Softball season up and running

The first pitches of the Marlborough softball season were thrown on Saturday, signalling an exciting start to the 2025-26 season.

The various men’s and women’s senior club sides were in action at Lansdowne Park.

Both men’s sides will operate under the Saints club banner, providing evenly-matched local competition in preparation for some big games ahead. Saints Rams and Saints Blue started the season off with some impressive performances, including a return to the pitcher’s mound by former Black Sox hurler Kurt Schollum.

Waitohi, Saints, Saints-Central and two Wairau teams will contest the women’s grade.

The men have two pre-Xmas games planned - against NSA United on November 8 in Nelson on November 29 in Blenheim.

A rep side will then head to Christchurch for the annual Jefferies Cup tournament on December 6-7. The men's coach for the 2025-2026 season is Steve Gill, Myrna Joseph is manager with Lynne Grant as scorer. The team is yet to be confirmed but some former top players are tipped to make a return to the representative ranks.

The women's coach for the new season is Mike Godsall.

Both the Marlborough men's and women's teams will attend the Heartland Championship at the end of January in Palmerston North.

On Sunday, November 16, the Seddon Shield tournament will be played at Lansdowne Park. Matches through the grades will begin around 9am with the senior teams playing in the afternoon, one game each.

The Nelson and Marlborough associations have commissioned Joe Collins, Kōhatu Kohara, to create a Seddon Shield for this annual event, as the original has been missing for a long time. This unique shield will be presented to this tournament and used in future Seddon Shield clashes between Nelson and Marlborough.

JAB softball will start on Saturday, November 8 and run through to December 13, with Emily Harvey as JAB Coordinator. Clinics for the younger brigade were staged over the school holidays with a couple of sessions held by Dave Elder (SNZ Community Lead and SNZ U18 Junior White Sox Coach). There was more good news for the junior players with The Dugout coming up with a $2000 grant of equipment (helmets and bats) for the forthcoming season.

The local association are also invested in improving the facilities at Lansdowne Park. They plan to have the number two diamond chain link meshed this year with the help of Renner Fencing and hare seeking business sponsorship of gates so that they we can have two fully-fenced diamonds.