Giants Red can lock in the top spot for the Intercity Premier Three Championship with a victory against Tōtara Park this afternoon in the only senior men’s action for the Giants club.
The Reds go into the game with a perfect five-from-five record, and a win would guarantee top seeding for the semifinals with one game to play, away to Johnsonville next Saturday.
Tōtara Park are struggling near the foot of the table with only one win and should pose no problems for the high-flying Reds, and although team member Chris Feary believes the Reds deserve to start red hot favourites, he is reading little into the form book, saying that softball can be a funny game and anything can happen on the day.
The Reds do boast one of the stronger batting lineups, with big hitters such as Mike Kawana, Gordon Wilmshurst, and Terry and Willie Waitere. However, Ferry said two of the team’s younger players, Julian Ellmers and Thomas Kawana, have come into their own and have played important roles in recent outings.
Giants Blue have the weekend off in Intercity Premier Two, with only catchup games to be played before the start of the playoffs next weekend. The Blues look almost certain of finishing in pole position and are likely to play Demons in the first round of a complicated playoff series, which sees all six teams in with a chance of taking the championship.
Hutt Valley Women’s Premier Three leaders Giants take a step into the unknown when they take on Petone Rugby at South Park at 1.15 pm today. The only result shown on the Hutt Valley website has Petone having a 17–4 win over Dodgers Divas, who Giants defeated 9–7 last week.
The Giants under–13s travel to Wainuiomata in search of their third consecutive victory.
In other softball news, Giants Blues player Devon Cocks and former Giants player Mitchell Shields, currently away on a rugby exchange in Wales and a regular with Tōtara Park, have been selected for the Hutt Valley under-19 side for their national tournament.
