Veteran Hawke's Bay softballer Melanie Gettins was named Most Valuable Player at the tournament her team won in Christchurch on Sunday. Photo / Softball New Zealand
Veteran Hawke's Bay softballer Melanie Gettins was named Most Valuable Player at the tournament her team won in Christchurch on Sunday. Photo / Softball New Zealand
Hawke’s Bay has its name on a national senior inter-provincial winner’s trophy for the first time with a women’s tournament victory, despite there being no women’s competition in the region.
The triumph, with a composite team based around Hawke’s Bay national White Sox representatives Melanie Gettins and Rita Huata (neeHokianga), came at the four-day, eight-team women’s Fastpitch provincial tournament that ended in Christchurch on Sunday.
Gettins counted three others in the team who’ve played in Hawke’s Bay, where the few women in the game in the area play in the men’s competition.
It had been at least 10 years since the Bay had a women’s competition, she said.
They won all nine games, the three victories over 10-time champion association Hutt Valley, culminating with an 8-4 triumph in the final, coming back from 1-3 down in the third innings.
Now 36 and veteran of six world tournaments, no longer playing regularly and now national team battery coach, Gettins was named tournament MVP, and ring-in and veteran Australian softballer Kaia Parnaby was named best pitcher.
Melanie Gettins with the trophy she received as the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Photo / Softball New Zealand
Stopping short of calling the performance her swansong, Gettins said it was “absolutely” the dream to get Hawke’s Bay’s name on the trophy, with the minimum 12 players on the team roster.
“We just managed to scratch a team together and play,” she said.
They beat NZ Under 23 7-3, Hutt Valley 10-2, Canterbury 2-1, Wellington 7-0, North Harbour 9-3 Counties 8-5 and Auckland 10-7, and then progressed to the final with a 13-4 win over Hutt Valley, who had to beat Auckland for their place in the showdown.
Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter with more than 40 years’ experience covering news and sports events and issues in the region.
