Canterbury Softball Challenge

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31006, 11 March 1966, Page 13

Canterbury Softball Challenge

Canterbury will challenge Southland for the Jeffries Cup—the symbol of South Island men's softball supremacy—at Invercargill tomorrow. On this season’s form Canterbury can be given only a moderate chance of success. Canterbury can be thankful for one aspect of the chal-lenge—-that it is against Southland and not Otago. In spite of the current form being shown by the Otago and New Zealand trialist pitcher. G. Tattersfield, Otago was not able to score in its challenge against Southland and lost 1-0. However, Canterbury should not be too complacent about this for it was Southland's

pitcher, H. Clark, who was! largely responsible for the successful cup defence.

I He did not concede a safehit in the match and Otago’s I only two batters to reach first

| base did so on errors. In the [national tournament at Wellington, Southland beat Can- ’ terbury, 6-1. Southland has two national squad members, I. Ellis (first base) and A. Pink (outfield). Pink is a player of long experience and was a member of Southland’s first schoolboy representative team. In addition, there is the hitting power of G. Pankhurst whose three-base hit against Otago was responsible for Southland’s winning run. K. Smith will have to reach his peak form to keep batters of this calibre quiet, while E. Noonan, I. Pollock. B. Bridgeman and M. R. Napier will be expected to extract safe hits off Clark. Napier batted well on the second day of the John Lennon Trophy inter-club finals and Bridgeman is always likely to produce a massive hit Such hits will be needed tomorrow.