Familiar story for National league will give senior women an extra dimension

Press, 29 August 1986, Page 18

Familiar story for National league will give senior women an extra dimension

By

DANAE GOOSMAN

Previewing the senior women’s inter-club softball season becomes more difficult annually. Once again the Dalgety Crown Travel-sponsored competition is certain to be dominated by Robert Brown Albion and Burnside. These two sides continue to be in a league of their own and are only truly tested when they meet. When the clashes occur the sparks fly while the skills displayed would equal the best in New Zealand. The same six sides will do battle as last season. The two top contenders are being joined by Monowai, A.B.L. Suburbs, Clarity Press Papanui and Kereru, vying to stay out of the promotion-relega-tion stakes.

Even though sides are still to determine final line-up there are unlikely to be any significant changes. Perhaps the most notable change will be on the coaching, rather than the playing, scene.

Burnside’s tireless coach, Lyndsey Leask, is retiring after several years at the helm. Miss Leask, the vice-president of the New Zealand Softball Association, has been an extraordinary worker for the sport for almost a lifetime and her impact on the Burnside team and

club has been tremendous.

It is anticipated that the New Zealand captain, Robyn Storer, will take over the reins as playercoach. Should this occur she would rapidly come face to face with the rigours and pressures that another player-coach, Albion’s Cheryl Kemp, has already confronted. At present much interest is focused on a talented all-rounder, Raylene Ford, who has transferred from Mid-Canter-bury to Christchurch for business reasons. Her services would probably be welcomed by either Burnside or Albion, though she is yet to decide which club to play for. Canterbury softball is not blessed with pitching depth and until this situation changes the four other sides will not become competitive. Albion has the promising teenager, Karen Pimm, as its pitching understudy to Kemp, while another talented teenager, Mandy Karatau, is doing her apprenticeship to the speedster, Chris John, for Burnside. The young Papanui side is developing into a very tidy unit, especially when the pitcher, Leonie Woods, is in top form. She is also capably backed up on the mound from time

to time by Debbie Chase.

Chase had a brilliant 1985-86 season in the outfield and with the bat, as was recognised when she was given a New Zealand trial at the end of the national inter-provincial championships.

This side could be the most threatening of all to the dominance of the big two.

Suburbs falls into the next cateory as its young pitcher, Katrina Thomson, stil has a way to go to obtain the control needed to foot it in the “big time,” though she has all the potential. Over all the side is full of raw talent, but its performances will need more consistency if it is to have any marked effect on the competition.

For Monowai to become the dominant force it was a decade ago it ideally needs an injection of youth. The side has a knowledgeable coach in Greg Panagiotidis. The final side, Kereru, will never threaten until it takes a professional approach — rather than a picnic attitude — to its matches.

Kereru is loaded with natural talent, but its performances are so inconsistent it will be facing relegation rather than competition honours.

Now that the longawaited national men’s softball league is a reality there will certainly be a revival of interest in the senior inter-club competition in Christchurch. It seems likely that the top qualifier in the preChristmas competition would be eligible for the national league while the second-placed team could go to the Pan Am club nationals. “Two teams from Canterbury will get national exposure, which is excellent,” says the United coach, Leon Fife. One team which will be pushing really hard to make that national league spot this season will be Burnside, one of those prepared to put up the $6OOO entry fee.

Burnside ruled the roost in Canterbury softball for five seasons until pipped by United last season.

This season it should have a stronger team, boosted by a Canadian pitcher, Mitch Nelson, and two Southlanders, Chris Gray and Grant Thompson.

At this stage Burnside’s coach, Graeme Anderson, is not sure how good a pitcher Nelson is, but expects him to be of considerable assistance to Roger Keith on the mound.

Thompson, who has been playing softball in Los Angeles over the northern summer, is an outfielder and very good batter. Good enough to make the New Zealand training squad last summer.

Gray, an infielder, has also had a season in the United States.

The team has also gained the king-hitting American, Alex Bennett, formerly with the Suburbs club. Anderson says that the team has a lot of enthusiasm this year and is hoping for top performances. Losses include the youthful short-stop Jamie Flynn, at present starring behind the Southland rugby team’s scrum, Terry Butson, who has an arthritic hip, and Michael Thomas, who has chosen to step down a grade. Butson was in fine batting form last season and Anderson said that losing him was a real blow. United still has its experienced campaigners in such players as Paul McFarlane, Tony Mountford and Neil Stuart. ” “The old guard is still there. We are just missing the chap in the middle,” Fife said. Fife has no intention of pitching himself this year and at last report the club was still negotiating with a player in the United States. One confirmed gain is that of lan Hall, a classy infielder and dynamic batter, from Suburbs. “He is a good team man. He was good value for Canterbury,” said Fife who coached the provincial side last season. While Suburbs has lost its Canadian pitcher, Mike Ash, to a Wellington club it should still fare well in the pitching department. The talented Marty Grant has recently arrived back from a summer of softball in Arizona. He will be backed on the mound by a big 18-year-old pitcher from North Otago; Gerard Graham. “We have got a basi-

cally young side with one or two new faces,” says the coach, Bryan Mountford. Mountford, a former New Zealand world series representative, will not be playing this season, but is adamant that he has not retired. Merivale, with Dave Bradbury at the helm, is again aiming at a place in the top four. Bradbury will be pitching once more, but is hoping his young understudy, Murray Britt, will do most of the work.

The side has regained two fine young players, Grant McCarroll, who had Army commitments most of last season, and Dean Feldwick, who has recovered from a leg operation. Missing will be Shane Vincent, who decided to have a season off, and Ross Paterson, who is Singapore-bound. Little change is evident at Papanui where Dale Eager is again expected to be coaching and Buzz Terrey doing the pitching. The Bishop brothers, Tony and Garry, will be

back to provide the hard experience and so too will be last season’s useful acquisitions, Brett Williams and Hamish Clark. Pitching for the Richmond senior A team this season will be Wally Mohi, who represented Canterbury B last summer. He has been promoted from the senior reserves. Last year’s pitcher,

Graham Chard, has moved to Blenheim. The coach, Graham Smith, said that some promising players had emerged during trials but the final squad had yet to be picked. As well as Chard, Richmond might be missing the trio of Riki Stuart, Grant Gallacher and Vaughan Gernhoefer who have all gone to Australia.