Operation Makea. That could be an appropriate code name for Giants's battle against Porirua in their Inter-City series top six playoff men's softball match in Wellington tomorrow. The Makea brothers, Thomas and Fabian, are the mainstays of a Porirua side which is one of the most powerful club teams in the country,and who are the logical favourites for the Inter-City title. Giants coach Tony Nixon rates Black Sox Thomas Makea as the number one batter in the country - if not the world and while Fabian Makea doesn't have quite the same profile he too can be a marvel in the batting box as well. But while Nixon has the utmost respect for the Makeas - and the Porirua side in general - he is adamant Giants can repeat the hard-fought 5-4 win they recorded over them earlier in the season. "We've beaten them once and there is no reason why we shouldn't do it again," he said. Nixon says the proven strength of the Porirua batting meant that Giants would need to play error-free softball in the field if they were to keep them under wraps. "It's the type of game where just one mistake could mean the difference between success and defeat, and we've got to ensure we aren't the ones to make that mistake," he said. Just who will pitch for Giants tomorrow had not been confirmed at the time these notes were penned but considering Ritchie Clarke did such a good job in the last game against Porirua he could be given that responsibility. Or perhaps Nixon will have him sharing the pitching duties with another in-form player in Justin Karaitiana. The impressive batting statistics registered by Giants this season suggest they will trouble Porirua in that department despite the absence through work commitments of one of their best in that area, Gordon Wilmshurst. Nixon said the Giant's batting order would feature a number of players capable of putting the ball over the fence but he said they would need to be tactically savvy as well. "If you rely on sheer power to win games like this you can be in big trouble, just getting safe hits can often be the priority," he said.
