Albion beats Burnside in 14 innings

Press, 1 March 1982, Page 23

Albion beats Burnside in 14 innings

Albion beat General Lee Burnside. 2-1. in an outstanding women's softball encounter at Hagley Park on Saturday. The’exciting battle -- probably the most exhilerating between these very capable teams — lasted for'more than 2 1 . z hours and went through 14 innings before Albion finally scored the winning run. The result leaves Albion as the only unbeaten side in the competition and a strong favourite to win the series sponsored by Dalgety Travel. Albion 2, ■ General Lee Burnside 1 ■ These two teams proved on Saturday they are in a class of their own as’ far as the Canterbury competition is concerned. • Both teams provided the large crowd with displays of tight, defensive and at time brilliant fielding. Not only were the physical skills a credit to both

sides, the display of sportsmanship which prevailed throughout the tense struggle did much to enhance women's softball at this level. The match opened on a tentative note, with neither team being able to produce results with the bat. Then, with two down in the third innings. Burnside's Robyn Storer bought the game alive with a magnificent left field home run. Albion tried desperately to score the equalising run in its third and fourth turns at bat, but sharp, accurate fielding by Burnside dashed all hopes. The tieing run eventually came in the fifth, when Vicky Paskell scored off a safe hit by Linda O’Cain after making base on a hit pitch.

At this point Albion had loaded bases and only one down when Cheryl Kemp hit to centre.field. Storer took the catch and Albion's Rose McGill headed for

home plate. Storer let fly with an immaculate throw to home and McGill was out on the- tag play to end the innings. It was not until the eighth innings that Albion looked set to break the deadlock when its lead-off batter. Kemp, hit a three-bagger, but again tremendous defensive fielding by Burnside thwarted any chance of Kemp crossing home plate. The tenth innings for both sides saw scoring opportunities lost through controlled fielding. At this stage in the game both coaches were using all their tactical knowledge and skill to get runners on base and to advance them. Time-outs were being called in order to consult with players both for defensive and offensive plays. Burnside's Penney Dunckley, in the twelfth innings, looked likely to score after making base on a safe right field hit and

stealing both second and third bases, but Albion's pitcher. Kemp, ensured Dunckley was left stranded on third. In the fourteenth Marilyn Lee (Burnside) hit safely to left field. The ball was errbred and Lee raced round the bases, only to be tagged out by a beautiful peg by Paskell. The game finally came to its conclusion in Albion's fourteenth turn at bat when, with two down, O'Cain made base on an error. Kemp hit a "pop fly." and a misunderstanding in ' the field allowed O’Cain to score the winning run. Only five errors were registered throughout the entire match, one against Albion and four against Burnside, and in the final analysis it was these mistakes which cost Burnside the game. Other games Not surprisingly, the other

matches failed to engender similar enthusiasm. Papanui had little difficulty in beating the promoted. Woolston team. 12-2, in five innings; Carolyn Renney and Christine Timms hit home runs as Western Suburbs also beat Woolston. 16-2. in five innings; Burnside had a similarly abbreviated game against Kaiapoi. 12-1; Albion B reversed its earlier one-run loss to Burnside B, 11-10. without needing its last turn at bat. A.G.C. United had a day of mixed results. It was beaten by a determined Western Suburbs. 5-2. but caused an upset bv thrashing the third-placed Mon’owai, 13-0, in five innings. Heather Craig and Jeanette Ogilvie hit home runs for United, and Monowai displayed a total inability to tighten its fielding or bat the ball into the. gaps in United's field.