Papanui’s last-inning win over Richmond Keas in the Brian Waine Memorial game would have got the nod of approval from the man himself.

‘Tubby’ Waine, a larger than life character in every respect, was one of the greatest players in Canterbury men’s softball in the 1960s and 70s when one-run ball games proliferated.

Tub would have used his favourite phrase -‘magic’- to describe his old club Papanui’s 1-0 win over RKS at Mizuno Ballpark last Saturday.

It was one for the purists – an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between Papanui’s Black Sox hopeful Ben Watts and 2013 world champion Penese Iosefo-Harris on Richmond’s mound.

The stalemate was eventually broken in the seventh inning when one Black Sox training squad member Callum Bishop batted in another, Jackson Watt.

The tight affair whetted the appetite for this Saturday’s finals series between champions Papanui and arch rivals PCU Devils.

Meanwhile, the Halswell and Sydenham Kereru warmed up for their women’s finals series duel with a tiebreaker game at Kaiapoi’s Norman Kirk Park.

Champions SK shaded the Hornets 6-5 despite being outbatted 11 hits to seven.

Outfielder Sophie Yarham had a standout day at the plate, snaring six hits from seven at-bats across two games for an outstanding .857 average.

MEN

PAPANUI TIGERS 1 RICHMOND KEAS BLINDERS 0

The Brian Waine Memorial game began on a fitting note when two club stalwarts, Garry Bishop (Papanui) and Carl Franklin (Richmond) addressed their teams and shared their memories of the great man, who died in 1998.

For over a decade, the two clubs staged an annual game in Tub’s memory, but the tradition lapsed around the time of the Canterbury earthquakes.

Saturday’s revival was the first time the trophy was at stake since around 2011, and what a way to celebrate its return.

Back in the day when Tubby Waine was hitching up his knickers and slugging two-baggers that would have been open-diamond home runs for anyone else, safe hits were as a hard to come by as pump discounts at gas stations today.

Pitchers were softball’s royalty in the 20^th century and spectators – there were more then than now –marvelled at their ability to move the ball through the air and rack up double-figure strikeouts.

The hitters were handy enough back in the day, but pitchers were primo. The gear wasn’t high-tech – Tubby started out with a wooden bat then moved on to basic aluminium – and the balls weren’t as lively, so a hit off a decent pitcher, was, like an annual tax rebate, something to savour.

They were also at a premium in the Tigers-Keas rumble at Mizuno with just five hits in the game. That was due to the mastery of pitchers Ben Watts and Penese Iosefo-Harris and another commodity prized in Waine’s World of yesteryear – razor-sharp fielding.

Watts embellished his reputation as Canterbury’s top pitcher with 11 strikeouts, allowing just one hit and three walks while working in tandem with catcher Watt.

Iosefo-Harris, hurling to Matt Baxter, took just two strikeouts, but held Papanui to four hits – all accrued by Black Sox bidders Jackson Watt and Callum Bishop.

Other Papanui players made solid contact, notably ageless Tyron Bartorillo, Callum Muir and Josh Glading, but they were denied by some slick defensive work, particularly by Finn Mounty at second base and Papa Mutu in centre field.

RKS’ best scoring chance came in the fifth when Mutu picked a walk to lead off. But he got picked off later at second base and Iosefo-Harris – RKS’s best long ball threat – and shortstop Levi Beattie grounded out.

Left fielder and sometime pitcher Jacob Neale got RKS’ only safe hit in the top of the sixth with a right-centrefield single.

Just as the sparse crowd began reconciling themselves to a tiebreaker, Papanui put the game to bed.

Jack Watt, who had earlier clubbed a right-centre field triple, ran out an infield single in the top of the seventh. He advanced on a sacrifice and then showed a deft turn of speed to steal third.

Up stepped his mate, Cal Bishop, to drive in the game-winning single and join Jack on a .666 average (2 hits from 3 at-bats).

It was tough luck for RKS and, in particular Iosefo-Harris, but there was much to admire his work as player-coach this season. He has adeptly guided his boyhood club back to premier grade status and third place in the round-robin standings.

This was the first time Iosefo-Harris had pitched against Papanui, savvily electing to ration his mound-time to games RKS could conceivably win against the likes of Halswell, Kaiapoi and Albion.

But the veteran was able to rise to the occasion against some of Canterbury’s best hitters. Long may he be around to test them.

PCU DEVILS 11 RICHMOND KEAS 1 (4 innings)

After pushing Papanui close, Richmond got a reality check.

Ted Forrester’s Devils didn’t muck around, closing out a 10-run win in four innings, while picking up just four safe hits, including a grand slam home run by former Black Sox infielder Josh Harbrow.

Harbrow’s homer topped an eight-run first inning spree, which also featured a double from Bailey Hamilton, Canterbury’s top club batter in the regular season.

RKS’ cause was not helped by a proliferation of walks pitched by their young hurlers.

PCU wrapped it up with three runs in the second inning.

The Blinders’ only run came when Papa Mutu doubled in the second and scored on Craig Hall’s hit. Whetu Beattie had their only other hit off PCU pitcher Quinn Wickens, who snared eight strikeouts.

Forrester will since have spent the week pondering over his pitching permutations – he has five options – for the finals series against the Tigers.

PAPANUI 10 HALSWELL 0 (4 innings)

Two home runs – an automatic by Tyron Bartorillo and an inside-the-park job by Jayden Britt – highlighted the Tigers’ romp against the Hornets.

Bartorillo’s was a three-run shot while Britt scampered around the diamond to collect two RBIs.

Papanui added another three runs in the third frame after back-to-back triples by Josh Lubiejewski and Ben Watts, the latter desperately seeking his first home run of the year to ward off the potential indignity of a time-honoured team ritual.

The Tigers tallied seven hits with Lubiejewski going two from two from a double and a triple.

Jackson Watt took five strikeouts for Papanui, yielding one walk and one hit, a first inning drive by young Hornets catcher Reuben Elkins.

AT A GLANCE

Papanui 1 Richmond Keas 0, PCU 11 Richmond Keas 1 (4 innings), Papanui 10 Halswell 0 (4 innings).

Kaiapoi Kings v Albion Anteaters was not played with the result declared 7-7.

WOMEN

SYDENHAM KERERU 6 HALSWELL 5 (8 INNINGS)

Three home runs and a tense tiebreaker finish set the scene for the upcoming finals series between these two table-topping teams.

Cherie Inwood clubbed a two-run homer for SK while former White Sox reps Robyn Hall (top of the first) and Cassie Siataga (in the fifth) homered for SK, with Siataga’s a three-run shot.

Sophie Yarham went three from four for Halswell and Inwood .500 as they tallied 11 hits.

White Sox pitcher Amy Begg held SK to seven hits while racking up 13 strikeouts.

The score was tied at 4-4 after seven innings.

SK rallied after having Hall, their automatic runner, thrown out at the plate in the top of the eighth.

Carly Werahiko made base on an infield error and sister Mikayla was intentionally walked.

Cheyann Whyte, a consistent hitter this summer, stepped up and drove in both runners to secure the win.

Naia Elisara, who also also batted .500 with two hits from four, pitched the win for SK, taking three strikeouts for 11 hits and four walks.

KAIAPOI QUEENS 4 PAPANUI TIGERS 2

Lyndsay Thomas – the top Canterbury club batter during the regular season – and Oriana Connell led the way as Kaiapoi had a home win over their nearest rivals.

Thomas went two from two for a 1.000 average. She singled in the sixth and then scored on Layla Bailey-McDowell’s home run through centre field.

Connell had two hits from three ,and drove in Thomas for a run.

Papanui’s runs came in the top o the second inning when Gemma Taylor drove in Aimee Metuatini and in the seventh from Hana Allen’s home run through left-centre.

Allen was the Tigers’ best batter with two from three as they shaded the Queens 6-5 in the hits count.

Papanui pitcher Brittany Terrey took seven strikeouts, to Kaiapoi opposite Lauren Sutherland’s five.

HALSWELL 5 PCU ANGELS 4

Sophie Yarham (Hornets) and Manaia Makiri (Angels) put on a hitting clinic with perfect 1.000 averages.

Yarham slammed three hits from three at-bats, while Makiri went four from four, scoring two runs and collecting two RBIs, including a fourth inning home run.

PCU used three pitchers, who split 10 safe hits while Amy Begg and Cherie Inwood shared the workload on Halswell’s mound.

AT A GLANCE

Kaiapoi 4 Papanui 2, Sydenham Kereru 6 Halswell 5 (8 innings), Halswell 5 PCU 3.

FINALS SERIES DRAW

Dig in for a bumper day at Mizuno Ballpark this Saturday for the men’s and women’s championship final series.

The top teams in both divisions will meet in a best-of-three scenario.

The draw is:

WOMEN

First Place Playoff: Sydenham Kereru v Halswell Hornets, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm (if decider required)

Third Place Playoff: Kaiapoi Queens v PCU Angels, 1pm.

MEN

First Place Playoff: Papanui Tigers v PCU Devils, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm (if decider required).

Third Place: Richmond Keas Blinders v Albion Anteaters, 1pm.

Fifth Place: Halswell Hornets v Kaiapoi Kings, 3pm.

Article added: Monday 21 March 2022