Giants into second on inter-city ladder

Giants played "out of their skins" in their double header Inter-City series and Hutt Valley premier men's league softball matches with Cardinals at South Park, Masterton on Saturday.
Their comprehensive 7-0 win in the Inter-City encounter and their narrow 3-2 loss in the Hutt Valley competition match both drew fulsome praise from coach Tony Nixon, even to the point of him suggesting that the game of the day was probably that which they lost.
"Obviously everybody wants to win but that was one hell of a match, it had a bit of everything in it," Nixon said.
"Whoever won was always going to be lucky, that's how close it was.
"It was club softball at its very best."
It was Jason O'Leary who provided the star act for Giants in the Inter-City clash, the result of which moved them into second place behind Miramar on the points table in a series which features the top club sides from two of the most powerful softballing provinces in the country, Wellington and Hutt Valley.
O'Leary's home run came from what Nixon described as one of the biggest strikes ever seen at South Park.
"It was a bomb, an absolute bomb,", he said.
Also hitting home runs in what was an impressive batting display from Giants were Mark Quinn and Blair Thompson while just as impressive was the pitching of Justin Karaitiana and Ritchie Clarke, who, between them, kept the much-vaunted Cardinals batting line-up scoreless.
Shocked by the extent of that defeat Cardinals came out fighting in the Hutt Valley league match and produced a defensive effort of the highest quality.
Led by Black Sox David Butler at short stop they were outstanding in the field with Butler brilliantly intercepting two hits which would normally would have been "money in the bank" for Giants.
Up against that sort of opposition Giants were always going to find runs hard to come by but Corie Karaitiana managed a two-base hit which some onlookers actually thought should have qualified as a home run, Jason O'Leary bought home a runner with a clever bunt which actually caught Cardinals napping and Mark Quinn hit an automatic home run at the bottom of the seventh innings.
And there was some sharp play in the field from Giants too, with Ryan Shannahan the standout there.
Nixon had only admiration for the manner in which his side fought all the way to the wire in a match watched by a large and appreciative crowd
"We never gave up, we kept at right the way to the end," he said. "The atmosphere was amazing, you wouldn't get better for a club game anywhere."
In other matches played against Cardinals at South Park the Giants under-15 boys team lost their top-of-the-table match 8-3, the premier twos lost 7-3 and the President's grade side picked up their first success of the season with a thrilling 9-8 victory.