for a South Island coaching clinic. Among the nine teams in section A are Auckland and another strong contender in Nelson, which had a success in 1974. Southland would probably be the next favoured team. Wellington is the team to watch in section B but the Canterbury girls, too, are expected to figure prominently. One of the local stars should be the promising outfielder, Kristeen Smith, who plays for the Monowai senior team and was in the Canterbury squad for the recent Rothmans national women’s tourna-

ment in Christchurch. Sharon Mansfield (Western Suburbs) is another team member who plays seniors and the pitcher, Christine Johns, is a veteran at this level. West Coast, back in the tournament after some years away, is also in section B as is Otago, which is expected to field quite a strong side. One softballer making her second appearance in Canterbury within a fortnight is Irene Keating, the Wellington and New Zealand pitcher, who will be coaching the team from the capital city. Jane Miles, another member of the New Zealand team which finished third in the 1978 world championships at San Salvador, will be assisting Isobelle Jones (formerly of Canterbury) to coach Nelson.