Top class softball ahead in NZCT National League

[Al's Fastball News]

Received: 12/5/06 5:16:10 PM 
From:  Vance <vanf(at)ihug.co.nz> 

 
Subject:  Top class softball ahead in NZCT National League  
  

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Top class softball ahead in NZCT National League
Wednesday December 6th 2006

The battle for national softball supremacy will once again to
be to thefore early next year as franchises contest the New Zealand
CommunityTrust National League. 

The 2006/07 event will be the fifth time the league has been
held in its’current format. For this season six teams have been
entered in both themen’s and women’s leagues, with Auckland back
to defend their title inthe women’s competition and the North
Harbour men’s team looking torepeat their success of last season.


The league was initially introduced in the 2003/03 season with
theintention of providing high class competition for the sports
eliteathletes, officials, administrators and supporters. New
Zealand Softballchief executive Dale Eagar is expecting another
intense competition thisseason.

In a new initiative for this season the National League round
robin andfinal series has been split over three months starting
in January nextyear. The first round of games will be held on
the weekend of January20th – 21st followed by the second round
on February 17-18 and the finalsseries on March 3rd -4th. 

Eagar says the new dates have been introduced this season to
take somepressure off players having to commit to consecutive
weekends while alsolessening the disruption to club competitions
for provincial associationsaround the country. 

The National League is a franchise based competition with the
women’sleague for this season comprising Auckland, Wellington,
Hutt Valley,Central Vikings, Canterbury and Southern Pride. The
men’s league also hassix teams with North Harbour, Auckland,
Wellington, Hutt Valley,Canterbury and Southern Pride entered.


Now that team entries have been finalized the next step is for
all teamsto name their protected players, from their own regions,
on ThursdayDecember 7th. Franchises  can name up to a maximum
of 14 protectedplayers tomorrow with the major franchises North
Harbour, Auckland,Wellington, Hutt Valley and Canterbury able
to name a minimum of eightprotected players and the minor franchises
Southern Price and CentralVikings able to name as few as four.

Players who have registered to be part of the League and are
not named asprotected players within their own regions are still
able to gain a placethrough a draft system.  Franchises that
have not filled theirroster with protected players will round
out their squads with selectionsfrom the player draft to be held
on Tuesday December 12th. 


By SNZ Media Liaison: Kelly Mitchell
* mailto:kelly.mitchell at xtra.co.nz 

http://www.softball.org.nz/
*mailto:snz at softball.org.nz 


Cheers Vance 
Softball New Zealand web master.
* mailto:vanf at ihug.co.nz 

 

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