Giants get easy final win

Well laid plans came to fruition when Cross Country Rentals Giants hammered Hutt Valley Marist 9-2 in the final of the Hutt Valley President's grade men's softball competition in the Hutt on Sunday.

The two teams had met eight days earlier with Giants resting key players and deliberately taking a low key approach, hence Hutt Valley Marist running out comfortable 6-2 winners.

But it was all hands on deck for Giants in the final and after taking an early 5-0 lead through the scoring of one run in the first innings and four in the second they were never in danger of defeat.

"In all honesty it was all a bit easy, we started strongly and had things pretty much in control right the way through" Giants coach Allan Clarke said.

As the scoreline would indicate Giants often put bat to ball with telling effect, none more so than Richard Carroll whose four forays into the batting box returned four safe hits. Gordon Wilmshurst was assertive in securing two safe hits, Terry Waitere hammered an in park home run and both Ray Stratford and Robbie Bull also came up trumps at important times.

The return of gun pitcher Tony Nixon meant Giants were able to dominate the Marist batters. Nixon only gave up four hits all game and recorded eight strikeouts. He was supported by some excellent work in the field, especially by infielders like Bryan Hourigan, Russell Kawana, Waitere and Wilmshurst.

Clarke is optimistic that winning the President's grade crown will be a good omen as they spend the winter months finding the playing resources which would enable them to field a team in the Hutt Valley premier division men's competition in 2013.

"Right now it's impossible to say whether we'll be there but it certainly won't be for the lack of trying ... we're basically finishing one season and starting planning for the next," he said.