Sun stops softball

Press, 19 February 1986, Page 8

Sun stops softball

Aggressive batting took A.B.L. Suburbs to a surprise 7-0 win over Tait United last evening in a premier men’s softball match which ended early for an unusual reason — the low angle of the sun. As the sun got lower and lower at Western Ball Park it became increasingly difficult for players to see the ball and first the batters, then the plate umpire and finally the United catcher, Tony Mountford, borrowed pairs of sunglasses. When Mountford was struck on the chest in the top of the seventh by a pitch he did not sight at all the umpires called off the game because of the danger of injury. This was the first time all season that Suburbs had managed to beat United, the Christchurch club champion, and the scoreline was the exact reversal of a thrashing Suburbs received from the same opponent before Christmas. All the runs came in the first two innings when the

young United pitcher, Charlie Schooner, was kept on the mound in spite of the fearful punishment he received. In those two innings Schooner faced 16 batters and gave up six hits and three walks as Suburbs went to an unbeatable lead. Among the hits were back-to-back doubles by Marty Grant and Dennis Wiersma. Grant, Wiersma and the American, Scott ChristoffersOn, all batted in two runs. Roy Ah Kuoi/was substituted for Schooner in the top of the third and from then on he managed to shut Suburbs out with his slower-paced deliveries. United had loaded the bases In its first turn at bat but thereafter managed to get only one man on base as the Suburbs pitcher, Mike Ash, with nine strike-outs, took charge. The final hit count was eight to three in Suburbs’ favour and about the only thing going for United was the classy fielding of lan Gibson on second base.