Cares cast aside

Press, 18 January 1986, Page 80

Cares cast aside

PA Auckland All the cares of facing the defending champion, New Zealand, in today’s afternoon opening game of the sixth world women’s softball series in Auckland were east aside by Italy yesterday as the team rang its way up Queen Street to the civic reception. The happy Italians revelled in the Auckland sun after their freezing homeland.

They also captured the relaxed spirit of the overseas teams on the eve of the serious competition of the Mazda-sponsored championship which begins at Lion Red Ballpark, Mangere. The Italians continued in joyous mood after the reception, as they danced to the beat of a rock band playing for the lunchtime crowd at Aotea Square in Auckland City. The Dutch team combined training and aerobics to the delight of the specta-

But that will all change today as Italy, not having the best warm-up games before the world series, will be striving to hold New Zealand to less than a double figure score. “Not too much should be read into our losses in the pre-championship games,” said the Italian Softball Association vice-president, Mr Enrico Bertitotti. “We have 200 clubs and 8000 players in our country and only the best are here,” he said. “But having to adjust from our freezing winter to the warm summer has been rather difficult.

“In the championships we will be a different team.”

There is no guarantee of success for the New Zealand team. “We could have had a few more harder warmup games,” said Ed Dolejs, the home coach. “But we have done all we should have done to be successful." First up on the No. 2 diamond after the official

opening by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, at 1 p.m. today will be the contest between Australia and Zimbabwe.

The features will be the 6.45 p.m. contest between Japan and Holland, and the last game of the day between China and Chinese Taipei, at 8.30. Holland and Japan last met on a full international basis 12 years ago. At the last world championships, in 1982, New Zealand took 14 innings to beat Holland in the round-robin play. “It was touch and go,” said Naomi Shaw, the New Zealand captain. ”We had to win to get through to the play-offs.” In other games between the Japanese and Dutch neither has been at full national strength.

China and Taiwan are both favoured contenders for the top four places in the championships and predictions are that it will be a low scoring and tight match. On Sunday at 11.45 a.m. Holland will have another feature match against China while Australia will have its first real test of strength when its meets Taiwan at 1.30.

Each side will be involved in double-headers, with Holland having the toughest draw in meeting Canada at 8.30 p.m. New Zealand meets Japan at 3.15 but should have an easier contest against Indonesia in its first game of the day on the No. 2 diamond. The United States has an easy first two days. Today, it plays Puerto Rico at 5 p.m. and on Sunday at 11.45 a.m., meets Italy, then plays Indonesia at 4.45 p.m.