Giants do it again against Hutt City

It was a case of de ja vu when Giants beat Hutt City United in the final of their pre-season men's softball tournament at South Park, Masterton on Sunday
The same two sides had met in the grand final of the Hutt Valley premier league last season and there too Giants had come away with an upset win.
Since then Hutt City United had gone on to win the national clubs title, a competition in which Giants failed by just one win to make the top eight and that, plus a 6-0 victory over Giants in round-robin play, meant they were again billed as favourites going into Sunday's decider.
However, in a thriller of a match which went right down to a tie-breaker in the eighth innings it was Giants who broke the deadlock to win 1-0.
Giants coach Tony Nixon was delighted with the manner in which his players rose to the occasion against a Hutt City United line-up spearheaded by Black Sox pitcher Regan Manley.
They had as many as eight players left on bases during the course of the match and pitcher Justin Karaitiana was in sublime form in keeping a powerful Hutt City United batting order scoreless.
"It was a pressure game and we kept our cool all the way through," Nixon said. "It was a top win???..just about everything went according to plan".
Nixon said he had been unconcerned at the round-robin loss to Hutt City United as Giants, through earlier wins over Hutt Valley (Marist (6-1) and Johnsonnville (14-2) had already qualified for the final.
So they had deliberately kept something in reserve, including resting their two main pitchers, Karaitiana and Ritchie Clarke, both of whom have only recently returned home after a stint in Canada.
Nixon, no mean pitcher himself, believes the progress made by Karaitiana and Clarke through their Canadian experience already has them well on the way to becoming serious contenders for Black Sox selection.
"I know that sounds a bit rich but the pitching ranks don't have a lot of depth at the moment and they certainly have the potential to reach the very top," he said. "There wouldn't be many more promising pitchers about, that's for certain."
Nixon was also pleased with the manner a couple of newcomers to the Giants squad, Canadian second base Travis Head and former Dodgers catch-infielder Brendan Fuge, had slotted into the side. "They did everything expected of them and should be very useful acquisitions," he said.
Pleasing too was the way in which Corie Karaitiana led the side.He managed a couple of home runs himself against Johnsonville, with brother Justin repeating that feat in the same game.
Coach Nixon said his side had some lofty ambitions in the 2006-07 season, including successfully defending their Hutt Valley premier league title, making the top six of the Inter-City series contested by the leading Wellington and Hutt Valley sides, and making at least the top eight at the club nationals.
"Obviously last season is a hard act to follow but we are up for it. We don't want to be seen as one-season wonders," he said.
Matches in the Inter-City series are scheduled to get under way this weekend but at the time these notes were penned Giants had not been informed of who they were playing, and where.