New Zealand Black Sox unfazed by tough pool rivals

By Linda Wood, Stuff.nz

Bring it on.

That was the response from Black Sox captain Rhys Casley when he learnt of their pool opponents for the world championship in Auckland on March 1-10.

They include the highly rated Canada, Japan and Argentina, leaving Casley excited at the challenge they present.

“In terms of challenges, it doesn’t get much bigger and the boys are excited about who we are going to get to play against,” he said.

“Realistically, it is four of the top five teams in the world [in same pool] that will be going at it and one of them will be going home.

“We are pumped to be in that section.”

The top three teams from the two pools qualify for the playoffs.

For the Black Sox players, the hard work for the tournament, at North Shore’s Rosedale Park, began in earnest at the weekend with a training camp at Fraser Park in Lower Hutt.

“It was an opportunity for us to reinforce the game plan,” Casley said. “The guys know the way we want to play, but because we don’t get together every weekend a lot of that is lost a little bit with their club teams where there are different game plans.”

For Casley, the camp was a positive start to the year for his team with everyone on track.

“I can tell they have been putting in the hard yards,” he said.

“We had fitness testing and the coaches were impressed with how everyone is shaping up,” he said.

“The attitude of the players was just fantastic. They are really positive and it is a real team feeling.

“This was really the first training camp we have had since the team was named.”

Casley is one of three players not at full fitness. Wayne Laulu and Jarrad Martin are nursing niggling injuries, and Casley is still recovering from shoulder surgery. He took only a limited part in the camp.

“It was nice to be back out there fielding ground balls,” he said.

“Although I still cannot throw, I am ahead of where I thought I would be.

“But we are positive about everything.”

Although the Black Sox pitching staff will get together in Hawke’s Bay this weekend for another training camp, the players are next together as a team in a fortnight when they will play an invitation side at the Vic Guth tournament in Auckland.

The side then have two tournaments – the Brother Patrick and Dean Schick competitions in Auckland – as their final buildup to the world championship.