Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 09:40:49 +1300 To: "SNZ Media Release":; From: Vance <vance(at)vanf-graphics.co.nz> Subject: Northern regional league results
Northern regional league softball - from Trevor Rowse. February 25 2006 Just when the season seemed to be turning for the raw Marist squad, 12-0 up against high-flying Metro with only four outs to get, umpire Glen Nalepa called the match off in Marists favour after some of the losers allegedly used personal abuse. The abrupt end took the gloss off the win as Metro will appeal to the ASA, on the grounds that the side had a mathematical chance of scoring enough runs to reverse the result before time ran out, or before the end of the fifth when the game might have ended under the mercy rule. When Ramblers smashed Marist 12-2 in just five turns in the second match, that reversal of form was a fizzer. Marist has not missed the top four play-offs of the Northern League or Auckland championship for twenty years but this season the club faces an early ending. But there was joy when Heinie Shannon showed his batting talents with three from three (and one from two in the second game). Takaki Sato had a double and a home run, Jamie Love a home run and there were key hits from Jerome Haretuku and Carlos Te Kawa, who was outstanding at shortstop. Jamie Matiu hit a home run with two out in the third, Jonathan Munden started the fourth with a fine hit, Shannon and Sato hit home runs back to back, Gus Leger hit well and Love hit his homer to cause Marist joy. Then came the bombshell end. Umpire Nalepa, who had been hearing this out of earshot of anyone else, could have made an example by ejecting one of the culprits, as an example to the others, and then another and another, until the message went home. Perhaps the first to go would have been Aucklands most successful player, Taifau Matai, whose comment challenging Nalepa to take the abuse or leave, was audible well off the field. Instead there will be arguments and further fuss. No one wants umpires to face personal abuse and one wonders what good it does for those throwing it. Surely anyone who is under that sort of pressure is not going to react well when the call is 50-50 when human nature could take over. Revenge can come in different ways. One of the key culprits is the incredible shrinking strike zone. Batters stand in wait, like an ambush, waiting for the pitcher to finally come in tight. Ramblers 12 Marist 2 Ramblers, national champion and the new leader, did its own share of slugging to down the Marist boys in a complete reversal of form. Pitcher Heinie Shannon, so strong in the short first game, failed to fire in the second, conceding two runs and taking an out in the first three pitches of the match. Chief assassin was top world batter Donny Hale who planted the first pitch he faced over the fence with Nathan Nukunuku on base, then repeated the feat in the second turn. Nukunuku had previously hit a huge home run to make it 3-0. Hales second effort made it 4-0 and Ramblers went right through the order to score another four runs. Lyndon Andrew, who went 2/3, was walked, Aaron Thompson hit an automatic double and Bobbie King hit them both home. Mike Gibbs hit another automatic double, Mike Cameron was hit by a pitch (and again from in the fifth) and Lawrence Naera hit both home with a double. Jamie Love relieved Shannon at the end of the third and it took time for the batters to adjust but they were in action again in the fifth with four more runs, ending with a huge shot from Lyndon Andrew with two on base. A giant home run from Kelvin Roberts started the fifth. Cameron was hit again, this time by Love and, with two out, Reece Gasson hit Cameron home, then went out at second in a force. Scott ONeale, who had a quiet game, luckily for Marist, singled and Andrew delivered the coup de grace with a towering left field home run to end the game early. Jeff Weber called the game and Harriet Tomlin was the official scorer. It had been an up and down day for Joe Forsyths men with the play-offs still in doubt. Howick, with great hopes of getting into the top four, struggled to beat Glenora 1-0 to keep in the race but Waitakere Bears, with games in hand, won two of them, downing Northcote 7-3 and Otahuhu 3-0 to move into a prime position to oust Marist and Howick from the top four. The Bears win over Northcote was a great boost as four Bears members were in Rarotonga at a wedding. Paddy Shannon and Reuben Topia hit home runs against Otahuhu and Topia added a sacrifice. Kyle Kouka, who pitched most of the two games, hit a home run against Northcote, the bulk of whom won the national league for North Harbour this season, and Topia, in his best game of the season, added a run batted in against Brad Rona. Ramblers and Metro will take the top two spots in the best race for years. The sides play today at Warren Freer Park and both will be aiming to reach top form for the coming nationals in Hastings. It also means local bragging rights as both are from Mt Albert. Ramblers, in the clubs 60th season, also wants to win all the rest of the games and go on to take back-to-back national titles, a feat not achieved by an Auckland club since 1951. 55 years is a long time and Eden is no longer in the top grade. Ramblers has four national titles. Metro has never threatened to win nationals in its 50 years (next season), but has won one Auckland championship (almost twenty years ago). Waitakere Bears women had a hard time for much of the season but the last few weeks have seen remarkable lifts in the side. For Papatoetoe little has gone to plan all season. Bears 6 Papatoetoe 5. Bears followed the weekend pattern, slamming home three runs in the first inning when Rebecca Bromhead started with a triple. A walk, an error and a double from Shannon Lockton caused a three-run rally. Amelia Kika had started the game with a single, stole a base and scored on a hit from Helen Packer, one of the dangerous batters of the sport. She hit a home run the previous day. So the 1-0 lead flipped to a 3-1 Bears start. Papatoetoe left three on base in the second, on no hits, with Whitney Brown scoring after a walk, a hit pitch and an outfield error. 3-2. Papatoetoe went ahead 4-3 in the top of the third with Packer taking the second of her three hits, and a walk, from four turns. Amanda Preston, another fine player, tripled and then scored on a Brown hit. Kyla Bromhead, who was on base four times from four with only one hit, made first on a fielders choice and Mereana Joseph hit her to third before she scored on an FC for 4-4 and the westies were after fourth place. Papatoetoe sneaked ahead 5-4 in the fourth with fine batting from Jodie Teuka who tripled and scored on the error as she went for third. Packer hit again but there was no follow up. It was not enough. In the seventh Bears Rebecca Bromhead forced an error and sister Tegan ran for her. Emily Pateras also created an error, Kyla Bromhead walked and Pateras scored on a hit from Lockton, the coachs daughter. It was a tough end for the gritty Papatoetoe, always in the game but losing it on errors. Umpire and scorer unavailable. Results: Northern Regional league. Men: Waitakere Bears 3 Otahuhu 0, Bears 7 Northcote 3, Newcastle Homes Howick 1 Artizan Glenora 0, United 5 Glenora 2, Marist 12 Metro 0, Ramblers 12 Marist 2, Bears 7 Marist 6. Otahuhu 3 United 1, Ramblers 6 Metro 3, Waitakere 7 Marist 6. Points: Ramblers 32 (1 to play), Metro 26 (2), Northcote 20 (1), Bears 20 (1), Howick 18 (1), Marist 16 (2), United 12 (2), Otahuhu 10 (4), Glenora 6 (1), Papatoetoe 2 (2). Top four to play offs. Women: Waitakere Bears 8 Melville 0, Northcote 18 TWK Counties Rams 3, Marist 4 Papatoetoe 0, Papatoetoe 17 Melville 5, Bears 8 Rams 0, Bears 6 Papatoetoe 5, Marist 8 Melville 0. Points: Marist 18 (4 to play), Northcote 14 (6), Bears 10 (6), Papatoetoe 8 (3), Rams 6 (5) and Melville 0 (7). http://www.softball.org.nz/ * Email: snz(at)softball.org.nz Cheers Vance Softball New Zealand web master. * Email: vance(at)vanf-graphics.co.nz Als Fastball List *Email: fastball(at)pmihrm.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.AlsFastball.com/ NEWS: http://fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball
_______________________________________________ Alsfastball mailing list Alsfastball@fastpitchwest.com http://fastpitchwest.com/mailman/listinfo/alsfastball_fastpitchwest.com