CRICKET IN SAMOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19349, 9 June 1926, Page 13

CRICKET IN SAMOA.

NATIVES HARD ON BATS. NO FUNDS FOR MATERIAL NONE TO SPARE IN AUCKLAND A somewhat humorous sidelight on the playing of cricket in Samoa came before the Management Committee of tho Auckland Cricket Association last evening, when a letter was received from the Apia Cricket Association, appealing for second-hand gear for use by tho natives who have recently been initiated into the game. "Wo have purchased a good deal of gear with money collected, but we have not sufficient to supply ten teams," the letter ran. "Anything in tho way of pads, balls and bats will be very useful, especially bats, as the natives arc very hard on this article. You will appreciate the fact that a cricket competition is something now to the natives. They play their own style of cricket a good deal and, being naturally slow at taking up what is new to them, they do not like parting with their money at present to supply gear for themselves." This last familiar complaint provoked amusement among; the members of the committee, one of whom asked: "Why don't they cut down a couplo of cocoanufc trees and make some bats?" It was decided to reply sympathetically, but to point out that what discarded gear Auckland clubs had was in a very bad condition and not worth sending.