Albion has tough tussle with Burnside

Press, 5 November 1984, Page 41

Albion has tough tussle with Burnside

Robert Brown Albion and Burnside met in the first of three top-of-the-tabie encounters before Christmas in the Dalgety Crown Travel senior women’s softball competition yesterday, with Albion taking a tenuous 2-1 win.

The match had promised to produce a tightly fought tussle and the large crowd was not disappointed. As the match progressed the pressure on both fielders and batters mounted.

In Saturday’s games Monowai notched up two good wins, beating ERG Suburbs, 50, in the early game, and Papanui 6-3 in the late match, while Papanui had a convincing 12-4 win against United in the first of its double-header. Monowai 5, ERG Suburbs 0 Although failing to score, Suburbs turned on a better performance on the field and in the batter’s box than the side has done in recent weeks. However, it was Monowai which dominated play from the onset.

Ra Hapi opened the scoring at the top of the first when she hit to left field and eventually came in on a pass ball. Chari McLean added a run in the second after making base on an outfield error and the plate

on another Hapi hit. Monowai went three up, three down in the third, but came back strongly in its fourth turn at bat when Wiki Martin was sacrificed home by Shirley Rainsbury and McLean scored from an error in the same play.

Further scoring opportunities went begging for Monowai and it was not until the top of the seventh that the final run came. Lyn Tasker made base on a safe hit and stole both second and third to eventually come home on a fielder’s choice.

Suburbs possibly could have got into the match in its second bat when the lead-off, Jan Vernal, made base. However, tight, controlled fielding by Monowai picked off the lead runners to prevent Suburbs getting into a scoring position. In the bottom of the third further opportunities for Suburbs went by through Monowai’s keen fielding, and Suburbs never subsequently looked like scoring. Papanui 12, United 4

This match should have ended in five innings at Papanui raced to an 8-0 lead by the top of the third. However, Papanui’s batters failed to maintain the pressure

and their concentration. It took almost two hours for the game to finish, in what could only be classified as a boring encounter as players simply went through the motions for the regulation seven innings. Papanui’s second turn at bat produced runs by Karen Walton and Jo-anne Burrows, but it was the top of the third that gave the side an unassailable lead. The team went through its order in a display of power batting to score Sharron Cate, Wendy Hughes, Debbie Chase, Nadine Robinson, Airini Caddock and Burrows.

At the top of the fifth, Robinson and Caddock again scored off a magnificent left field home run by Sharron Chalmers.

Papanui’s final run came in when Chase made base on a centre field hit. Chase proceeded to then turn the United field into turmoil as she stole second, third and home. For United Kaye Ronald scored on two occasions, and Donna Plato and Patricia Laird once each. Monowai 6, Papanui 3 In a match which was expected to be a closely fought

encounter, Monowai was in command .throughout.

Ra.Hapi opened the scoring for Monowai at the top of the first when she blasted a left field triple, crossing the plate on a pass ball. 3 The second innings produced two more runs for Monowai when Margaret Marichus scored off a sacrifice and Kathryn Eiffe on a pass ball. Papanui had every opportunity to peg one run back at the bottom of the second when Debbie Chase thumped a hit through centre-field. On rounding second Chase realised she had missed the base, went back, then started off for third. The ball went to home and was errored slightly. Chase ran for the plate, only to be tagged out and waste an excellent scoring chance.

In the top of the third Monowai’s. Kela Smith and Marichus scored, with the side’s final run coming from Gaye Forward at the top of the fifth.

Papanui’s Chase redeemed herself in the fourth and sixth innings by scoring two of her side’s runs. The third came from Wendy Hughes in the fourth.

Albion 2, Bumside 1

Albion obtained both its runs in the bottom of the first innings after taking Burnside out three-up, three-down in the top of the innings. With one down Janene Gould made base on an error and second on a passed ball with Natalie Hazelwood in the batter’s box. Hazelwood hit safely to left field, making second as the play held Gould up on third.

The next batter went out, then Cheryl Kemp came into the box and hit to the infield for what should have been an easy out. The ball went into the dirt and through third base, with the ball being alive off the fence in the enclosed diamond both Gould and Hazelwood scored.

Albion’s lead-off, Sharon Constable, made base at the bottom of the second when Nicky Hudson powered a flat drive. Burnside’s Chris Patterson plucked the ball out of the air for a tremendous out and then played back to first to have Constable out on a double play.

Burnside’s run came at the top of the fourth when the

lead-off, Jane Earnshaw, flied to the outfield, the ball was dropped and Earnshaw scored after stealing second on a great centre-field drive by Chris John.

Both sides had minimal scoring opportunities in the fifth and the match began hearts thumping when Bumside’s Robyn Storer, in the sixth with two down, hit to centre-field. Storer tripped going round first base, then got herself “hot boxed” going to third. After seven throws in the “hot box” situation, Storer eventually made third as the ball was errored. The next batter went out and Storer was left stranded.

The top of the seventh produced similar pressures for the Albion field. The lead-off, Anita Perreau, hit safely to the outfield, the ball was errored and went to the fence. Perreau headed off around the bases and attempted to cross the plate, but an immaculate relay from Constable to catcher, Penny Salton, had Perreau out. The next two batters went out to give Albion a shaky win. For Bumside, Patterson had an excellent game as did Constable for Albion.