Giants are already guaranteed a place in the semi-finals of the Hutt Valley premier men's softball competition, but there is still plenty to play for when they meet Hutt City United in a double header in Hutt Valley tomorrow night. Two wins would give Giants a royal chance of qualifying forthe semis in first or second place, a worthwhile target when you consider that under the repecharge system they could then lose their first semi-final match, and still have a chance of making the competition decider on March 18. Assistant coach Russell Thompson, pictured right, said that while even one win tomorrow night would keep Giants's hopes of a two top placing alive they were intent on being successful in both games. And with Giants having defeated Hutt City United 5-0 at the recent Wanganui Braves tournament they had removed the monkey from their back as they had never beaten HCU before. "Obviously they (HCU) are going to be looking for revenge but the fact we have beaten them once means there is no reason why we can't do it again," Thompson said. The main thorn in the side for Giants promises to be Black Sox pitcher Jeremy Manley who is likely to be on the pitching mound for HCU. Giants have struggled to cope with the power and finesse of Manley in the past, but with the consistency of their batting being one of their main weapons this season Thompson is optimistic they will do better on this occasion. "He (Manley) can be a match winner and we can't afford to go defensive against him," he said. "Like any pitcher he can be hit and we have to take our chances against him." Just who will pitch for Giants will depend on the recovering from a toe injury of Richard Clarke who has filled that role impressively through most of the season. But even if Clarke is sidelined Giants still have considerable in the pitching position with Justin Karaitiana and coach Tony Nixon both having the experience and skill to make an impact there as well.
