Seldom has the matriarch of Hawke's Bay softball, Joyce Chapman, let us down with her predictions and she was spot on again at the weekend.
"We should get our third title in a row ... we've got a stronger side than the ones which won the last two titles," 83-year-old Chapman remarked before the Hawke's Bay team travelled to their 10-team national women's Evergreens tournament in Levin.
The Bay side, which was again coached by former New Zealand rep Marilyn Lorimer with assistance from Gay Morgan, was the only unbeaten team going into the final which saw them beat Wellington 12-0 in four innings. Lorimer's troops accumulated 66 runs while conceding six in their six games.
In their section games on Saturday Hawke's Bay beat Marlborough 21-0, North Harbour 4-1, Otago 13-1 and Tauranga 9-4. In their semifinal yesterday Hawke's Bay beat Manawatu 7-0.
"We always had nine batters regardless of the roster we named for each game and our power batting was a highlight of the tournament. Errors were kept to a minimum and everybody clicked," Chapman explained.