Softball Australia mourns the loss of Lindsay Anderson
May 16, 2011
Canberra, AU
It is with great sadness that Softball Australia mourns the loss of a WA legend and Softball Australia Hall of Fame inductee Lindsay Anderson. Lindsay was an extremely talented Softballer, being the first and only player to be named Captain and Coach of the Australian Open Men’s Team.
Lindsay captained Australia at the 1988 ISF World Championships in Saskatoon, Canada and was named Head Coach for the 1992 ISF World Championships in Manila, Philippines.
He is Australia’s number 1 capped player and made his international debut against Mexico during the 1988 ISF World Championships. In this game Lindsay pitched 7 complete innings and led Australia to an historic 4-3 victory.
In his retirement as a player and as a coach, Lindsay continued his passion for the sport and his beloved Aussie Steelers by travelling to Christchurch in 2004 to witness the Steelers claim their first ever World Championship medal by claiming bronze at these Championships. In 2009 he then returned to the place where his own international career commenced - Saskatoon, Canada - where he and long time friend and fellow Hall of Fame inductee Bill Downing were in the stands to witness the Aussie Steelers claim their World Championship Gold Medal in defeating 3 time defending champions New Zealand Black Sox.
Aussie Steelers Team Manager, Michael Titheradge, said “ It was fitting for the Steelers to have a true pioneer of our history right there with us in Saskatoon to enjoy and be a part of our World Championship celebrations for it was he who paved the way for many Australian players to achieve their dreams in representing our country “
Lindsay dominated the local Western Australia competition with his superb pitching and powerful left handed hitting. He was held in high regard both on and off the field and had a particular talent of identifying and developing young players with potential for higher honors. Lindsay was both a player and coach with the WA Open Men’s Team in the 80’s that dominated the Australian Championships winning 7 of the first 10 Open Men’s National Championships.
Not only was Lindsay a superb Softball player - he was a true gentleman and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
