Profitable trip north for United

Press, 10 March 1987, Page 52

Profitable trip north for United

By

TIM DUNBAR

Canterbury’s national league softball team, United, is well in the clear as far as relegation is concerned after a profitable trip to the North Island at the weekend. United left Christchurch on Saturday just one place off the bottom of the table in the 12-team league — known as the Lion Red Series — and returned up in eighth position, along with Hawke’s Bay Wreckers and Fraser Tech (Hamilton) who have both

played one more game. Finishing in the top six is a real possibility for United with three more games scheduled in the north this week-end. United started the week-end with the upset of the competition, beating Ramblers, 3-0, in Auckland and ended it with a 1-0 win over Birkenhead in an eighth innings tiebreaker on the North Shore on Sunday. Only a 1-3 loss to Auckland Marist in between spoiled a perfect record. The delighted United coach, Leon Fife, said

that the side should have beaten Marist as well. “But we don’t like to be too greedy.” Against Ramblers, boasting the New Zealand pitcher, Steve Jackson, United achieved what Mr Fife described as “an awesome victory.” He said: “Our batters smacked the hell out of Jackson: he looked as though he couldn’t wait to finish the game.” The win against Birkenhead was obtained when lan Gibson batted in the automatic runner, Roy Ah Kuoi, with a hit to right

field in the bottom of the eighth innings. Earlier Gibson had been struck out twice. Birkenhead had lost its automatic runner in a double out at the top of the eighth and the next batter was struck out. After finding hits hard to come by in its home games United amassed 15 (for 10 against) off its three opponents in Auckland. Mr Fife was also very happy with his pitcher, Mac Tangaroa, who dominated in all the games and won the duels

with each of the opposing throwers. Mr Fife came back believing that Auckland softballers were over-rated. “They’re starting to believe what reporters write about them there. They’re nothing special, we lose nothing in comparison.” The coach said that the United players were now “kicking themselves” for what had happened earlier in the competition. Had it not been for some disappointing performances a place in the topfour play-offs “would not be unassailable.”

Easily United’s toughest encounter this week-end should be the catch-up game against Hutt Valley Cardinals on Friday night Games against Pukekohe on Saturday and Fraser Tech (Hamilton) on Sunday will round off the series. The positions after the week-end are: Cardinals 16 points, Ramblers, Po-neke-Kilbirnie and Hutt Valley Marist 14, Johnsonville, Birkenhead and Auckland Marist 8, United Fraser Tech and Wreckers 6, Invercargill Demons 4, Pukekohe 0.