Oh brother, Dodgers star wins family feud

DEAN KOZANIC/The Press

PITCHING IN: Hutt Valley Dodgers pitcher Jeremy Manley hurls a pitch during the national interclub final in Christchurch, winning a head-to-head contest against his brother Regan of PCU Devils.

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Older brother Jeremy will boast the bragging rights when the Manley family from Feilding finally sit down at the dinner table to chew over the 2010 national club softball final.

He will be able to recall the two hits he got – and three runs he batted in – against brother Regan in Saturday's grand final in Christchurch.

Jeremy, the Black Sox star, was on the mound for Hutt Valley Dodgers, who beat Canterbury champions PCU Devils 8-6. Regan Manley was a pick-up player for the Devils, having left Dodgers earlier in the season to play in Hawke's Bay.

"There's no real duel there, he's just pitching for another team now," Jeremy said after the final.

Manley, who at 27 is two years older than Regan, won the top pitcher and most valuable player awards at the NZCT men's open tournament in Christchurch through his heady mix of power pitching and dynamic hitting and surprisingly swift base running.

Neither brother put the brakes on the batters in a high-scoring final with several momentum shifts. Jeremy yielded nine hits to PCU, but still took 11 strikeouts and Regan conceded 11 hits.

"To pitch in with the bat is huge," Jeremy said. "I was trying to post a zero [score-line] but they kept coming – they're one of the best hitting teams in the country."

Most of the Dodgers team, including coach Brad Baker, transferred en masse this year from Hutt City United.

Manley paid tribute to seasoned catcher Steven Deans who, with Manley, drives to Lower Hutt from the Manawatu twice a week to train and play for Dodgers.

Pinch-hitter Trevor Evans, 49, was Dodgers' other special hero. He came into the game in both semifinal comeback win over Waitakere Bears (2-1) and the final to produce game-turning hits. His superb squeeze play bunt in the final scored his teenage son Joel from third base and sparked a fifth-inning rally which saw Dodgers shoot out to an unassailable 8-4 lead.

PCU struck back with a two-run automatic home run from Black Sox star Daniel Milne, who went three from three against Manley. But Manley held on to end the game with his ninth strikeout.

Dodgers were also well served by classy second baseman Tyson Byrne, who looks capable of becoming a Black Sox regular. Byrne was flawless in the field in the final and chimed in with timely hits. Third baseman Rakai Hokianga also hammered a two-run double.

PCU coach Ted Forrester hailed his team's character to keep coming back but he rued a couple of missed catch opportunities in the outfield.

He vowed PCU would be back next year, possibly with Regan Manley back on the mound.

The family saga could be set for a second chapter.

- © Fairfax NZ News