Albion, Burnside extend winning runs

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 25

Albion, Burnside extend winning runs

Albion and Burnside, the dominant forces in the Dal- , gety Crown Travel senior women’s softball competition, continued on their winning way at Hagley Park on Saturday.

However, Burnside’s encounter with Papanui was tight throughout with Papanui really putting on the pressure in the bottom of the seventh frame to notch up two’runs, but Burnside held on for a 4-3 win.

Albion’s win was more convincing as it took only five innings to dispose of Kereru, 11-1.

Kereru went on to cause something of an upset by beating Suburbs, 5-4. Suburbs was the creator of its own destruction as only one of Kereru's runs were earned, all the others were marred by extremely costly errors by the Suburbs field.

Monowai, with its generally young and inexperienced team, continued to languish at the bottom of the table and went down in convincing style, 10-2, against Papanui. Dalgety Crown Travel Senior

Burnside looked set at the bottom of the first frame to take command of the entire match and forge an early victory as it scored three well-earned runs.

As the game progressed, however, it became apparent that this early lead was vital in ensuring its win as Papanui’s field was almost without blemish and Papanui’s Debbie Chase on the mound did an excellent containing job on Burnside’s daunting line-up. With one down in the first innings, Chris John blasted a triple through left and centre field. The designated hitter, Raylene Forde, then dropped a bunt and in Papanui’s haste

to ensure John did not score it allowed Forde on first base.

Forde made second on a fielder’s choice, then Anita Perreau dropped another bunt which enabled John to plate, Forde to make third and Perreau to get safe at first. A wild pitch allowed Forde to score and excellent base running by Perreau took her to third. Helen Townsend then sacrificed Perreau home and Burnside took an early 30 lead.

Burnside again put pressure on Papanui at the bottom of the second as bases were loaded with only one down but safe hands in Papanui’s outfield ensured the next two batters were caught. Past this innings Burnside was unable to effectively work itself into a positive scoring position until the top of the seventh.

However, at the bottom of the fourth a delighted Karen Walton pegged one back for her side. Walton late cut to right field for a superb home run and up until this point in the game only one other Papanui batter had made base. _ Burnside’s Jane Earnshaw singled to centre field in the final innings, stole second and eventually scored off a fielder’s choice.

Staring defeat down a barrel Papanui pulled out all stops in its final turn at bat. The head off, Leonie Bloxham, hit safely to centre field and made second on a passed ball. Sharron Chalmers then dropped a bunt and in Burnside's attempt to take Bloxham allowed Chalmers on to first. The drama did not end there as Bloxham rounded third and found herself in a hot box. She ran it tremendously and eventually slid into the plate. Meanwhile, Chalmers had raced round to third.

Lisa Nuku put down another bunt and this time Burnside elected to take the out and allow Chalmers to score. With two down and noone on base the next batter went out to conclude what was undoubtedly the best match of the day. Kereru 5, Suburbs 4

It was Suburbs who looked set for victory in the early stages of the match as it jumped to an early 3-0 lead at the top of the first innings. With two down Mandy Heriwini smacked a stand-up double through centrefield to score Bridgette Smitheram, Carolyn Arthur and Katrina Thomson. Kereru’s lead off and stalwart, Ra Hapi, at the bottom of the first, reduced the margin by thumping a centre-field triple and she was brought home by a'Sharron Marsh sacrifice, A costly error in’ the

second by Kereru’s infield allowed Donna Roberts to make second and she was brought in by a drive to left field from the bat of Chris Stuart to give Suburbs its final run of the game.

At the bottom of the third the headaches began for Suburbs. With only one down Paulette McLean, Marsh and Lyndal McMeeking all made base on safe hits. Judy-Anne Rapana then came into the batter’s box and powered a ball into the outfield which was badly errored allowing her on to third and all the base runners to score and so tie the game up.

Suburbs made a valiant effort in its fifth turn at bat to load the bases, however, Kereru’s field held to leave the scoreline locked at 4-4. The break fell Kereru’s way in the sixth. With two down Sammie Roberts dropped a safe bunt then a further ball was errored in the outfield off the bat of McLean which allowed Roberts on to third. In a play back on McLean another error occurred allowing McLean to score and give her side the winning run. Albion 11, Kereru 1

Kereru was simply no match for Albion in any phase of play in an encounter which lasted less than an hour.

The only Kereru player to effectively move the ball off the rapidly improving pitching of Karen Pimm was Ra Hapi, who picked up two hits from two trips to the batter’s box and scored her side’s only run.

Papanui 10, Monowai 2

In a very slow and protracted encounter Papanui dominated in all phases of play and statistically Papanui completely outplayed its opponent in all departments. It picked up twice as many hits and made four times less errors.

Papanui jumped to an early lead in the top of the first through a series of good hits and errors. Karen Mills, Karen Walton, Debbie Chase, Leonie Bloxham and Sue Witheridge, who did not complete the game because of a serious knee injury, all scored. The veteran of the Monowai side, Margaret Machirus, who is having a great season with the bat, pegged one back at the bottom of the first after making base on a right field double. Emma Richards edged Monowai a little closer in the second when she scored off the only error in Papanui’s field. But from this point on Papanui effectively shut Monowai out as only one further runner made base, that being Machirus off an excellent right-field triple.

w L D F A Pt Albion 5 5 0 37 2 10 Bumside 5 5 0 35 10 10 Papanui 5 3 2 35 21 6 Kereru 5 2 3 18 40 4 Suburbs 5 0 5 11 28 0 Monowai 5 0 5 9 44 0 Burnside 4, Papanui 3