Miramar men claim attention

Press, 2 March 1984, Page 30

Miramar men claim attention

By

JOHN COFFEY

Cowans Cardinals (Hutt Valley) and Ramblers (Auckland) are the only unbeaten teams after the second day of the Pan Am national men’s softball tournaments, but it was Miramar Evening Post (Wellington) which claimed much of the attention at Porritt Park yesterday.

The men from Miramar performed both the miraculous and the mysterious as they beat Pukekohe (Counties) in a game which seemed well and truly lost and then curiously frittered away an apparent matchwinning lead against Cardinals. The loss to Cardinals has seriously compromised Miramar’s prospects of retaining its title. Miramar, and its pitcher, Michael White, marginally had the upper hand throughout four scoreless innings against Cardinals, and threatened to run away from its rival in the fifth. The bases were loaded with one out when Andy Hamilton brought his catcher, Graham Kenny, home for the first run, but Cardinals managed to prevent any further damage. Reprieved, Cardinals found extra reserves of energy and enterprise. A fine hit to right field by Jimmy Cotter brought in Chad Corcoran. What had been a technically proficient, if unspectactular, encounter had been given an added dimension. . A rather anxious Miramar could not retrieve

the situation in its six turn at bat. Cardinals were still in command, and their ascendancy was mirrored on the scoreboard when young Mark Sorenseon confidently struck a two-base hit and was given a passage to home plate by Bobby Jones. Paul Magan, whose authority on the pitching mound for Cardinals had increased as the match progressed, denied Mirimar a lastinnings revival by striking out all three batters he faced. Magan finished with seven strike-outs and conceded. four hits; White’s analysis was 12 strike-outs and five hits. ( The Canterbury contender, Noel Leeming Burnside, dismissed Dodgers in five innings in the morning, Roger Hutton having a perfect batting average, and the versatile Roger Keither — an able pitcher on this occasion — Jimmy Hall, Dave Workman and John Kottier all had two hits. But in the afternoon only a run by Ray Marsh, who reached third on his own hit

and scored from an error, separated Bumside from Mudgway Wreckers .(Hawkes Bay). Back on the mound, Chubb Tangaroa struck out 13 of a possible 25 batters and conced only one hit. Results.— Pan Am Trophy: Ramblers (Auckland) 3, Panthers (Southland) 0; Miramar Evening Post (Wellington) 4, Pukekohe (Counties) 3; Noel Leeming Burnside (Canterbury) 10, Dodgers (Otago) 0; Cowans Cardinals (Hutt Valley) 12, Mudgway Wreckers (Hawkes Bay) 2; Ramblers 6, Dodgers 0; Pukekohe 5, Panthers 4; Burnside 1, Mudgway Wreckers 0; Cardinals 2, Miramar 1. Tom Voyle Cup (B division).— * Section 1: Birkenhead Lions (North Shore) 8, Cobden (West Coast) 1; Rivals (Nelson) 12, Kaitupeka United (Taumaranui) 0; R.N.Z.A.F. 1, Rangers (South Canterbury) 0; Birkenhead 15, Kaitupeka 0; Rangers 5, Cobden 0; Rivals 4, R.N.Z.A.F. 1. Section 2: Cambridge Welding (Waikato) 10, GT United (Mid Canterbury) 0; Saints (Marlborough) 11, Waitara (Taranaki) 0; Celtex 0. (Manawatu) 3, Allans Coachlines (Wairarapa) 1; Cambridge 5, Waitara 2; Allans Coachlines 7, GT United 0; Saints 10, Celtex 0.