Gaunt gets chance to grab spot at world series

Giants catcher Campbell Gaunt has been selected in the Junior Black Sox men's softball training squad.
Gaunt, 16, a year 12 pupil at Wairarapa College. is one of 28 players named by head coach John Love to attend a training camp in Hawke's Bay from April 16 to 18 after which a team of 17 will be chosen to play their Australian counterparts in the Friendship Series in Sydney in July.
And those players will automatically have the inside running for places in the New Zealand team for the Junior World Series in Argentina next year.
Gaunt will be one of just three specialist catchers at the Hawke's Bay camp and is rated a "huge chance" to make the Sydney trip by a player who has perhaps the closest knowledge of his catching skills, Giants pitcher Richard Clarke.
"He has enormous potential, there's no doubt he can go all the way," Clarke said of Gaunt who has played for Hutt Valley at both under-17 and under-19 level."He's always been promising but he's gone ahead in leaps and bounds this season, and there's more to come!"
What Clarke most likes about Gaunt's play is his positive attitude, both behind the plate and in the batting department. "He's not afraid to make big calls and he can hit the ball over the fence, it's not a bad combination, is it?"
Clarke himself has been in the news over the past couple of days as well. He was invited to play at pitcher for the country's top club over the past three years, Ramblers of Auckland, at the prestigious Dean Schick Memorial tournament in North Harbour this coming weekend , a tournament which is by invitation only and is usually confined to New Zealand's eight to 10 top-ranked club sides.
Normally an offer of that type would be accepted post haste but Clarke was aware it would mean missing Giants's important Inter City series match with Cardinals at South Park, Masterton on Saturday and that had him in two minds.
However, after discussing his dilemma with other Giants players he was given the green light to take up the Ramblers invite and he is looking forward to pitching against most of the country's leading batters..
"The guys said you don't get many chances like this and to go for it........I'm really appreciative of their support, "Clarke said."Mind you, knowing they can win without me makes it easier. I'm absolutely confident they'll still get the result we want."
In Clarke's absence Justin Karaitiana will become the first string pitcher for Giants, a role which he has often filled in the past. Giants need to beat Cardinals to keep themselves in contention for the Inter City semi-finals.