Softball Burnside’s position eroded by two losses

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 23

Softball Burnside’s position eroded by two losses

Things looked more interesting at the top of the Dalgety Crown Travel premier men’s softball table after Saturday’s matches. Both Burnside and Papanui now have three losses each, though Burnside still holds a four-point lead thanks to two extra wins.

Burnside’s previously comfortable position had eroded after two upset losses during the week — to Papanui last Monday and Merivale on Saturday. In between those reverses Burnside shut out Suburbs, 7-0, on Thursday evening. Just one run was scored in the Merivale-Burriside em counter, Paul Williams com-’ ing home in the bottom of the fourth innings. Williams got on with a two-base hit into the fence, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Dean Feldwick and scored on a safe hit by Chris Chapman. Burnside had its scoring chances, including the final frame when two men, Darren Roberts and Mike McLennan, were stranded. Altogether, it had four men left on base against Merivale’s one.

The batting honours went to Burnside by four hits to two — but the Merivale hits were more telling. The competition leader’s hits were shared among Alex Bennett (2), Roberts and Graeme Anderson.

The winning pitcher, Murray Britt, did well to contain the strong Burnside batting line-up. He took three strikeouts, half the tally of his opposite number, Roger Keith.

Papanui followed up its good win against Bumside with another solid performance, beating Suburbs, 4-2, at Papanui Domain on Saturday. The batter doing most of the damage for Papanui was its veteran short-stop cum outfielder, Tony Bishop, who brought in three runs with his home run hit over the head of left field. His path around the bases was smoothed by the absence of the Papanui Domain fence, in the temporary charge of the United Softball Club for its national league matches at Western Park.

It was Bishop’s first home run for a season or two and

he was sill beaming some time later. Papanui scored all four of its runs it the top of the second innngs, the pitcher, Colin Suherland, getting things rollag with a beautifully placil hit over first base whies earned him two bases. The Pmanui outfielder, Luke Jasen, batted in with a hit bounced iito the diamond and both Jansen and Ken Deal (hit fitch) subsequently scored on kishop’s hit. Suburbs was only able to halve that k-0 deficit before the end of the match. Both runs camel in the bottom of the fourtj when Dennis Wiersma aid Mark Snedden crossed hone plate within a few second of each other. Wiersma blnefited from an overthrow jeep into outfield territory am Snedden scored when Papalui’s catcher lost control of he ball. Dave Pa|i was marooned on third Ipse in the next innings wten his Suburbs team-mate, bean Nesbitt, was struck out by Colin Sutherland. Paki .mad made base

with a hit which landed just inside the right field line and then kicked hard to the right. A blocked ball was ruled and he was held up on third. For Papanui, Wayne Durey, whacked a three-base hit over the head of the centrefielder in the sixth, but progressed no further. Both sides collected six hits, but Suburbs’ pitcher, Marty Grant, grabbed a whopping 14 strike-outs against Sutherland's more modest tally of six. Sutherland, though, topped the batting averages for either side with two hits for a .666 average.

Neither Cardinals nor Richmond, the other two sides in the premier competition, were in action on Saturday. Cardinals had been shaded, 31, by Merivale in a twilight match two days earlier.

POINTS TABLE P W L F A Pt Burnside 118 3 38 16 16 Papanui 9 6 3 25 17 12 Suburbs 10 5 5 27 31 10 Merivale 10 5 5 33 39 10 Richmond 7 2 5 20 35 4 Cardinals 7 1 6 10 27 2