Giants rev-up for title

Giants' defence of the Hutt Valley premier division men's softball title they won against the odds last season will start in earnest tomorrow night.
Then they will travel over the hill to play two games, the first against Cardinals at 6pm and the second against Hutt City United at 8pm.
Midweek matches in the Hutt are always daunting assignments for Giants in that the players basically get on the bus straight from work and have only limited preparation time once at the venue ... and it's even more daunting when the opposition is of such high calibre.
It was only last Saturday that Giants engaged Cardinals in battle in an Intercity series match and the result went right to the wire with Giants sneaking home 3-2 after the experienced Gordon Wilmshurst batted in the winning run.
Nixon is anticipating another close battle this time round, saying Giants and Cardinals had similar strengths and it was always likely to be a matter of who responded best in pressure situations.
"It's the old story of one mistake can make all the difference to the end result, we just have to ensure it is them who make the mistake and not us," he said.
But if Cardinals promises to pose a big threat for Giants then Hutt City United should be even bigger when you consider they are the current national club champions and were the team Giants upset in the final to win the Hutt Valley title last season.
Nixon knows that latter result, and the fact Giants beat HCU 1-0 in a tournament played in Masterton earlier in the season, will have their opposition thirsting for revenge tomorrow night.
But he takes confidence from the knowledge that the current Giants line-up tends to produce their best performances when up against quality sides.
"That's when temperament becomes so important and we seem to thrive in that situation," he said.
"They (HCU) will be fancying their chances of beating us but we've been there, don't that so we won't be overawed, will we?"