Softball: Shock recall for Davies

New Zealand head coach Eddie Kohlhase made a point of checking on Darren Davies' physical status before naming him in his softball squad to play Samoa in Auckland this weekend.

The recall of Davies, 34, last week was a huge surprise, with the first baseman not a member of the Black Sox spring training squad and not having played for Canterbury for four seasons.

"Eddie had rung me the week before to check if I was physically fit and healthy," Davies said yesterday.

"The last time he had seen me I was limping through Auckland Airport coming back from a Black Sox tour in 2002."

Davies had knee surgery before debuting for the Black Sox on that three-week tour of North America and admitted he was never 100 per cent there.

With his Christchurch United club not fielding a premier team, Davies took the next season off to "clear my head" and played club cricket instead.

He has been back on the softball diamond for the past three summers, but availability for the Black Sox had never come up.

"It hasn't crossed my mind; I was more interested in getting other guys in the club team back in black."

With Mark Sorenson retired and Black Sox captain Jarrad Martin pitching, an opening emerged at first base for a man described by Kohlhase as a "seasoned campaigner".

Kohlhase said on top of his defensive abilities, Davies was an outstanding hitter while adding variation as a left-hander.

"I'll take it (the opening), obviously," Davies said.

"I wasn't aware any of that sort of stuff was going on, so obviously that added to the shock side of it."

The Black Sox squad go into camp in Auckland tomorrow and Davies is intent on making an impression by the time the four-test series against Samoa ends on Sunday.

- nzpa