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Canty softballers in firing line

By

TIM DUNBAR

Christmas Day over-in-dulgences will be quickly found out when the Canterbury men’s softball team has its last training runs for next week’s Winfield national inter-provin-cial tournament at Colquhoun Park, Palmerston North.

The 14-man Canterbury squad trained yesterday and will have further sessions ahead of it tonight," tomorrow afternoon and possibly Sunday as well.

And there will be little chance to relax in the!, batter’s box with the in-j structions the representative coach, Roger Keith, will have for his pitching staff of Greg Newton, Tony Buckley and Jimmy Hall.

. “I’d like to work on Greg and Tony and Jimmy throwing a bit of

heat the last couple of training runs,” Mr Keithsaid.

The idea is for batters to get their eyes in against quick pitching before the tournament begins on Tuesday. Among the formidable hurlers they might face on Colquhoun Park are Auckland’s Chubb Tangaroa and Jody Hennigar, Hutt Valley’s Jimmy Seaman and Wellington’s Marty Grant and Glen Davis.

Newton is clearly the hardest thrower of the Canterbury trio and Mr Keith says it has been helpful having him playing club softball in Christchurch this summer. The America-bound pitcher was arriving back last evening from Christmas in his hometown of Invercargill. Last season, Mr Keith’s

first in the saddle, Canterbury disappointed by losing both its games on the first day and plummeting out of the top six. But it went on to win the Headifen Trophy, not dropping another game. inis year the Canterbury coach, shed of any pitching responsibilities, has clear goals for the week-long tournament. “The first goal is to qualify for the top six, and then the top four — and then win it!” With the last statement came a laugh without total conviction.

Under the double elimination format in which all 14 teams start on a supposedly equal footing (though the top

seeds have the easier draws) Canterbury knows only that its first game will be against little-fan-cied Wanganui, at 11.15 a.m. on Tuesday.

A win there would bring a clash with the mighty Hutt Valley, many times national champion and a runner-up to Wellington in Invercargill last season. Ideally Mr Keith would like to have a hard game against Hutt Vajley and to win it, 2-1. The benefits would include not having to play three games on the first day.

Not the least of the things going for Canterbury at the tournament will be the likelihood that, as usual, the “big three” of Auckland, Wellington

and Hutt Valley will under-estimate the southerners. This time the Auckland line-up is marked by the return of the “rebels” such as Tangaroa, Eddie Kohlhase and Dean Rice but at least the Wellington team will not include: Peter Meredith, the New Zealander who pitched the United States to victory in the 1988 world series.

Canterbury has its strongest team in years, unmarred by the usual rash of unavailabilities. Three very experienced players, Graeme Anderson, Hall and Paul McFarlane, are all returning after breaks.

Hall, who played a few seasons in Wellington, will actually be turning out ir red-and-white colours a! the nationals for the first time in six years. Wher he last played for Canterbury, incidentally, the power hitter won the national batting trophy. ' With McFarlane back in the hot spot of shortstop there is a superior look about the infield The United man first played for Canterbury al the age of 17 in the 197273 nationals at Dunedin. His last out-of-town national tournament for Canterbury was five years ago.

“I think he is the best short-stop in the country and certainly a real general in lifting the infield,” said Mr Keith about the 34-year-old Canterbury captain.

This Canterbury team includes half-a-dozen big batters capable of hitting the ball out of the park — notably the American, Barry Kahler, Hall, Neil Stuart and Darren Rea. According to Mr Keith, Kahler has been collecting some tremendous hits at training. “Absolutely

awesome,” he said. Kahler is quick in the outfield but the provincial coach said the player was also very comfortable in a "DH” (designated hitter) role because of a surfeit of softball in the United States. Mr Keith sees the batting line-up as. well-bal-anced. “It’s great that there is such a crosssection of players that can slap and long-ball hit,” he said. “That means we can vary our offence. My aim is to keep the opposition guessing all the time.” He has a number of squad members who can play more than one position in the infield and also believes the outfield is the fastest for some time with players like Rea and Grant McCarroll. And Neil Stuart, too, was quicker than some imagined. “He’s lost a wee bit of weight — about half-a-pound,” he joked. Canterbury’s mentor does not talk in terms of a top nine or starting nine, pointing to the fact that he used every player in his squad in the recent Jefferies Cup, final. The province won that South Island title for the first time in five years. While there is no

specialist third base in the team, those that fit in there more than adequately include Hall, Aaron Flynn and Murray Lanini though Mr Keith would prefer to “cement” the latter at his best position, second base..

the latter at his best position, second base. Meanwhile Canterbury will be taking the tournament one game at a time, mindful of the early losses 12 months ago and a tougher draw this time. Against Wanganui, complacency will not be allowed. Canterbury has only once won the inter-pro-vincial title — at the inaugural tournament, in Wellington way back in 1939. By far its best result in the last couple of decades was the second place at Dunedin in 1983. Since then its placings have been fourth, sixth, fourth, eighth, equal fifth and seventh (won Headifen Trophy). The full Canterbury squad is: Tony Buckley, Jimmy Hall, Greg Newton; Graeme Anderson (vice-captain); Paul Shannon, Dean Taikato, Murray Lanini, Aaron Flynn, Carl Franklin, Paul McFarlane (captain); Grant McCarroll, Darren Rea, Neil Stuart, Barry Kahler. .1.

Meanwhile Canterbury will be taking the tournament one game at a time, mindful of the early losses 12 months ago and a tougher draw this time. Against Wanganui, complacency will not be allowed.

Canterbury has only once won the inter-pro-vincial title — at the inaugural tournament, in Wellington way back in 1939. By far its best result in the last couple of decades was the second place at Dunedin in 1983.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19891229.2.71.3

Bibliographic details

Press, 29 December 1989, Page 16

Word Count
1,076

Canty softballers in firing line Press, 29 December 1989, Page 16

Canty softballers in firing line Press, 29 December 1989, Page 16

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