Wet softball conditions

Press, 27 December 1985, Page 3

Wet softball conditions

Softball officials were greeted by “very, very wet” playing surfaces yesterday when they inspected Porritt Park, the venue for the Rothmans national men’s tournament which begins tomorrow.

Mr Dale Eagar, the tournament organiser, said he hoped the nor’-wester forecast for today would be “strong enough and warm enough to get rid of the water.”

He said that the Canterbury Softball Association hoped to have three fully fenced diamonds for the tournament.

However, he doubted that the diamond outside the stadium would be ready for use tomorrow. “There is half an inch to an inch of water in places,” Mr Eagar said.

The grass was slightly longer than officials would like because the Christchurch City Council had not

been able to get in to make the last cut.

Twenty teams are contesting the tournament in three sections until Thursday, January 2. Hutt Valley is the top seed in the Rothmans Cup section, from Auckland and Wellington, by virtue of its win in last season’s final.

Southland, North Shore, Radio Avon Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Counties are the other teams contesting the A section roundrobin.

To prevent unduly drawnout games the tie-breaker rule will apply to all games from the eighth innings, not the tenth as usual. At the end of the tournament a national training school of between 20 and 25 players will be named, with selection probably looking towards the 1988 world series in Saskatoon, Canada. The training school will be held on January 3 and 4.