Sports
Inspirational NZ tour
By Barry Rollings

Volume 11, No. 60, February 22, 2007
 
On target: Cpl Megan Clarke pitches during the ADF’s tour of New Zealand. The ADF defended the Trans Tasman trophy with a 5-4 win.
CPL Megan Clarke did not quite have all bases covered, but she proved the “everywhere girl” as the recent Australian Defence Softball Association tour of New Zealand rekindled her love of the sport.

Cpl Clarke, 17 Sig Regt, was enjoying her first overseas sortie in her return to the sport when the highlight of a successful women’s tour was the retention of the Trans Tasman trophy 5-4 against the New Zealand Defence Force team during the December 1–11 competition.

“It was great fun, I had a ball and can’t wait to go again,” Cpl Clarke said.

“It was my first time overseas and I really enjoyed myself.

“I played mainly at short stop but I had a pitch or two and at one stage there I was playing second or third bag.

“I am an everywhere player; I don’t really care where, as long as I play.”

Though softball had “been in my blood since I could walk”, Cpl Clarke more recently had been playing in a civilian cricket competition as an all-rounder with Campbelltown-Camden Ghosts just to “keep the cobwebs away”.

When posted to Townsville in 2005 she played softball and vigoro and was selected for the ADF national softball team.

Last year she transferred to Holsworthy and pursued cricket form the start of the season in October.

“But I love softball and any opportunity I get to play I will. The two sports I love with a passion are hockey and softball. The visit to New Zealand has rekindled my love of softball and I now hope to get into a Campbelltown district softball competition.

“The New Zealand girls were awesome to be around off the field, but on the field that old traditional Australia-New Zealand competitiveness was there and it was very hard-fought.”

At the New Zealand Inter-Service Tournament in Ohakea, the Australian women were undefeated in the round-robin series which provided a strong five-team competition with the introduction of the New Zealand Fire Service for the first time this year.

The more-fancied NZ Army team won a tight grand final 5-3 against the ADF.

“The game was fought right to the end but overall the Army team was too strong for the ADF Women,” ADSA women’s coach, Sgt Virginia Morris said. “The Test match also was close with the ADF team having the edge over their Kiwi rivals by playing well as a team all week. Since the trophy’s inception, the ADF has surrendered it only once.”

Poor weather affected the men’s Test against New Zealand and although the men failed to win a match on tour, coach Sqn-Ldr Trevor Murphy felt that the exposure to the experiences of the New Zealand tour would help build the ADSA men’s team for the future.

“We are in a development phase again and this tour gave the guys exposure at a higher level and will help them understand what’s required to be more competitive at that level,” Sqn-Ldr Murphy said.

“NZAF has several guys who are in the NZ representative team so that gives them a bit of an edge. They always are strong in pitching and that’s one area where we rely on one or two and don’t quite have the depth. We need to develop that further.”