SOFTBALL Avon Beaten In Handicap Tourney

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30960, 17 January 1966, Page 16

SOFTBALL Avon Beaten In Handicap Tourney

Richmond overcame a four-run handicap to defeat Western Suburbs in the final of the Canterbury Softball Association’s knock-out tournament, held on a handicap basis at Hagley Park on Saturday.

A feature of the tournament was the defeat of the championship leader, Avon, by Western Suburbs, which lies fourth in the competition. The most surprising factor was not so much Avon’s defeat—Western Suburbs was favoured with a suxrun handicap—but that Suburbs did not require its handicap. It scored six runs to Avon’s two. Results (with handicaps in parenthesis) are;— Richmond (2) beat United (9) by default. Papanui (2) 13, Spreydon (6) 0. Western Suburbs (6) 12, Avon (spr) 2. Richmond (2) 15, Western Suburbs (6) 9.

The inability of the Western Suburbs’ batters to dominate the pitching of Kelvin Smith and the dominance of the Richmond batters throughout were the winning factors. No Richmond batter was struck out by Kevin Smith or B. Grimes, and in only one innings did Richmond fail to score.

Kelvin Smith gained six strike-outs for Richmond, gave no walks and conceded eight safe hits. Twenty-one safe hits were recorded against the Suburbs’ pitchers and there were two walks. In the third innings Grimes conceded six hits that brought four runs. Richmond wiped out its fourpoint handicap in the second innings and took a four-run lead in the third. From then on it was only a matter of holding the advantage. The Suburbs’ fielding had deteriorated by comparison with

its performance against Avon and Kelvin Smith was noticeably tired. Richmond made few errors and backed Kelvin Smith admirably. Smith began competently, . but from the third innings threw strike almost monotonously. Avon Upset

Avon was expected to have some trouble wiping out its sixrun handicap against Western Suburbs, but the manner in which Suburbs outplayed the championship leader caused surprise. Avon did not score until the sixth innings and possibly took its task too lightly. A home run in the first Suburbs innings by N. Hobson enabled another runner to come home, thus giving Avon an eight-run deficit almost from the start. Kelvin Smith pushed through three strike-outs in Avon’s second innings and outplayed his rival, H. Moore. Only when Smith began to tire in the last two innings did Avon score. W. Pullen proved the best of the Avon batters for only once could M. R. Napier get Smith away. The other usually-strong batter, B. Bridgeman could not time his hitting accurately. Light-hearted Papanui needed only four innings to remove Spreydon from the tournament. The Spreydon fielding was pitiful. Catches were dropped consistently and the gound fielding was Little better.

The Spreydon batting was substandard and, because it did not score a run, it could not claim its handicap. After Lewis had kept Papanui scoreless in its first innings, six runs were thrown away in the second and another five in the fourth. I. Pollock, B. Waine and the Chee brothers used their opponents’ errors to good advantage. Default Win Richmond won through the first round without having to pitch a ball. The United team did not arrive.