Pitcher Marty Grant has come out of retirement again, this time to try to help New Zealand secure a berth in the 2009 ISF Men's World Championship. (Photo courtesy of Softball New Zealand)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER IN NEW ZEALAND
2008-04-08

Beginning Thursday four teams from the Oceania region will compete over four days for the two spots available for their part of the world in next year’s ISF XII Men’s World Championship. From April 10-13 in North Harbour, New Zealand, the host team along with Australia, Guam, and Papua New Guinea will go head-to-head for the right to play in next year’s fast pitch event in Canada.

The ISF Men’s World Championship, which began in 1966 in Mexico City, is held every four years and is the highest competition in men’s fast pitch play internationally. Next year’s tournament will take place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from July 17-26.

New Zealand could be considered a favorite for one of the two spots available to the Oceania region since they are not only the defending ISF men’s world champions, but have actually won the title at each of the last three events. They will be pushed by Australia, who defeated them in December for the Pacific International Men’s Softball Series title and won the bronze medals at the last ISF men’s world championship.

Also participating in the upcoming qualifier will be Papua New Guinea and Guam. In 2006 the latter won their second straight Micronesian Games men’s softball gold medal after having taken the top honors one year earlier at the South Pacific Mini Games. Papua New Guinea was the silver medalist at the 2005 event.

The top two finishers from the Oceania qualifying event will join the host, Canada, plus eleven other teams that have already clinched a spot in the ISF XII Men’s World Championship. Last year in Belgium at the VIII European Men’s Softball Championship, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and the Netherlands qualified for the 2009 ISF event. The three Asian representatives had been determined in 2006 when Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia finished first, second, and third, respectively, at the 8th Asian Men’s Softball Championship. Five teams from the Americas earned berths by way of their finish at the VII Pan American Softball Championship for Men in 2006 in Mexico. They were Venezuela, Argentina, USA, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The other two spots in the 16-team ISF Men’s World Championship are for a pair of teams (to be determined) from Africa.