SOUTHLAND BEATEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27569, 11 December 1950, Page 7

SOUTHLAND BEATEN

fa’s Softball

Otago Retains H. C. Bates Shield The tactics adopted by Otago proved to be the match-winning factor when the annual game with Southland for the H. C. Bates Shield was played on Rugby Park, Invercargill, on Saturday. Though the blues won the toss the captain, G. C. Nelson, in consultation with the coach*, Mr J. Goodman, decided to adopt the unorthodox and go first to bat, sending in strongest batters at the head of the list rather than distributing them throughout the batting order. These tactics took Southland by surprise &nd the succession of big hits obtained by Otago before Southland settled down seriously upset the maroons’ optimistic outlook on the probable outcome of the game. W. Murphy, Otago’s opening batter, faced the pitching of M. Harrington and with a safe hit went to first base. Twobase hits by G. Nelson, S. Brown, D. Wood and W. Watson followed to give Otago 4 runs before the side was retired. Southland replied with 2 runs. Harrington, in devastating form, had Otago dismissed without any addition to its score for their next five innings, while Southland, fighting back strongly after its early setback, added three runs in its third innings, and a further one in its sixth to lead at this stage by 6 to 4. In Otago’s last innings Brown’s judgment and' patience was rewarded by being given a walk to first base. The youthful D. Wood then made a good three-base hit to score Brown. Watson brought Wood home with a safe hit and later scored himself to give Otago a one-run advantage. Tension ■ surrounded the ground when Southland took strike for their seventh and last time, but good pitching and snappy fielding work by Otago saw the maroons dismissed without addition to their total, the final score being: Otago 7, Southland 6 Messrs W. Dickinson ”>pnd H. Pleury were the umpires.