BASEBALL: Canada off to good start, Australia thrashed, US game rained off

 Two British Commonwealth teams took to the field in the opening rounds of the Baseball World Cup, with wildly different results.

Australia made a terrible start being  humiliated 14-0 by Cuba in Chitre, , with the mercy rule enacted at the end of the seventh innings.

Cuba, which finished second at the last World Cup in 2009, made light work of the inexperienced Australian line-up.

Meanwhile  for Canada it was a good news bad news kind of a day. In Panama the baseball team handed out a 9-1 thrashing to Puerto Rico at the Rod Carew Stadium. while on the other side of the world in New Zealand, the Canadian rugby team, playing in the Rugby World Cup event   pounded by the favorites The All Blacks.

An anticipated tighter game between baseball power houses, The US and Japan was postponed because of a heavy thunderstorm, which lasted over an hour. The infield was protected by a tarpaulin but  the outfield was a soggy mess. The few fans who risked their money, headed home soon after 7 pm.

For security reasons, umbrellas are not allowed at the games.