Albion issues strong softball challenge

Press, 5 March 1982, Page 17

Albion issues strong softball challenge

By ]

DANAE GOOSMAN

The Albion women’s softball squad will be seeking to enhance an already formid-

able record when it competes in the Pan Am national inter-club tournament at Hamilton next week. Albion won the title in 1980, was the runner-up last summer and must again be highly rated. The tournament this year, however, contains probably the strongest line-up of women's club sides seen in New Zealand. Albion is a dauntless side, positive in its approach to the game and charged with team spirit; these ingredients produce pleasing results in softball. Defensively, Albion’s field is brilliant and probably the strongest in the country. It was the nucleus of the field that brought the national provincial title back, to Canterbury after a 16-year wait.

The area of most concern for the player-coach, Cheryl Kemp, must be the batting. Since Christmas the only batters to consistently obtain safe hits have been the left field, Linda O’Cain, second base, Nat Hazelwood, and the pitcher, Kemp, while the youthful Janenne Gould is beginning to produce some excellent batting statistics. The other team members, Penny Salton, Vicky Paskell, Sharron Constable, Rose McGill and the captain, Christine Tew, are more than

capable with the bat and it can only be hoped that they strike .form: The side will face the country’s best in women’s speed pitchers and no matter how strong the

team is in the field it must also bat successiully to win matches. The three main stumbling blocks for Albion, if it is to bring back the title and cap off a tremendous season for Canterbury women’s softball, are likely to be Metro from Auckland, the Wellington Island Bay side and Hutt Valley’s Saints team.

The 1981 title holder, Lenco (North Shore), is unlikely to provide the same impact as it is without the I American pitcher-catcher | combination which carried it | through last year. But Lenco 1 will no doubt produce some I top softball and is capable of I upsetting any of the four ' leading contenders. ; Strong opposition will also I come from the Hawke’s Bay i side, Saints, and Rangimarie, i from Counties. While it is ; unlikely that either of these ■ teams will win the title, they i contain some excellent i players and could provide : some surprises. j Max Royals (Nelson) com-,; pletes the eight-team draw> and does not have the pitching j or batting strength to see it through four days of hard competitive softball. 1 Regardless of the final out-; come in the tournament, sup- • porters of Canterbury soft- 1 ball can be assured Albion will represent its province, well and is determined to: win. ;