Northern regional league results (NZ)

[fastball]

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 Marist’s 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 Auckland’s 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. Hale’s 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 O’Neale,
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 Forsyth’s 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 club’s 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 fielder’s 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 coach’s 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 



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