Jaks-United, Papanui remain unbeaten

Press, 22 January 1979, Page 19

Jaks-United, Papanui remain unbeaten

Soft bo 11

Jaks-Lnited and Papanui were the only remaining unbeaten teams after the second round of the post-Christmas senior mens 'softball competition at Rugby Park on Saturday.

United's batting strength took a long time to flourish in one of the late games and all but one of the runs in its 5-0 victory over Burnham came in the final (seventh) innings.

Burnham did well to restrict Jhe United batters but their own ■players were unable to cope with 'the surprisingly accurate jzitch,ing of Hadyn Smith who snared i!4 strike-outs and was only preieluded from a no-hitter by a last--minute swat by his Army counterpart, Phi] Packer. i Play never really rose to any [great heights in the Papanui[Western Suburbs clash although the former had a comfortable enough 3-1 win and out-hatted its opponent by five hits to three Easily the highest scoring game of the day was Albion’s fine 12-1 defeat of Lyttelton which lost its short stop, Craig Thompson, during the game when he received a nasty “cleat” gash above the knee. In the other match Richmond had a deserved 4-1 win over JaksUnited City, thanks mainly to some fine batting by Doug Chee (3) and Alan Pennicott (2), who managed all the team’s five hits between them. Chee, in fact, had the ultimate 1000 average with a lovely first innings two-run homer and two singles.

Jaks-United 5, Burnham 0 Smith's superb pitching was the highlight of this match and in three innings — the second, fourth and the sixth — he recorded a hat-tricks of strikeouts.

In the first six Innings the only Burnham batter to get on base was Mark Treweek (an infield error) and in one purple patch Smith faced 11 batters and struck out all but one of them. With its slow start United did not score until Warren Keen came home in the top of the third innings and he and David Dolejs were actually the only two team members to manage a safe hit in the first six innings. Finally, though, the United batters managed to get stuck into Packer's pitching in the top of the seventh linings. Biyan Mountford laid down a safe bunt

and soon after Smith. Keen and Brent Hazeldean clunked suc-i icessixe hits; four runs lesuhedi to make the margin a winning one. Keen, with a single and a double, was the only player on either side to register more than one hit. Gary Wairepo, the Burnham left fielder, distinguished himself with three catches in a row during the fifth innings. Altogether Packer faced 29 batters taking one strike-out and conceding six hits. Smith faced 22 batters for his big tally. Richmond 4, Jaks-United City 1 City started this contest as though it meant business. “Jimmy” Hall crunched a threebagger to right field with none down and his older brother, Alan, got a walk but the chance went begging and no runs resulted. After that Roy Ah Kuoi, in perhaps his best pitching performance of the season, kept the City batters at bay and at one stage 13 came up in succession without being able to make first base. It was not until the twentysecond City batter — Dave Birdling, a seventh mnings substitute — settled his experienced feet in the box that the team maraged its second safe hit of the match. Birdling eventually came heme on a sacrifice hit by Murray Lanihi but by this stage the game had already slipped far from City’s grasp as Richmond had scored thrice in the first four innings and once more in the sixth. There was never any chance that Richmond would repeat City’s first innings failure to take advantage of its chance. The first batter. Greg Panagioiidis, was walked and the next up, Doug Chee, struck the ball beautifully between left field and centre field to make the score 2-0. Pennicott scored in each of the fourth and sixth innings to complete the scoring for Rich- . mond. His final successive effort was a booming left field homer ■ to give him a .666 batting average. For City, Alan Hall fanned ! five of the 25 batters he faced and gave up five hits and two 1 walks. Ah Kuoi might have I managed only two strikeouts • but combined really well with 1 his catcher and the field to con--1 cede only two hits and three • walks (including a batter hit by 1 a pitch). ' The Richmond right outfielder, 1 Alister Bolt, took the outstand- • ing catch of the match to put [ out Alan Hall in the fourth in- : nings.

Albion 12, Lyttelton 1. Albion could hardly have be-

gun better than with the four! runs it chalked up in the top of I the first innings and there was one mure in the third, five ini the fourth and two in the sixth j to bring an early closure. i The team collected seven I hits and six of them came from | the pitching of Ross Fife who stayed on the mound until he; was replaced by John Kottier in! the sixth. Easily the star baiter was the! Albion pitcher, Vince Daly, who belted two home runs and i a two-bagger in four turns at' bat. As well he took six strike-i outs while giving up three hits! (to Craig Van Dugteren, Dean Couch and J. Watson) and two walks. John Cornell, the short stop, also batted well for Albion with two hits out of three — a .666 average Lyttelton’s only run was secured by Van Dugteren who was scored in by Couch’s two base hits in the bottom of the fourth innings. Papanui 3, Western Suburbs 1. First blood in this rather lacklustre game was struck for Papanui by its classy catcher, Gordon Phillips, who made base on an error and came home on a sacrifice by Dale Eagar. This first innings run was next added to three frames later when Geoff Roberts pulled off one of his spectacular home runs. Suburbs narrow’ed the gap again in the bottom of that fourth innings with a run to Terry Coleman after two errors but the result was put virtually beyond doubt when Garry Bishop scored for Papanui in the top of the fifth. Hits for Papanui were collected by Tony Bishop (2), Phillips, Roberts and Kevin Tuuta while Bob Gordon. John alton and Phil Claude had success for Suburbs.

Roberts had the better of the pitching duel with his 12 strikeouts against Sutherland's fixe. lour current Canterbury senior representative softballers are in the provincial squad of 13 to contest the national colts (under-21) tournament in Papakura, Auckland, next month. One of these is the No. 1 pitcher, Alan Hall, who is the vice-captain and one of six JaksUnited City players in the side. The other full* Canterbury representatives are Michael (“Jimmy”) Hall, Murray Lanini and Wayne Durey — all very good batters.

Sharing the pitching with Hall will be Colin Sutherland (Western Suburbs) and Isadyn Smith (Jaks-United). Raymond Marsh and Simon Heath are the catchers.

The full squad announced or Saturday b Messrs Mike Naleps and Neville Hobson is:—Alar Hall, viee-eapiain Michael Hall Ray Marsh. Murray Lainni Keith Pullar. Wayne Durex iJaks-United Cityi; Terry Cole

man, Colin Sutherland. Simon Heath tWestern Suburbs*: Garry Bishop iPapanuiji Pau! Emms Mae Haira, captain Albion). Hadyn Smith (Jaks-United>.

Ski-ing. — Annmarie MoserPrcell broke another track record when she won her fourth consecutive downhill race of the season in Meiringen. Switzerland, to stay top of the over all World Cup standings on 115 points.

POINTS TABLE P W L F A Pts Jaks-United 2 2 0 16 0 4 Papanui 9 2 0 12 5 4 Albion 2 1 1 16 10 2 Jaks-City 2 1 1 4 n 2 Lyttelton 2 1 1 6 15 2 Richmond 2 1 1 4 12 2 West. Subs 9 0 2 9 6 0 Burnham 2 0 2 3 10 0