“SOFTBALL”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 November 1938, Page 6

“SOFTBALL”

LEAGUE TO BE FORMED IN MASTERTON.

A movement is on foot in Masterton to establish a league to introduce a game of softball —the American national game of baseball, played with a soft ball. The game was first introduced in New Zealand on a wide scale in 1933 and since then has made a steady advance in popularity. In the Wellington Leagtie there are something like 40 teams and 400 players. In'other centres, too, there are flourishing leagues and keen interest is being shown in’the game. All interested in the establishment of a softball league in Masterton are invited to attend a meeting to be held in the Y.M.C.A. on Wednesday night. Baseball is to the Americans what cricket is to the English. Almost every youngster 'in the United States is an enthusiast. According to some authorities, the game is derived from the Old English game of rounders, several variations of which were placed in America during the colonial period. Other authorities state that its resemblance to rounders is merely a coincidence and that, the game had its origin in the United States, probably at Coopers town, New York, in 1939, when, it is said, Abner Doubleday (later a general in the U.S. Army) devised a scheme for playing it. Whatever its origin, however, baseball, or in its other form softball, is said to be an excellent sport for men and women of all ages. It is hoped that the people of Masterton and the surrounding district will rally in support of Ihe establishment of the game here this summer. A full explanation of how the game is played will be given at the meeting on Wednesday night.