Baseball: Youngsters pitch at big time

By JULIE ASH

Hayden Johnstone hopes his arm will take him places.

And it already is. As a member of the 14-strong Bayside Westhaven little league baseball side, he is ready to give the Pacific Region tournament in Hong Kong his best hurl.

The Auckland team, made up of 11- and 12-year-olds, are the first from New Zealand to be invited to the tournament, which runs from July 28 to August 5.

The winners will get an all-expenses-paid trip to Pennsylvania next month to play in the Little League World Series, a globally televised event.

Sixty players from 12 little league teams in Auckland tried out for the Bayside Westhaven team.

Hayden, a pitcher and first base, cannot wait to get to Hong Kong.

"We have been training three times each week, which has been fun, although it has been hard to keep up with all your schoolwork," he says.

"I have heard that it is very hot and humid over there so we'll have to drink lots of water and focus on our games."

And with all those talent scouts watching, 12-year-old Hayden admits he will be out to make an impression.

"I wish to go a long way because I have a good arm.

"My favourite players are from New Zealand and they are Aaron Campbell and Scott Royce, who are playing in colleges in America, which is what I want to do."

Bayside have yet to see the final tournament schedule but it is understood they will meet the Philippines, Saipan, Indonesia and Guam. All games will be played at the Tsing Yi Stadium.

Tom Halse, aged 12, catcher, pitcher and centrefielder, is confident the team can do well.

"We should be able to beat three out of the four teams. The hardest one will be Guam."

Tom says the speed of the game attracted him.

"It is really good because when you play cricket, once you bat you have to wait for hours, but in baseball you bat every innings."

The team have also learned the haka - to scare their opposition.

Coaches Mike Gartland and Noel Davies say the boys are bursting with enthusiasm.

"Their commitment has been 100 per cent," says Mr Davies.

To get to Hong Kong the team and the parents raised money for airfares, uniforms and equipment.

Team manager David Sinclair says New Zealand Baseball simply did not have the money for the trip, but it was too good a chance to miss.

"It is a great opportunity for New Zealand youngsters to play in an international event and gain exposure with international baseball scouts."

Baseball is played in 106 countries, involving nearly 12 million people and ranging from tee-ball to the major leagues.

It was introduced into the Olympics at Barcelona in 1992.

Travis Wilson is one of New Zealand's best-known stars, having just missed out on a place in the Atlanta Braves major league side.

Only five senior teams play in this country but Baseball NZ development manager Glenn Campbell says the sport is growing 10 per cent a year in youth grades.

Children start in tee-ball at age 5, then move up to the pitching league and little league.

"Our focus is on the youth. That is why we were keen to send a team to Hong Kong," says Mr Campbell.

"We realise that baseball is not part of Kiwi culture but we plan to go into schools and try to expand the game.

"We want to teach the kids the right mechanics but at the same time make sure they have fun."