Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:26:03 +1300 To: "SNZ Media Release":; From: Vance <vance(at)vanf-graphics.co.nz> Subject: Vic Guth final day. Report from Trevor Rowse Envelope-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Vic Guth final day. Report from Trevor Rowse. The Vic Guth series seems to signal the start of real summer weather, and it was no different at Norana Park today when one of the closest contests was completed with Ramblers taking out the title. Just when it seemed that it was going to be Metros year to have some success, and the club does not have a big trophy cabinet, Ramblers sneaked in at the end to snatch the chance away, leaving the Brother Patrick next week. And Metro has won that only once since 1959. At the end of Sundays play there were six teams in contention but round-robin (of a sort) play which ended this morning eliminated United and PK. PK took out United and waited for the other results to go their way, but that did not happen. Northcote swamped Otahuhu, as expected, 11-4, and Metro took out Waitakere 5-0. Tamatea had a chance, but only by beating Ramblers, the national champion. Ramblers won 9-4. Starting with the final and working back. Ramblers 3 Metro 2. If everyone does his job, the game will be won. Lead-off batter Scott ONeale knows how to do his job, learning it from Stu Kinghorn, the old master from United and Ramblers. Scott knows how to get on base and his percentage this weekend was over 90%. Terrence Hibbert walked him but his mates did not do their jobs. It was Metros Mathew Utatao who hit past third base in the third and moved to second. The sacrifice came from Brennan Findlay, Mr Loyalty himself. Hibbert sacrificed again and the first run scored. Lyndon Andrew also does his job and he hit in the fourth. Ramblers then had the break when a dropped catch in the outfield allowed the equaliser home and Ramblers chase for the title started. In the sixth Donny Hale, the master batter, just back from a spell in Japan, stroked a shot into centre field, there were two stolen bases and a subsequent error and Ramblers had the lead. Josh Niu took advantage of a great Metro batting spell to equalise in the seventh. He hit to centre, Utatao and Findlay followed with hits and Dion Nukunuku, playing a side without his brother who is in Melbourne, brought the run home. With one down, up stepped ONeale, the unluckiest man not to be a Black Sox sometime in his career, with the crucial double. Lawrence Naera, the quiet man in the squad, hit him home and Ramblers had the title, again, after last years great run of trophies. It was a dramatic reversal of form for both teams after their sad showing in the Dean Schick. There were five Ramblers hits compared with Metros eight off most valuable player John Hireme. The umpires were Andrew Laird, Les Haslam, Dawie Sutton and Jeff Weber with Cushla Shepherd scorer. It was a full raft of blues after a weekend where they were almost invisible. Semi-final: Ramblers 7 Northcote 1. Jimmy Grego and Derrek Coleman pitched for Northcote and Hireme for Ramblers. It was a four-hitter for Hireme but three came in the fourth when player-coach Neil Morrison, a man any team could be proud to have in charge, produced a double to move Todd Wilson from first to home. Wilson had started the rally with a hit. Morrison stills looks in great shape, years past the time most players have moved into the social grade and fills in only when he has to. But his effort was in vain as the amazing lead-off ONeale, as well as Naera and Hale had all walked to start the first. ONeale was tagged at home, Naera went out at second but Andrew hit to score Hale and then came home on an error and hits by Bobbie King and Jason Halloran for 3-0. It was the start coach Ricky Earley and pitcher Hireme needed. ONeale, with one out, was on again in the second, Naera was enjoying himself with a double, Hale was walked and it was a sacrifice by Andrew which scored the run. A hit pitch for Aaron Thompson and a walk for King made it 5-0. The final run came when Coleman walked his first batter, veteran Lance Roberts, and who should slam the RBI triple but ONeale, and no one was surprised. How did he miss the MVP, with no disparagement to John Hireme? ONeale, King and Naera had perfect batting. Jeff Weber and Andrew Laird umpired with Harry Wooding the scorer. Semi final: Metro 4 Richmond 0. It is unusual for a pitcher to be lead-off batter, perhaps unique, but Steven Tau, the series best pitcher, did that and flied out to left field. But that was the end of the first innings enjoyment for the Richmond team, one of the few South Island sides to ever travel to the Guth. The side put on a great showing every day and will be a threat at the nationals. Pitcher Nathan Taikato gave up six hits and the first was a home run to Nukunuku. Next up was one of the great players of the game, Taifau Matai, who hit to centre and scored on a steal and errors. Bernard Hale, the newest Black Sox squad member, like his brother in Ramblers, was walked and scored with the help of hitter Des Pemerika. There were three Richmond hits, two to Paul Stead and one for replacement pitcher Jared Walsh, and no threat to Metro. The sixth Metro run was to the ever-steady Garth Pollard who walked. Utatao and Findlay each hit well and the run scored. Les Haslam and John Hall umpired, with Lynnette Leathart scoring. Poneke Kilbirnie 11 United 4. United had the clubs fans excited as they often do in the early stages of the club's own tournament but PK gave NZ under-19 chucker Isaac Fletcher a torrid time with 14 hits. Steve McFarlane, the batter of the series, had a perfect score sheet with a sacrifice, two hits and a walk, Craig Wallace, Chris Neidabarski and the long-serving club hero Wayne Saunders had two each with Wayne Walker taking three for four. Remarkably, for this event, there were no home runs in such a high scoring game (and there was only one in the semis and final, so perhaps the batters had run out of energy). Tony Earley and Ben Enoka combined to score Uniteds only run in the third. But the win was not enough, under the complicated, even mysterious, system to make the semis. Umpires were Les Haslam and Jeff Weber with Lynnette Leathart scoring. Northcote 11 Otahuhu 4. Luis Joglar, the US import, scored in the first after his left field hit and another by David Down, aided by a wild pitch. Another Northcote run scored when coach Morrison walked. The runner stole before a passed ball and a hit by pitcher Grego snared the 2-0 lead. Casey Eden is not your hulking home run hitter but he hit the first of his two over the fence to start the third, Joglar did the same for his second hit, Down walked, Morrison defied Father Time with a hit, Michael Boaler walked and Aaron Collier hit, followed by Dean Wallace hitting over. 8-0. In the bottom of the fourth, with Wallace pitching, which he is only a part-timer at these days, Otahuhu came to life as if from under a tohungas spell. Max Maoate, the younger, hit over left field, Jake Tahu over centre, and with the interruption of a double from Taiki Apu, Rhys Mau hit over left field to collect a total of four runs. The batting spree ended four. Boaler walked to start the fifth and Eden hit over to end the Northcote scoring after eleven hits and nine walks off Jake Tahu. Grego conceded two hits and Wallace four, three of them homers. Joanne Edwin and Graeme Gollan umpired with Harriet Tomlin the scorer. Ramblers 9 Tamatea 4. At the risk of ramming home the point, Ramblers scored in the first and, Eddie Kohlhase please note, it was lead-off batter ONeale again, hitting past second base, stealing a base, advancing on a bunt from Naera and scoring on a fielders choice, with Naera doing the same. Hale, frustrating as it was to all but Tamatea, was given first base by the pitcher. The 2-0 lead was well engineered but is nothing if the first man does not get on base. But the Tamatea side impressed all weekend and, in the third, showed the fans how to do it against the best. With one down, Rongo Rapaea doubled, Luke Herrick kept his form with a walk and Rangi Hokianga forced an error. Jerol Lajpold doubled and it was 3-2 to Tamatea and the match was on again. Hale started the third with a walk; boring for everyone by now. Andrew always obliges with a hit and Thompson hit over for a 5-3 lead to set Tamatea another target. Puhi Rapaea moved to third after an error in the fourth but could not get home. Then came another big Ramblers inning, starting however with two down. Michael Cameron, in quiet form recently, hit over left centre and ONeale, no further comment, over centre field. Naera singled, Hale walked to make it a perfect trio of strolls and Andrew hit again to score two more for the final score. ONeale did go out twice but two for four aint bad. Naera was 2/3, as was Andrew. Andrew Laird and Joanne Edwin umpired with Cushla Shepherd scoring the game. Metro 5 Waitakere Bears 0. Sorry, stats not available. Marist 4 Glenora 2. The game for the wooden spoon. There were flurries of action in the first inning by both teams with Carlaus Te Kawa hitting on for Marist with no joy and Glenora putting Troy Caddy on with an error, followed by a Tim Tuakana-Kapi hit and a walk for Nathan Thorpe, but with no more luck. Jamie Love singled and Dylan Tomlin walked in the second but Marist could not push them around. Stefan Van Lie Shout did the same for Glenora. With one out, Marist made the break in the third with a Te Kawa hit to right, a walk to Errol Pokai with pitcher Damien Nairn forcing a shortstop error which scored one run. Jerome Haretuku hit two home and Love followed with another hit but that was it, even though Marist batted through the inning, leaving three on base. Caddy pitched in the fourth, taking over from Ngawati Apanui, and conceded a two-out single to Pokai and another to Nairn which scored the final run. For Marist it is back to hard work under coach Joe Forsyth, who had star pitcher Heinie Shannon in Melbourne with Samoa. For Glenora the lessons are all there and coach Tere Tuakana-Kapi has too much to teach before the next games. Marist out-hit Glenora 8-5. The umpires were Dawie Sutton and Walter Nukunuku with Harry Wooding doing the score book. It was a busy tournament for the volunteer umpires until the last day, with the scorers busy as usual, spending their summer days collating match statistics. The tournament statistician Christine Nukunuku was stuck indoors on her computer all day. The United volunteer crew, bigger this year to support stalwart Graeme Gollan, did a great job with food and ground maintenance for 41 games on three diamonds, aided by ASA manager Don Roberts. A boost to the facilities is the next thing to consider. From: Vance <vance(at)vanf-graphics.co.nz> Als Fastball List * Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Email: fastball(at)pmihrm.com Website: http://www.alsfastball.com/ http://www.ISCfastball.com/ NEWS:http://www.fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball http://www.pmihrm.com via: http://www.webbox.com
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