Tait adds a useful sum to travel fund

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 28

Tait adds a useful sum to travel fund

Tait Electronics United added a, useful sum to its travel fund when it won the Countdown Classic men’s softball tournament which ended at English Park yesterday. United beat Clarity Press Papanui, 4-1, in the grand final to take the $4OO first place prize money which will no doubt go towards its trip to the North Shore later this month as Canterbury’s representative in the Pan Am national inter-club tournament The hero for United was its designated hitter, Andy Klngi, who produced the game-winning hit with the scores tied up at 1-1 in the top of the fourth innings. King! slammed a huge hit into centre field and all Tony Bishop, placed very deep, could do was get the tip of his outstretched glove to the ball.

Two runners were already on the bases and King! almost caught them up as he raced round the diamond for a home run which advanced United’s lead to 4-1. United finished with five hits to Papanui’s three, the batting led by the up-and-coming Greg Bayly, who made bases three times out of three, twice on safe hits and once on an error.

It had been a mighty effort by Papanui to reach the final? but it was too much to expect the pitcher, Buzz Terrey, having his third game on the mound for the day, to hold United. Even so Papanui did score the first run, Ken Deal coming home in the top of the second innings on a solid hit to centre field by Hamish Clark. For United, Charlie Schooner lasted only two innings on the pitching mound before being replaced by the coach, Leon Fife, who grabbed seven strike-outs, finishing with four in a row. To make the final and win $250 Papanui had upset a lethargic Countdown Burnside, 2-1, all Papanui’s runs coming in the bottom of the sixth when Dale Eagar slammed a two-run homer to left field. Eagar, after a lapse earlier in the tournament, made sure he touched all the bases this time. Bumside had been sitting on a one-run lead since the top of the second when Graeme Anderson scored on a sacrifice fly ball to the outfield by Mike McLennan.

United had its toughest

match in the semi-finals where it was taken into a nine-innings tiebreaker by Imperial Merivale, already the conqueror of A.B.L. Suburbs. The teams went into a tiebreaker with the scores tied at 2-2 after the regulation seven innings. Both scored their automatic runner in the eighth, but Merivale lost its runner in a double play in the top of the ninth while United’s runner, Paul McFarlane, was hit home by Bayly In the bottom of the innings.

The tournament’s most valuable player was Papanui’s Dale Eagar, president of the Canterbury Softball Association. Eagar had a batting average of .500 and brought in the most runs. Results.— Section play.—Suburbs 4, Burnside B 1; United 1, Richmond B 0; Bumside 3, Meri-vale-Papanui 1; Papanui 8, United B 1; Merivale 5, Richmond 0; Saints (Blenheim) 2, Richmond B 1; Old Boys (Timaru) 4, Papanui 3; Celtic (Timaru) 12, Burnside B 2; Bumside 3, Richmond 0; United 9, Saints 0; Old Boys 2, United B 0; Suburbs 8, Celtic 4.

Post-section play.—Richmond 8, Bumside B 0; United B 12, Richmond B 1; Merivale 2, Celtic 0; Papanui 4, Saints 3; United 4, Old Boys 1; Burnside 3, Suburbs 0; Merivale 4, Suburbs 3; Papanui 6, Old Boys 4. SemMlnals. —Papanui 2, Burnside 1; United 4, Merivale 3 (9 innings). Plate final.—Richmond 3, United B 1. Grand final.—United 4, Papanui 1. Top batter.—D. Nesbitt (Suburbs), .545 average.

Top pitcher.—R. Keith (Burnside). Most runs batted In.—D. Eagar (Papanui). Most valuable player.— Eagar.