John Manning Obituary, Death – We would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of one of the most talented softball players in South Canterbury. Yesterday marked the passing of John Manning, who had reached the age of 68. When John was in elementary school, he joined his buddy and neighbor, Steve Timmings, to play for the Royals Softball Club. This was the beginning of John’s career as a softball player. At the same time as he was attending high school, he participated in a number of interschool competitions for Timaru College.
In spite of the fact that John had always been a pitcher, he continued to play for the Royals until 1981–1982, when he went to the Celtic Club and continued his softball career for still another few years. There was a conflict that had been going on for a very long time between John and Johnny Rouse on the mound. When both of them were playing for South Canterbury Men, they had a strong squad that they had formed together.
Many times, John competed for SC Men in the Jefferies Cup and the National Men’s competitions. He also competed for Celtic in the Marist and Papanui (Tigers) championships.
As a mentor to a few pitchers who are still active in the game, like Adrian Whiu and Mark Ahfeld, John served as a source of motivation for a large number of young and aspiring pitchers. This is a difficult moment for Jackie and Kristie, and our thoughts and sympathies are with them.