NEW GAME FOR CITY

Southland Times, Issue 24576, 27 October 1941, Page 7

NEW GAME FOR CITY

SOFTBALL AT RUGBY PARK The first game of softball overplayed in Invercargill, apart from some practice games, took place at Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon between Buckett’s Gymnasium women’s team from Christchurch and a women’s team from Dunedin. The game was staged as a demonstration for the benefit of those who wish to take it up in Invercargill. Softball is the amateur form of baseball, which has become almost entirely a professional game in America. Although baseball is founded on rounders, with which most people are familiar from their schooldays, it has in the course of years developed into a very elaborate, and intricate game in which skill and cleverness play important parts. That the same applies to softball was evident from the demonstration game at Rugby Park on Saturday. The more experienced Christchurch players were too : clever for the Dunedin players, and • they won by 29 runs to one, in a game of five innings a side. The usual length of a game is seven innings a side, but rain caused an interruption of the play. The match was watched by a fairly large number of spectators, mostly young people who were no doubt anxious to see how softball was played. Further games will be played at Rugby Park today between Buckett’s Gymnasium team, two teams from Dunedin and a local team. The first game will begin at 10 a.m. If the weather is wet the games will be played at the drill hall. ASSOCIATION PROPOSED

On Saturday evening a meeting was held in the City Council Chambers to discuss forming a Baseball Association in Invercargill. It was decided to call a public meeting for the purpose of forming an association. Mr R. T. Meredith, Southland representative on the Physical Welfare and Recreational Council, presided, and among those present were Mrs W. M. Wilson, physical welfare officer, Miss M. Martin (Dunedin), vice-president and Mr C. Buckett (Christchurch) president, of the New Zealand Women’s Baseball Association, and Mr A. Rennie (Christchurch), Dominion secretary of the Women’s Umpires’ Association. “Personally I do not know much about the game, though as a child I played rounders and I understand that softball is rounders greatly modified and improved,” said Mr Meredith, in welcoming the visitors. Mr Meredith added that he thought that following the meeting that night a public meeting should be called with the object ’of establishing an association in Invercargill. Miss Martin said that in Otago the history of the game was rather chequered. The Otago Men’s Baseball Association had had two teams of women playing under its jurisdiction. The women were not entirely satisfied with the control of the men’s association and felt that it would be better if the women’s game were controlled by women. The outcome was that a women’s association was formed in Dunedin about a year ago. They started the season with 10 teams. They had to begin from scratch. There were difficulties about obtaining coaches and umpires. However, they had a good season and sent a team to the New Zealand championships in Christchurch. The team was beaten, but the players gained experience and learned a lot. The Dunedin City Council had been very helpful by granting grounds free of charge until the association got on its feet. “COMING SUMMER GAME”

They had found in Dunedin, Miss Martin added, that the girls thoroughly enjoyed the game. It had the advantage of being cheap. Twenty players took part in one game and only a minimum amount of equipment was required. The game had been taken up by the Girls’ High School and other schools in Dunedin and so its future was assured. In fact it might be the coming summer game of New Zealand. She was sure that any effort that was made to establish softball in Invercargill would be more than repaid by the obvious enjoyment that the girls would get out of the game. Mi- Buckett said he was on a mission to try to establish the game in Southland. Softball was the amateur form of baseball in America and there was very little difference between the two games. He did not like the name “softball” because it conveyed the idea that it was a “sissy” game and it was anything but that. He would prefer to call it amateur baseball. They did not want to take players away from cricket or tennis. The ideal was a game for everyone and everyone playing a game, and there were plenty of girls who were not playing any game and who might well be induced to play softball. The game had made good progress in Christchurch and on a recent Saturday there were 200 girls playing- on .one area in Hagley Park. “We do need a summer team game in New Zealand and I believe that baseball is that game,” said Mr Rennie. He added that there had been some criticism of baseball because it was an American game, but he could assure them that the American Baseball Association did not attempt to control the game outside of America. New Zealand had its own rules drawn up in New Zealand and these governed the game in New Zealand. Softball would provide the live summer game that New Zealand needed. It was an ideal game for women. Mrs Wilson said that, although the attendance at the meeting was small, she knew that there was considerable interest in baseball in Invercargill. She believed that the Y.W.C.A. and the Women’s Auxiliary would be prepared to enter teams if competitions were started. Softball had been taken up enthusiastically at the Technical College and it had been adopted as part of the training for the National Military Reserve. The game should also appeal to the members of basketball clubs. “There are hundreds of girls in Invercargill who do not play cricket, tennis or any other game. _ Softball may be the means of inducing them to take an active part in sport,” Mrs Wilson added.