30th September to 6th October
Venue Akina Park Hastings.

Off-season training will be put to the test for a number of teenage softball players in Hastings next week.

The Junior Black Sox squad will be split into two teams to play against an Australian Under 19 Development Team and also a Hawkes Bay men’s representative team in the Friendship Games which begins at Akina Park on Sunday. Those games are scheduled to finish on Wednesday with the seven match test series beginning the following day.

The Friendship Games and the test series against Australia is seen as a major step toward next year’s junior world championships which are to be played in Whitehorse, Canada.

“The main goal is that world championship, and this is an opportunity for us to see the players in a game situation,” Junior Black Sox head coach Paul Stockford said.

For 16 of the players the series against Australia is also a chance for some revenge on their Australian counterparts after being members of the Junior Black Sox team which lost a five game test series 3-2 in Blacktown, Sydney in July. The previous year they had won five of the seven games to take out the series.

“I see the series as being important for us to reinstate our dominance over Australia,” Stockford said.

“It is also a chance for us to see were we are looking ahead to Canada.”

There will be plenty of local interest in the team with five members of the squad from the Hawke’s Bay region, including Campbell Makea who is the younger brother of Black Sox player Thomas.

Makea is not the only member of the Junior Black Sox squad to have a heritage in the game. Wellington players Sam Bishop and James Pointon maintain a family connection with Bishop the son of former women’s international Betsy, and Pointon following in the footsteps of older brother Frank who played for the Black Sox four years ago. A Southland connection with national representation also remains with Jonathan Campbell emulating his father Jamie, a new Zealand representative at the 1980 World Championships.

The Junior Black Sox squad, with the two teams yet to be announced, is:
Jamie Love, Ben Enoka, David MacKenzie, Joshua Cooke, Kallan Compain, Dylan Tomlin, Patrick Langlois, Thomas Shilton, Nicholas McGregor (Auckland), Billy-Joe Kennedy, Tamihana Hokianga, Jovaan Hanley, Campbell Makea, Jason Kelleher (Hawkes Bay), Michael Earnshaw, Bradley Shields, Cory Timu, Joel Evans, Bronson Marino (Hutt Valley), Sam Bishop, James Pointon, Byron Curtis (Wellington), Thomas Tulkens, Kyle Beaudoin, Matt Baxter (Canterbury), Jonathan Campbell (Southland).

Format:

30th September to 2nd October
Double round robin: NZ Black and Red, Hawkes Bay Men, Australian Junior Men
Total 12 Games

Hawkes Bay 7 NZ Red 0, NZ Black 10 Hawkes Bay 7, Australia 4 NZ Black 1, Australia 3 NZ Red 2, NZ Red 4 NZ Black 1, NZ Red 4 Australia 2, Hawkes Bay 7 NZ Black 0.

Australia 8 NZ Black 5, NZ Black 5 NZ Red 4, Australia 3 Hawkes bay 2, Hawkes bay 4 NZ Red 3.


A day by day approach is being taken by the coaching staff of the Junior Black Sox in retaining their focus on the future and looking further ahead than this week’s softball test series against Australia in Hastings.

The full squad, which has been in Hastings since Sunday, was split into two teams to play against the Hawkes Bay men’s team and the visiting Australian Junior Development Team for the last three days. Following the completion of that series it was decided to keep the squad together and name 17 players each day for the seven game series against Australia, which begins tomorrow (subs Thurs) and finishes on Saturday. Only one player from the original squad will not take part with a family illness meaning Matt Baxter will return home to Christchurch.

“There are a number of fringe players, and it was decided to take the time and keep them together and train as a squad,” Junior Black Sox manager Mark Carter said.

“We will name a 17-player roster that will play that day and then that night revisit it again.”
The series against Australia is seen as a major step toward next year’s junior world championship in Whitehorse, Canada.

For the opening two games of the series the coaching staff have elected to go with a strong pitching staff headed by local player Tamihana Hokianga. Of the 17 players named 10 are able to pitch if needed, although it is expected that David MacKenzie, James Pointon, Thomas Tulkens and Sam Bishop will be the main options.

The 17 players for tomorrow are: David McKenzie, Kallan Compain, Dylan Tomlin,
Nicholas McGregor, Ben Enoka, Jamie Love, Joshua Cooke, (Auckland), James Pointon, Sam Bishop (Wellington), Thomas Tulkens (Canterbury), Billy-Joe Kennedy, Tamihana Hokianga, Jovaan Hanley, Campbell Makea, (Hawkes Bay), Joel Evans, Bronson Marino (Hutt Valley), Jonathan Campbell (Southland).

Remaining squad members: Patrick Langlois, Thomas Shilton, (Auckland), Michael Earnshaw, Bradley Shields, Cory Timu, (Hutt Valley), , Byron Curtis (Wellington), Kyle Beaudoin, (Canterbury)

Test Series NZ v Australia
Thursday 4th October to Saturday 6th October 7

 
Thursday 4th Oct 2007
3.00pm: New Zealand 3 v Australia 4
5.00pm: New Zealand 1 v Australia 7

Friday 5th Oct 2007
1.00pm: New Zealand v Australia
3.00pm: New Zealand v Australia
5.00pm: New Zealand v Australia

Saturday 6th Oct 2007
3.00pm: New Zealand v Australia
5.00pm: New Zealand v Australia

It was the Australian Development team who left Akina Park in Hastings last night smiling after they won both the opening tests against the Junior Black Sox 4-3 and 7-1.

 "Our boys will have certainly learnt from those games," Junior Black Sox manager Mark Carter said.
One of the standout performers for the Australian Development was first baseman Ty Priest who scored three of his sides 11 runs. Two of his runs were over the fence hits and one was when two runners were already on base.

Although outclassed on the night, Ben Enoka did make the most of his opportunities with the bat. The Aucklander played in both games and finished the night with five hits from six turns at bat.

The series, which is seen as a major build-up towards next year's junior boys world series in Canada, continues with another three games on Friday and a further two on Saturday.