Australia to Meet World’s Best

[Al Doran]

Subject: Australia to Meet World's Best
Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:49:12 +1100
From: "DiAnne Lilburn" <dianne.lilburn(at)softball.org.au>




Media Release
18 January 2006

Australia to Meet World’s Best

The Australian Open Men’s softball team, Aussie Steelers, will come 
head-to-head with world number one, the New Zealand Black Sox at the Men's 
Commonwealth Championship at Altona, Victoria.

 From 25-29 January 2006, Softball Australia will host the championship, an 
International Softball Federation (ISF) sanctioned event, that will bring 
together four teams from the British Commonwealth including Australia 
(ranked third in the world), New Zealand (ranked first), Samoa (ranked 
sixth) and South Africa (ranked eleventh), for a four day display of some 
of the world's best male softball.

The championship is aimed at trying to get men's and women's softball on 
the program for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and it will be the first time 
in almost five years the world number one New Zealand Black Sox team, have 
played in Australia.

Australia will field a strong team of experience and youth, with 
Australia's six most capped players along with four players in the team who 
will make their Australian debut. Some of the players going into the 
championship include current Junior World Championship pitching record 
holder Adam Folkard (ACT), Andrew Kirkpatrick (ACT), Kris Kiefel (Vic), 
Jeff Goolagong (ACT) and Junior Men's World Championship heroes James 
Brooks (Vic) and Travis Southam.

The last time the Aussie Steelers have beaten New Zealand was with a 7-1 
victory in the final test of a four-game series in 2001.

The international teams arrive this week to play in some practice matches 
against the Victorian Men's team in Geelong, Keilor Park and Narre Warren.

DRAW

Wednesday 25 January
5pm - New Zealand vs South Africa
7pm – Opening Ceremony
8pm – Australia vs Samoa

Thursday 26 January
12pm – South Africa vs Samoa
2.30pm – South Africa vs Australia
5pm – Australia vs New Zealand
7.30pm – Samoa vs New Zealand

Friday 27 January
12pm – South Africa vs New Zealand
2.30pm Samoa vs Australia
5pm – Samoa vs South Africa
7.30pm – New Zealand vs Australia

Saturday 28 January
11am – New Zealand vs Samoa
1.30pm – Australia vs South Africa
5.30pm – Final 1 (1 vs 2)
8pm – Final 2 (3 vs 4)

Sunday 29 January
12pm – Final 3 (LF1 vs WF2)
3.30pm – Grand Final (WF1 vs WF3)

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

Mike Titheradge – Australian Open Men’s Team Manager
Susan Crow – Chief Executive Officer, Softball Australia

____________________________________
DiAnne Lilburn
National Communications Coordinator
Softball Australia
Suite 4, Ground Floor
38-40 Prospect Street
Box Hill, Victoria 3128

T: +61 3 9890 8200
F: +61 3 9890 8295
M: +61 (0) 405 509 674

For more information visit <http://www.softball.org.au/>www.softball.org.au

_____________________________________________________________________________
Did you know that Australia is the world's number one softball nation?
World number two - Open Women's team (Aussie Spirit), Silver Medallist 
(Athens, 2004), Bronze Medallists (Sydney 2000 and Atlanta 1996).
World number one - Under 19 Men's team (Aussie Colts), three consecutive 
World Championship titles.
World number three - Open Men's team (Aussie Steelers) and Under 19 Women's 
team (Aussie Pride).

From: "DiAnne Lilburn" <dianne.lilburn(at)softball.org.au>

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