Poneke Kilbirnie pitcher Marty Grant in action during the Labour Weekend Open softball tournament final against PCU Devils at Saxton Ballpark.

 

ORIGINAL STORY BY Phillip Rollo

Marty Grant's still got game.

Even at 49, the recent inductee into the Softball New Zealand Hall of Fame can match it with the best of them on the domestic scene as he proved at the Labour Weekend Open, edging his team in front with the bat before doing the business with the ball.

The former Black Sox hurler played a starring role for Wellington club Poneke Kilbirnie as they came from behind to beat Christchurch's PCU Devils 7-4 in the final at Saxton Ballpark in Nelson on Monday afternoon, going through two innings without conceding a run.

PCU had gone through the round-robin stage undefeated and looked to be carrying that momentum through to the decider, leading PK 4-0 after the first inning with a home run from Cameron Watts signalling their intent.

However, PK eventually clawed their way back into the match, Daniel Tarapi hitting a home run to get himself and two others home, before Grant stepped up to play an unlikely cameo with the bat in the fifth inning.

A smart hit through second base from Grant was enough for Joel Harris to get in from second base and PK never relinquished their lead, eventually  scoring two more runs in the inning to seal the 7-4 victory as Grant kept the PCU batters at bay.

PK coach Keegan Sommers was clearly rapt to see his team  win the tournament for the first time since 2010.

He said Grant's cameo was something he will never forget.

"It's quite memorable for our team and for Nelson Softball. He's been a huge member of PK throughout the last two decades and there's a lot of history in that club and he's been a massive part of it," Sommers said.

"He's come back to help us with coaching and obviously with a bit of clutch playing as well. I sure as hell won't forget that. It was a special moment to witness and it was great to be part of it."

Grant was originally called upon to help coach the PK pitchers but he was happy to step in and deliver on his home turf.

"I didn't expect to do it but when you get the opportunity you've got to step up. These guys are all good players and when you're in an environment where everyone wants to win it's sort of contagious," he said.

"I pitched a couple of weeks ago in the Masters Games and I've been staying relatively fit. I guess I've been doing it since I was five so if you're technique is fine and you're well conditioned then you can continue to do it, you just need the mental toughness."

Meanwhile, the two local teams had mixed fortunes on day three of the Labour Weekend Open, with the Stoke Eagles managing to record their second win of the tournament.

The Eagles, who had earlier beaten local rivals United Titans on day one, managed to hold off Marlborough's Saints Aces 8-3 before going down 4-3 to the Halswell Hornets in a nailbiter.

The Titans ended their tournament with two more defeats, losing 11-4 to the eventual winners and 10-3 to last year's champions the Papanui Tigers.

 - Stuff