Burnside and Albion superior

Press, 10 February 1986, Page 29

Burnside and Albion superior

Although both premier matches in the Dalgety Crown Travel women’s softball competition resulted in lacklustre performances by the two giants of women’s softball in Christchurch, neither Burnside nor the local champion, Robert Brown Albion, was threatened. Bumside, without its regular pitcher, Chris John, dominated A.B.L. Suburbs in all facets of play to take the match, 10-2. Robert Brown Albion looked all business in its first turn at bat against Monowai and took an early 4-0 lead, but then struggled in the batters’ box before taking the game, 6-2. The two matches highlighted the superiority of Albion and Burnside in the local competition. Neither side played its front-line pitcher but still the opposition failed to penetrate with the bat, or field with sufficient authority to pressure opposing batters. There was also a difference in standard, in the senior grade, where the two A grade sides met the promoted B grade teams.

Robert Brown Albion B, after holding Clarity Press Papanui to 4-1 until the

beginning of the sixth, crumbled under the pressure and let eight runs in, giving Papanui a 12-1 win in just six innings. Kereru began slowly, but gradually built its runrate against Woolston and took the match, 8-0. It also left five runners on base. Woolston had opportunities to score but its batters simply could not effectively move the ball to get into the match. Burnside 10, A.B.L. Suburbs

The most encouraging aspect of this match was the playing of Mandy Karatu, aged' 15, on the mound for Burnside.

Karatu, who recently competed in both the national under-16 and under-18 tournaments, is a player with exciting potential. Of the 17 batters she faced, only two made hits.

Burnside batted well in the early stages to allow Karatu to come into the game with a comfortable 6-0 cushion.

The top of the first saw the New Zealand representative, Jane Earnshaw, make base on a safe punt, steal second and make third on a sacrifice. With two down, Anita Perreau smacked a left-field home run to give her side a 2-0 lead.

Bprnside then went through its entire order at its second turn at bat to score Helen Townsend, Linda Burrows, Linda Manning and Earnshaw.

Meanwhile, Robyn Storer contained the Suburbs batters in the first two innings and the only players to reach base were Shiree Newport and Donna Roberts. However, they did not look like scoring. Suburbs kept Burnside out in the top of the third but then the flood gates opened again.

Earnshaw picked up her third hit of the match, stole second for the third time and scored her third run, when Manning picked up a leftfield double. Storer advanced Manning and Perreau sacrificed Manning home, giving Perreau her fourth run batted in for the match.

The bottom of the fifth produced Suburbs’ two runs. The lead-off, Chris Stuart, made base on a hit pitch,

stole second and then Sharron Harris blasted a rightfield home run. Suburbs’ fate was sealed at the top of the seventh as the lead-off, Storer, doubled to centre-field and scored off a fielders’ choice while Perreau, who made base on an error, crossed the plate on a Karatu sacrifice. Robert Brown Albion 6, Monowai 2 In a match which looked set to be only five innings after an early onslaught, Albion failed to capitalise on its batting advantage. A combination of hits, errors and uncertain pitching gave Albion the perfect start as Lynda O’Cain, Trinia Whittaker, Chris Tew and Karen Pimm all scored.

The top of the second produced Albion’s first earned

run. With one down, O’Cain drove between left and centre-field, stole second and scored off a fine left-field double by Tew. Monowai’s Sandy Vincent pegged one run back at the bottom of the frame with a right-field home run. Ironically the pitch was way out of the strike zone and yet Vincent still banged the ball over right-field’s head.

Albion’s final run came in its third turn at bat when the lead-off, Pimm, notched up her second run of the game with a magnificent left-field home run.

After this innings, Albion could only manage one hit as it went three up, three down in its fourth, fifth and seventh turns at bat.

While the Albion batters became ineffectual, credit should go to both its young pitcher, Poppy Raukawa, and the field, which lifted respective performances to keep Albion in check.

The bottom of the third saw in-field errors allow Monowai to put pressure on the Albion field as bases become loaded. The field held but it was not so lucky in the fourth.

Tricia Laird, Monowai’s lead-off, drove to left-field and made second on an Anne Wansborough hit. Lyn Tasker laid down the perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Laird while fielder’s choice on Kela Smith saw Laird score.

P W L F A Pt Albion 2 2 0 16 5 4 Burnside 2 2 0 21 5 4 Suburbs 2 0 2 5 20 0 Monowai 2 0 2 5 21 0