Pitchers head for China

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia Amateur Baseball and Softball Federation is training its three female pitchers and two female catchers in China in preparation for the 19th SEA Games.

The association's head of softball development, Doedie Gambiro, said yesterday pitchers Pingkan, Mutiara and Nessy and catchers Teti and Sukayani would leave for Kun Ming, China, this morning for a six-week training stint.

"We want to improve our batting and pitching," he said.

China's coach Li Min Kwan, who took China to a silver in the last Olympics, will observe the Indonesian athletes during the overseas stint.

Li went to Bandung in February, where the national women's is being groomed, to give a 10-day course. He is scheduled to return every two months.

Doedie said technical adviser John Lowes of New Zealand would observe the men's team training at the Senayan softball diamond.

Unlike Li, Lowes will stay in Indonesia until the Games, which will be held from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.

Doedie said both women's and men's teams would take part in the Arafura Games in Darwin, Northern Territory of Australia from May 10 to May 17.

Nine countries will take part in the men's event and eight countries will participate in the women's event at the Games.

"None of the SEA Games participating countries take part in the Arafura Games except us. Maybe they will all play in the Thailand Open next month in Bangkok," Doedie said.

The association will send coaches to observe the other countries.

In September, the national men's and women's teams will leave for Perth, Australia, for a two-week training stint.

"We'll have friendly matches with local clubs as a final preparation for the SEA Games," Doedie said.

The federation is gunning for two golds in the biennial event.

Doedie denied the possibility that men's softball would not be part of future SEA Games.

"There's no plan to remove softball from the SEA Games. I only know that the Asian Games fields baseball instead of men's softball," he said. (yan)