1956 Claxton Shield

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1956 Claxton Shield
1956
Tournament information
Date28 July – 4 August
Host(s) Flag of South Australia.svg Adelaide, SA
Teams4
Defending championsFlag of New South Wales.svg  New South Wales
Final positions
ChampionFlag of Victoria (Australia).svg  Victoria (5th title)
1st runner-upFlag of Western Australia.svg  Western Australia
2nd runner-upFlag of South Australia.svg  South Australia
←  1955

The 1956 Claxton Shield was the 17th annual Claxton Shield, it was held in Adelaide, South Australia. The participants were South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. The series was won by Victoria in due to a controversial decision in the final game. They claimed their fifth Shield title. The 1956 Olympic Baseball team was selected from the tournament. [1] [2]

Controversy

The final game of the Shield erupted in controversy when South Australia played Victoria. Victoria stood with a 3–0 record, Western Australia with a 2–1 as well as South Australia. If South Australia won against Victoria in the final game, the winner would be determined on run differential. [1]

The game was tied 4–4 at the end and went to extra innings, with South Australia making the break through, going ahead 5–4 going into the bottom of the 12th inning. The South Australian team realised that a one-run win would not be enough to win the series and needed to score more runs, therefore they had to allow Victoria to score so they could chance a bigger win in the 13th inning. With a Victorian runner on third base the pitcher attempted a pickoff, deliberately throwing the ball away. The umpire called a dead ball and sent the runner back to third. The next pitch, the South Australian pitcher deliberately balked, which would have allowed the run to score, but the home plate umpire called the game over and gave the game to Victoria as a 9–0 forfeit on the basis that South Australia brought the game into disrepute. [1]

Appeals by the South Australian team to the Australian Baseball Corporation were denied, so the championship was awarded to Victoria. [1] [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Clark, Joe (2003). A History of Australian Baseball: Time and Game. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN   0-8032-6440-2.
  2. ↑ "Selectors Yet To Be Named". The Sydney Morning Herald . Australia. 21 July 1956. p. 15. Retrieved 26 September 2022– via newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Umpire in 'ball shock". The Sydney Morning Herald . Australia. 5 August 1956. p. 41 Sporting Section. Retrieved 26 September 2022– via newspapers.com.
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