Richmond upset by Merivale

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 44

Richmond upset by Merivale

Imperial Merivale’s veteran softball pitcher, David Bradbury, showed that he is still a lusty hitter of the ball when his club team shaded Richmond, 2-1, in the Christchurch premier men’s champion-of-champions final at Porritt Park yesterday.

Bradbury produced a big hit right on cue to bring Grant McCarroll home from second base for the run in the bottom of the seventh innings. The ball carried to the Porritt Park fence and Bradbury loped around the bases with a big grin on his face. But the game finished as soon as McCarroll crossed the home plate and Bradbury was not credited with a home run. McCarroll should not have even been on base but the Richmond catcher, Doug Baker, badly misjudged a high infield fly ball and it spilled from the tip of his glove.

Errors proved costly for Richmond in the match with a mix-up in the infields playing a part in Merivale’s first run. Lionel Silbery put down a bunt in the bottom of the first innings, and when John Wickliffe picked

up the ball he had nobody to throw to and Silbery made first base. Silbery eventually scored on a passed ball. The batters generally met with little success and in the first six innings the teams had produced only two safe hits between them.

Richmond finally strung together three hits in the top of the seventh and Grant Gallacher came home when Craig Seaward put down a perfect bunt.

The team had runners on second and third bases with none down, but the wily Bradbury struck out the next two batters and Silbery then took an excellent rollover catch in the outfield to retire the side. That left the scores tied at 1-1. There was some satisfaction for Richmond in that its pitcher, Peter Babbington, brought up his 300th strike-out for the season when he “fanned” Merivale’s Shane Vincent in the bottom of the sixth.

Babbington took seven strike-outs in the game against his rival’s tally of six. Richmond finished with four hits and Merivale two. Both teams had four men left on base.

For Merivale, two of its

younger players had excellent games, Darren Rea looking sharp at third base and Dean Feldwick taking some fine catches in the outfield.

The trophy win was a remarkable triumph for Merivale which was not among the top four teams on the championship table. It had won promotion to the top four play-offs when United had to pull out, and reached yesterday’s final thanks to an upset-win in a 10 innings tiebreaker over the chainpion Burnside team.

The premier champion-of-champions final for the bottom section teams was a fizzer. Burnside Rugby, obviously deciding that their summer sports season had finished, failed to turn up and the match went to Papanui by default. Neither Albion (away in Nelson) and Burnside, the two leading premier women’s teams, contested the champion-of-champions and the title was won by Monowai which beat Papanui, 5-0, in the final.

Suburbs beat Kereru, 6-3, in the senior A women’s final.