Softball Leaders Handicapped

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30959, 15 January 1966, Page 15

Softball Leaders Handicapped

Three teams—Avon, Richmond and Papanui—have dominated the senior men’s softball championship to date. Today, however, the less prominent teams will be given the opportunity to succeed in tournament play.

The occasion is the annual handicap knock-out tournament, to be played at Hagley Park. Handicaps will not be declared until just before the start of play but it can be expected the top three teams will encounter more difficulty than usual in winning through. The draw is an interesting one, with the most attractive matching in the first round, between Avon, the championship leader, and Western Suburbs, a team capable of upsetting the best. A peak performance by Suburbs, aided by its handicap, could make Avon struggle. Papanui is to meet Spreydem, a team that depends greatly on the pitching of R. Lewis. On occasions Papanui

has not shown its best form but it should be one of the leading contenders. For United to have any chance against Richmond it will need to have a doublefigure handicap. Even this, however, would probably prove insufficient against the strong Richmond batting and the pitching of K. Smith. And United still has to score a run before it can claim its handicap.

First round draws in senior men’s and senior women’s grades are:— Men: Papanui v. Syreydon; Richmond v. United; Avon v. Western Suburbs. Women: Monowai v. Western Suburbs: Avon v. Spreydon; West Old Girls’ v. Kaiapoi.