Softball: Saunders leads new charges

WELLINGTON - Wayne Saunders flew solo as a representative coach for the first time yesterday at the national softball championships in Lower Hutt and made a perfect take-off as Wellington opened with two wins.

One of the wins wasn't as convincing as Wellington would have liked, a 2-1 win over Hutt Valley's second-string A team, but that didn't matter to Saunders.

Saunders would probably have been on Wellington's playing roster at the tournament had he not had a shoulder injury, but he has been gradually moving toward a coaching career in the past few weeks.

He coached Poneke-Kilbirnie at the Doreen Dalton Memorial and Christchurch tournaments when work commitments ruled out regular coach Les Bishop.

Wellington opened with a hollow 10-0 win over Nelson and followed up by beating Hutt Valley, thanks to a fifth-innings run from Clayton Willocks and a sixth-innings homer by Damien McCullough.

Wellington's arch-rivals Hutt Valley got a wake-up call in their first game. They're aiming for a third successive national title.

Wellington A, very much a development team made up of young players, stunned the defending champions by scoring five runs in their opening turn at bat through Paul Stead, Stacey McLean, Lee Gillard, Les Poutama and Wade McCartney.

Hutt Valley hit back with three runs at the top of the second inning, and two in the fifth, including a homer by Gene Lutton.

Wellington A went back in front at the bottom of the fifth, when Wayne Laulu scampered home on a fielder's choice in the sixth, only for Todd Wilson to grab an equaliser for Hutt Valley in the sixth inning.

In the seventh innings experience told as Hutt Valley cut loose with four runs, including a Rhys Casely homer, to win 10-6.

Hutt Valley had no problems in their second game, beating Nelson 10-0.

North Harbour began strongly. They beat Horowhenua 9-2 and then overpowered Wellington A 12-0. Auckland opened their campaign with a 5-0 win over Hawkes Bay and then beat Manawatu 10-0 and Horowhenua 15-0.

Canterbury did not really get going in beating Hutt Valley A 3-0, but hit their straps in a 13-1 demolition of Hawkes Bay.

Meanwhile, Gina Weber returned in style, leading her Auckland side to a 6-0 victory over Hawkes Bay on the opening day of the women's interprovincial championships in Hamilton.

It was Weber's first game for Auckland since announcing her availability for the White Sox Olympic campaign , and she showed little evidence of a shoulder injury that has hampered her comeback.

Weber pitched the full game for Auckland, facing 21 batters for nine strikeouts and just two hits. But it was with the bat that Weber created history when she collected the first automatic home run of the millennium, a 70m blast over the left field fence in her first at bat.

With two rounds to play on day one of the tournament, games have gone as predicted with Hutt Valley, Wellington, Auckland and Canterbury unbeaten, Waikato and Western Bay of Plenty on one loss and Hutt Valley A and Hawkes Bay yet to record their first win.