Giants Blue finished the first half of the Intercity Premier Two season with a 10-0 drubbing of Demons in four innings at South Park on Saturday.
Blues player-coach Justin ‘Chunky’ Karaitiana was back to his best after missing the second game of last weekend’s doubleheader with a split-finger. The experienced pitcher threw a perfect game and gave up no hits from the 13 batters he faced, an even more meritorious achievement given that the game was played in persistent rain.
Karaitiana was also in-form with the bat and was one of four Blues batters, along with Rico Hillman, Bevan Cocks, and Kortez Paku, to produce safe hits.
Cocks, Lesharn Paku and Ian McCrae also excelled in their base running and applied pressure to the Demons fielders in the wet conditions.
The Blues finish the year second in the championship behind the unbeaten Cardinals.
Giants Red also completed their pre-Christmas programme on a high with a 6-4 win over Poneke-Kilbirnie [PK] Kowhai in Intercity Premier Three.
Gordon Wilmshurst and Terry Waitere hit automatic home runs, while the rest of the runs came from good consistent batting and moving runners around the bases.
Team member Chris Feary said it was a good effort in trying conditions, with persistent and, at times, heavy rain at Hataitai Park.
“The in-field defence was strong, and Tony Nixon pitched a good game with a slippery ball and a slippery mat,” Feary said.
PK needed two runs with their last turn at bat to force a tiebreaker, but the Reds shut them down with good defence to notch their fourth win of the season.
The Intercity Championships take a break until January, although Giants’ next action will be in their popular Wellington Anniversary Weekend tournament at South Park.
