CRICKET IN FIJI

Evening Star, Issue 22248, 28 January 1936, Page 4

CRICKET IN FIJI

SOME FINE PLAYERS TOURISTS RETURN A high opinion of cricket in Fiji is held by H. B. Massey, the Wairarapa and former Wellington representative, who was captain of the team which has just returned'from a visit to the islands (says a Wellington writer). The captain was greatly impressed by some of the native bowlers his team had met, while he expressed the opinion that the natives ranked among the finest fieldsmen he had seen. The games were played on turf or concrete pitches, covered with matting, and some of the tourists were troubled by the foreign conditions, especially as the opposing teams usually had accurate and clever bowlers, ‘who could make full use of the wicket, both trom the viewpoint of spin and “ lift.” The wickets at Lautoka and Ba were very fiery, and the native bowlers secured considerable assistance from them. The visitors were greatly impressed with the brilliance of one of the opposing bowlers named Turaga, a fastmedium left-hander with a run of 17 yards, who could turn the ball phonomeually and make it rise sharply. He would have troubled the best of batsmen under the conditions. Viliame and Thakobau, the latter a former Wanganui and Auckland representative, also impressed as bowlers. Thakobau played a fine innings in the second test game, and was mainly responsible for giving Fiji a victory. The.captain also paid a tribute to Mr E. C. Beale, of Auckland, for his efforts in organising the tour, stating that his name >vas highly respected in Fiji, where the hope was expressed that he would be manager of the next team to make a tour. Massey suggested that another tour of Fiji in 1938 might be a possibility. E. G. Sutherland, player-manager ot the team, said the stronghold of cricket in Fiji was Suva. _ The Suva Cricket Club was a most influential body, and numbered some fine cricketers of former years in its ranks. In Lautoka, and Ba, there were no regular competitions among the Europeans, but the Fijians, for whom the game had a great attraction, lost few opportunities of playing. Tho Fijians revealed themselves as splendid sportsmen, and it was a great pleasure to play against them. Sutherland was of the opinion that great benefit had been ■ derived by the younger members from the tour, some of whom in the not too distant future should make their mark in New Zealand cricket. Tho tour, in the words of several speakers in Fiji, had done a great deal to rehabilitate cricket there.