Brother Patrick Memorial series - Finals

[Al Doran]

Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 09:02:30 +1300
From: Vance <vance(at)vanf-graphics.co.nz>
Subject: Brother Patrick Memorial series - Finals



Brother Patrick Memorial series. Simson Reserve, Penrose. Final day.
By Trevor Rowse - 6th Feb 2006

    At last Metro has not only won a tournament, and in style as well, but 
has shown that it is a top contender for the club nationals in Hastings 
next month.
    After a gruelling three days, and the previous night too, Metro closed 
out a desperate late challenge from the full Japan national side to win the 
trophy 6-2. It was the club's first tournament win since the 1977-78 season 
when the club won the Auckland title and the Brother Patrick. In the other 
48 years of the Patrick it had not even come second.
    But this time there was no doubt, even if the determined Japanese 
attacked Terence Hibbert's pitching with gusto in the last two turns.
    The Patrick comes first, and if you want to read about Marist's 
barn-storming finish in the plate, pick that up later.

The Final: Metro 6 Japan A 3.
    First you need to know that this was no experimental team. The players 
were a mixture of those seen here at the world championship and on tours, 
with some bright new men. There was the usual selection of pitchers, coming 
and going usually, but this was no push-over.
    Metro was on fire from the first pitch. There was no respect shown to a 
top team because Metro had one of their own. Terence Hibbert (Samoa) was 
pitcher to Martin (BSox), Taifau Matai on first (three gold and one silver) 
as has Dion Nukunuku on second. Michael Niu (Samoa) on third with Roman 
Gabriel (BS) shortstop. Outfielders were Bernard Hale (BS squad), Allan 
(Samoa) and Mike Fenton (Samoa), with Duane Jerard (Samoa) as either 
catcher or DH. Not a bad squad, with pitcher Steven Tau (Great Britain) 
ready for pitching action too.
    So Gabriel started the show with a hit to right field but the bunt 
attempt by Nukunuku was a set up for a smart double play. Matai is no 
beginner and he hit well to centre and the action began as it had finished 
in the previous match. Allan won a walk, and did it well, Martin hit a 
double and two runs scored. Martin was tagged at second and the rally ended.
    Thanks to great plays from Gabriel, Metro managed to get nine batters 
out in a row but did not stop their own scoring.
    The second inning was the time to grind the visitors down a little 
more, just to make sure there was a buffer as they do not ever stop, like 
the battery boy.
    When you need a big man, send for Monster, the affectionate name for 
Jerard, who has lost 13 kilos recently, but still seems to carrying it 
around under his shirt, just in case. Joking aside, he certainly showed his 
international class with a booming home run, the 68th of the series. It was 
3-0, but not for long.
    Niu won a walk, went to second on an out, charged to third on Gabriel's 
second hit and carried on after the error and chaos it caused. Nukunuku hit 
safely but the Japanese re-set the defences. 4-0, but was that enough? 
Everyone there knew that it was not.
    Hiraku Yokoyama had the first of his hits in the fourth but wasted away 
at first. Allan grabbed a double but the game went on into the fifth with 
more Metro joy. With one down, Nukunuku, really enjoying himself, hit to 
centre, Allan was walked, Martin hit again and Nukunuku scored for a real 
insurance run. Hibbert was still in charge.
    But that came to an abrupt halt just after he took a strikeout to start 
the fifth. Takayuki Sakai and Yu Nishimori hit, Kazuya Nakamura doubled to 
score one and it took a brilliant stop by Niu at third to prevent more 
runs. 5-1.
    There was a new pitcher for the sixth and it is only fair to say that 
the excellent Tatsuya Hamaguchi, who pitched the first five, was bemused by 
some of the calls which stretched his traditional stiff upper lip (and his 
lower one too).
    On came Kazutaka Murasato to a Hale single and an amazing overhead 
catch by second base Masakazu Tsukamoto which saved more than face. Fenton 
walked and Gabriel, really on fire, hit his third (of four). It was a 
ripper and caused more confusion so Hale was sent home instead of being 
held on three. A fine throw saw him taken out at home and the inning faded 
slowly.
    Japan, like all great teams, does not allow defeat in the team psyche. 
Yokoyama hit again to start the sixth, advanced on a wild pitch and sped 
home on a screamer to centre field by Ryuji Hazeyama. 5-2.
    Anything you can do, Martin can do too. With one down he pumped a home 
run over centre field for the 69th of the series, and the last. It was 
appropriate for his contribution to the squad. At 6-2 the team could feel a 
little more confident, or could it?
    No, the game was not over. There were no fat ladies singing, just the 
remnants of the fans who should have seen this real fastpitch softball 
contest in its entirety. It was a thriller and Nishimori had his second 
spell on base with a walk. A Nakamura repeat double put runners on second 
and third before Suzuki also hit to score one. 6-3 with two men on still 
and the tying run in the batter's box.
    Hibbert produced a strikeout. Then there was a lobbing shot into right 
field, gathered up by the eager Hale and the trophy, and a fine 
international scalp, belonged to Metro.
    It had been a long time between trophies. Ramblers had won it 15 times, 
Marist 12, Eden 8, Bears 3, United 2, with Metro equal on one with 
Northcote (the 2002-03 winner).
    Metro deserved great praise for the total composure and relentless 
style of the wins. Two in one day against Japan is a hard task for the 
Black Sox but this side is a sort of Black and Green Sox.
    Combined with the last-inning lost in the Guth last week, this has been 
the club's finest week for almost thirty years, since the days of the Metro 
crazy gang, a happy talented and highly entertaining group who tried to hit 
each pitch out of the park and often did so. This side, so different, is a 
worthy successor.

The build-up.
    The day unfolded with Japan and Metro sitting in the top spots of the 
two-life elimination system, ready for the challenges from Japan under-23 
and Ramblers. Both sides had beaten Ramblers in previous play while the 
under-23 group was proving a tough opponent for all teams, looking equal in 
skill with the A side.

Ramblers 8 Northcote 1.
    Both sides were on sudden-death notice but Northcote had only one major 
shot, a home run by the "new" batting sensation Derrek Coleman. His 
pitching skill may be gone for a while but he has hit a few homers in the 
weekend. Aaron Collier managed the other hit.
    Fancy getting this sort of start. Scott O'Neale hit a third pitch homer 
in the bottom of the first and Nathan Nukunuku hit a first pitch shot over 
right field. You could imagine them saying, "Now lose!"
    In the second, with two down, Mike Gibbs hit over left field and it was 
a change when O'Neale, the greatest lead-off man on record, only hit on in 
the third and went around conventionally, with a steal, a passed ball and a 
sacrifice.
    Four came in the fifth with Bobbie King scoring on an error from a 
catch in the outfield, Nukunuku scoring on a Hale shot and Wilson, again, 
hitting over the fence. The game was over.
    Les Haslam and Andrew Laird umpires. Rowena MacKenzie scorer.

Japan 23 beat Hutt Marist 5-1 with nine hits to keep the contest open, with 
the next hurdle the national champion club side.
    Jeff Weber and John Love umpired. Laurelle Rogers scored.

Ramblers 3 Japan under-23 2.
    When first inning lead-off batter Takashi Nagaoka hit a home run after 
a battle with stalwart pitcher John Hireme, Ramblers knew that the team had 
better start hitting form. And hitting form had been missing, except for a 
few such as Travis Wilson.
    Nathan Nukunuku made base in Ramblers' first but went out, caught 
stealing, leaving Donny Hale with two out. So Donny did what he does best 
and hit over left field for 1-1. The champion was back in action for the 
champion club side of the country.
    In the third Japan was back in front again, with third base Takuto 
Tutui hitting over right field and Ramblers needed action, again. This time 
it came in more orthodox fashion with a Mike Gibbs' walk and hits by Bobbie 
King and Scott O'Neale for the 3-2 lead and that had to be enough as Hireme 
threw a five hitter.
    Harriet Tomlin scored the game while John Hall and Tom Heard umpired.

Metro 4 Japan A 1 (the two-life teams).
    Metro had cleaned out Japan 23 the previous day and faced the big test. 
It was Japan A v Metro for the right to go directly to the final.
    At the start it looked to be shading to Japan when it was three-up and 
three-down for Metro and then two hitters made base for the talented 
visiting side. With a runner on three, Steven Tau showed his real class 
with a strikeout to catcher Bevan Martin and it was time for Metro to start.
    That job fell to Martin, the Black Sox catcher who has announced his 
international retirement. He hit over centre field for the welcome Metro 
lead. An error, under great pressure, saw Kazuya Nakamuta on base, to be 
hit home from first by Syukei Suzuki.
    But pitcher Kazutaka Murasato was in control, allowing no more batters 
on base. Even when the mysterious pitcher change came there was no Metro 
activity on base.
    That all changed in the sixth. Michael Niu hit to left field for Josh 
Niu to sacrifice himself for the cause. When Roman Gabriel, as fast and 
determined as any of the opposition, hit to centre field the pressure 
mounted on fresh pitcher Yukimori Nakashima and then it became a 
procession. 1-0. Actually the game escaped from what seemed secure clutches 
as the international opposition started to find confidence.
    Dion Nukunuku hit perfectly to centre, Taifau Matai was walked, wisely, 
or so it seemed at the time, and there was the ever-so-capable Kurt Allan 
to punch a shot to right field to score Gabriel. Martin clipped another to 
right to score Dion and there was a three-run buffer. Metro had batted 
right through the inning, with five hits, three runs and three left on 
base. It could have been worse for the Japanese.
    So there was Metro, unbeaten and in the final, waiting for Japan to try 
to repulse Ramblers.
    Dave Stevens and Andrew Laird umpired with Lynnette Leathart doing the 
scorebook.

Japan 4 Ramblers 0.
    It was sudden death for both teams and the A side started off as it had 
finished the previous match, with a home run in the first. Youhei Ono hit 
over right field with a runner on board and a smart 2-0 lead against the 
iron man pitcher Hireme. It did not get any better.
    Nathan Nukunuku doubled in the first and was stranded there while 
Wilson hit a smart single to start the fourth but no one could follow him 
and it was a two-hitter. The batting had slumped even further but pitcher 
Kunihiko Kataoka was in scintillating form and was gaining in confidence 
throughout.
    So two teams were left for the one-off final.
    Jeff Weber and John Hall umpired. Laurelle Rogers was the scorer.

    For Ramblers it was the culmination of a weekend of curious form, more 
like the Dean Schick series bomb-out than the triumph of the Vic Guth last 
weekend. The side was eliminated, just as Japan 23 had been. Metro waited 
impatiently.
    And there was good reason for that as there was the plate final in 
between, giving the A team the chance to recoup and regroup. The final was 
delayed when there was the second diamond available. The plate final was 
also to be played to seven innings and that was a sorry prospect as no game 
on the weekend had gone to the seventh in the allotted time.
    So many of the fans wandered off home, to get things ready for dinner, 
or to make sure the children had a decent meal and sleep before the new 
school year. It was an anti-climax really, even though Marist did supply 
some much-needed fireworks to the afternoon, or at least Gus Leger did, in 
the plate final, which is further on.

    So to the Plate:
The lead-up. United 4 Rotorua Marist 2.
   Although Rotorua scored two to start the game the side could not scratch 
out the hits and United did, with two runs in the second and two in the 
third. Tony Earley had two hits, one a triple, and so did Simon Edwards. 
Isaac Fletcher pitched the winning game. Dave Stevens umpired while 
Lynnette Leathart scored.

Auckland Marist 3 Waitakere Bears 1.
    Paddy Shannon hit a home run in the fourth and Gerard Long a single in 
the fifth but that was the best the side could do against Heinie Shannon.
    Marist scored all the runs in the third, starting with a Jamie Love 
home run, Jonathan Munden walked, so did Takaki Sato and Gus Leger and 
Damien Nairn, as he did on Sunday, hit two home.

Bears 3 United 0.
    Bears' batters stopped again against Kyle Kouka as the big man cleaned 
them out for a two-hitter.
    Shannon walked in the first and moved around the bases with Long before 
Reuben Topia hit them home. Kouka forced an error in the fourth and scored 
on another error, all the way from first.
    Les Haslam and John Love umpired. Rowena MacKenzie was the scorer.

That took Marist and Bears to the final. It was the fastest game of the 
weekend, just under one hour 35 minutes for the seven innings. No other 
game got to seven in the time limit, and there was not one on the game 
anyway. Slow play, plus tiebreakers, made the games impossibly late. But 
back to the action.
    There were five Bears' hits off Shannon. The run came when he gave his 
brother Paddy a free ride to first where Topia cracked the second of his 
hits to score what seemed for so long to be the winner. Marist just could 
not score, despite the chances.
    Topia was set to score in the second before a miracle throw from 
returned Black Sox Gus Leger, which seemed to accelerate throughout its 
journey from centre field, slammed into Munden's glove to make a certain 
run into an easy out.
    Leger was everywhere in the outfield. His return to the Sox and the 
Commonwealth Cup win seemed to have boosted his confidence.
    There were eight Marist hits and chances in the second, fourth, fifth 
and sixth turns but still Bears clung to the 1-0 lead.
    Up came the seventh. One out and Peter Aro was hit by a Kyle Kouka 
pitch. Munden hit to right and so did Carlaus Te Kawa and, at last, there 
was the tying run and, it seemed, more delays to the long-delayed Patrick 
final.
    But Takaki Sato was walked and the bases were loaded, with the chance 
of a forced play and a double play perhaps. However Leger was the next 
batter. He had already hit, as had Te Kawa, Munden, Sato and the unlucky 
Jerome Haretuku who had hit a triple in the second.
    Leger waited out one pitch, then slashed a grand slam into left field. 
The Bears' run was now overshadowed by the winning 5-1 margin. Dave Stevens 
and Les Haslam umpired with Harriet Tomlin on the scorebook.
    Talk about a grandstand finish. The club can also celebrate the Friday 
night win over Japan A. The visitors had not settled down but Marist took 
that chance too. So the organisers had something to celebrate.

Results: Pacific Blue-Brother Patrick Memorial.
Plate section: United 4 Rotorua Marist 2, Marist 3 Waitakere Bears 1, Bears 
3 United 0. Final: Marist 5 Bears 1.
Brother Patrick section: Japan U-23 5 HV Marist 0, Mt Albert Ramblers 8 
Northcote 1, Ramblers 3 Japan U-23 2, Metro 4 Japan 1, Japan 4 Ramblers 0. 
Final: Metro 6 Japan 2.
Individual awards: Runs batted in: Yusuka Sasaki  (Japan U-23) 10, home 
runs Bevan Martin (Metro) 5, stolen bases Patrick Shannon (Bears) 5, most 
strikeouts Heinie Shannon (Marist) 39, top batter Martin 0.625.

    The Simson Reserve, newly re-surfaced in grass, with its number one 
diamond still in the original artificial grass they told Eric Kohlhase 
would not last, 25 years ago now, has a  second diamond which almost does 
the job, but it was hard yards for the B section, on that all weekend.
    The venue, in the Penrose industrial area, has no weekend neighbours 
apart from huge buildings, with plenty of car parking. The variety of 
seating areas, spots under trees, on the bleachers, under the outfield 
trees, where you need to think about protection from home runs these days, 
gives the ground an appeal totally lacking at Norana Park, which could be a 
field in the Gaza strip.
    The workers include the Moriarty family, the Kohlhase family, the 
Rattenburys, the Loves, the three Williams ladies, the Ginders family, 
Cooper family and the Utanga family, with other people doing their bit. It 
is a family club after all. John Giacon comes in for his annual stint and 
the management committee pitches in as always. It is one of the events on 
the Auckland softball calendar.
    Japan is to play Auckland in two games, at 6.30 and 8.30 Tuesday 8 
February, at Norana Park.
    My apologies for any errors or omissions but there is a great deal to 
report. It is to try to give players the credit for otherwise unreported 
achievements, so each game has a short piece at least. My thanks to the 
scorers for their valuable assistance.


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Cheers Vance
Softball New Zealand web master.
* Email: vance at vanf-graphics.co.nz

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