Taiwan softball victory heralds ‘golden era’

Press, 26 June 1987, Page 20

Taiwan softball victory heralds ‘golden era’

By

TONY SMITH

The New Zealand women’s softball team’s victory at a top-class international tournament in Taiwan has heralded a golden era for women’s softball here, according to the coach, Ed Dolejs. In terms of attitude and team harmony the squad was probably the best he had been associated with during his 10-year tenure, he said. “We seem to have an edge over other teams in our attitude and mental preparedness,” he said, after returning home to Nelson.

“I think it’s a golden era for women’s softball in New Zealand, and I don’t know if it will ever come again.” Taiwan has proved a happy hunting ground for New Zealand softball teams. The last time the New Zealanders toured there, they returned with the 1982 world series crown, and they secured the silverware again last week, after overcoming

all the old obstacles which confront New Zealand sports teams in Asia.

New Zealand was the only team at the tournament playing out of season and because of stringent travel arrangements did not have the benefit of a single warmup game before the series.

“Colin Ward (the cocoach) and I decided before we left New Zealand that we only had one thing in our favour:. our attitude,” Mr Dolejs said. “We worked on mentally preparing the players and the players responded because of the happiness and harmony among the team.”

Mr Dolejs expected, before departure, that a place in the play-offs would have been a reasonable achievement. But, the team knew, to ensure the. possibility of future overseas tours, it had to make the final. The New Zealanders lost three games in roundrobin play by 2-1 margins against Japan, the United States and China-Taipei. But the reverses were not unexpected because of the lack of pre-tournament preparation. However, the early games gave the coaches an opportunity to blood new players and by the time post-section play came around, New Zealand had established a solid nucleus. New Zealand shattered the dreams of the home supporters when it eliminated China-Taipei, 1-0, in the first play-off match. And a spirited eleventh innings tiebreaker rally enabled New Zealand to beat the United States, winner of the 1986 world series title in Auckland, 20.

In the final against the strong Japanese side, New Zealand established a 2-0 lead in the first innings when the regular pitcher, Debbie Mygind, playing in the outfield for the game, batted in the third base, Nardi Clark, and the first base, Rhonda Hira. New Zealand shut up shop defensively, and with the big Gina Weber, later judged the top pitcher of the tournament, throwing a two-hit game, the Japanese could not get back into the match. Weber, who is more than 1.83 m tall was one of several success stories for New Zealand. The coaches ranked her, before the tournament, as second-string pitcher to Mygind, whom Mr Dolejs still rates as the best hurler in the world. But Weber, who seemed less tense than at previous tournaments and displayed better control, outshone her more vaunted team-mate.

However, Weber and Mygind were also among New Zealand’s top hitters and both pitchers featured in the starting lineups for the final four games because of their batting ability. Mr Dolejs said that the young Southland outfielder, Gabrielle Spark, and the Auckland-based Amercian shortstop, Lesley King were the “finds of the tournament.”

Spark, aged 20, was not over awed by the quality of the'opposition, in spite of being on tour for the first time. She shrugged off an injury sustained when she was hit by a pitch to become one of the side’s best pressure batters. “She personally won two ball games for us with pressure hits and one of them was in the bottom

of the seventh innings,” Mr Dolejs said. “She is definitely a player for the future.” King, who is seeking New Zealand citizenship, started shakily at shortstop and her performances were blunted by. sickness. But, just as the coaches were considering switching' her with the centrefielder, Deslea Wrathall, King came to light with some brilliant fielding displays.

“I doubt if she made an error' in the last four games, and it really was a shortstop’s tournament,” Mr Douglas said. “Usually, in women’s softball the second base gets most of the work, but our second base (Hutt Valley’s Lorraine Clayden) only fielded about six ground balls all tournament.”

Mr Dolejs said that the speed of Wrathall and Canterbury’s Jane Earnshaw in the outfield was vital to New Zealand’s defensive strategy. They were often brought in to the game to replace more in-form batters, because of the need to keep things tight in the field. Calling the shots behind the plate for New Zealand was the captain, Lesley Monk, the double softballhockey international from Wellington. Her enthusiasm, experience and catching ability were vital components in the team’s success.

Mr Dolejs said he would prefer to never tour again with just 14 players in his squad as he did to Taiwan.

Fifteen was the absolute minimum for such a high-pressure tournament, he said.

“Having only 14 players was a definite hindrance for us, especially with the specialised substitution type of game we like to play. ”