Metro too classy in softball final

Press, 3 November 1986, Page 39

Metro too classy in softball final

Special correspondent Wellington

Metro (Auckland) turned on a class performance to beat Broadway (Wellington), 2-1, in the final of the D.B. invitation Totara Park women’s softball tournament in Upper Hutt yesterday. Broadway went into the final the hard way only having one life remaining and facing its third straight match. Metro, by virtue of its excellent 6-0 win against United (Auckland), had had only one previous match and two lives to play with. For three innings the encounter between these two top sides was extremely even. However, at the top of the fourth

Sau Faleauto blew the match wide open when she made base on a powerful left field drive and eventually crossed the plate on a right field error.

While Broadway had opportunities to equalise it was Metro which grabbed the advantage in the sixth. The talented young Fiona Timu was walked to first base and she plated on a Tina Rhind centre-field hit. Still not out of the match, Broadway came into the bottom of the seventh frame in the ideal place in its batting line-up with the New Zealand representatives, Lesley Monk and Lovey Waitoa, but both failed to make base. Deslea Wrathall then pulled a

hit to right field which was errored and allowed Wrathall on to third. Debbie Tia Tia powered the ball into the deck and forced an infield error which allowed Wrathall to score. With the tieing run on first base the next batter could not capitalise and was struck out at the plate. . For the Christchurch sides, Burnside and Albion, the results over all were mixed, although, both finished well up. Burnside’s performance did not really do the side credit as it lost its two lives in the first two matches in the top eight section.

Its first clash was against the host side, Totara Park, and after

having a commanding lead eventually lost, 5-3.

The team then faced Broadway in a game which could easily have gone either way. The sides were locked at 0-0 until the seventh when a costly Infield error allowed Debbje Leonidas on to base. Burnside had an opportunity again to get Leonidas in a run down between second and third, but the attempt was muffed and eventually Leonidas scored to give Broadway the win. Albion on the other hand had to face batting onslaughts to stay in contention.

The side went down, 64, to Hutt Valley Saints in a clash which was coach’s nightmare. In

total Albion picked up 15 hits and left 12 runners stranded on base. Albion won its second game to cling on to its remaining life by downing Celtex (Palmerston North), 10-6. However, its final life was suffered in somewhat ignominious form when it again met Saints and went down, 13-0. Albion’s performance in this match was marred by costly errors in the field and numerous errors in judgment. ,

The highlight of the day for Albion came at the presentation when its captain, Natalie Hazelwood, who led by example throughout the tournament, won the batting award, returning an' average of .667.