SPORT IN SAMOA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23599, 7 March 1940, Page 16

SPORT IN SAMOA

MOST POPULAR PASTIMES SCHEMES FOR MONEY-MAKING [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] APIA, Feb. 20 Rugb.v football, after several very successful seasons, has fizzled out in Samoa, ft was followed by Soccer, hut this vintage was not appreciated by the public and the season soon terminated. Basketball is now all the rage and nearly 100 clubs have been formed in the vicinity of Apia and there is a carnival every Saturday. The modus operandi is for a village to form a club and issue a. general invitation to sister clubs to attend (lie opening of the. ground. It costs each team 10* to enter and the average line-up is anywhere between <lO to 70; they play knock-out games for prizes of 30s for the outright, winners and 11 for the runnersup for both male and female players. The games last two days and often run into three and four.

It is a fine money-making scheme for tho club hosts, as there are often donations in excess of tho entry fees. In the outer districts Sainoan cricket is very popular, and here again the village hosts reap a fine financial harvest, for there is great competition for the £5 prize and the premier flag. It is considered a great honour to tie the largest contributor to the funds. As the entry fee for each team is fixed at £2. plus the entrance fee, it makes cricket in Samoa a very expensive game. The natives appear to be spending too much time and money on sport, and, as a consequence, tho agricultural side of life is suffering, for gardens and taro patches are often neglected while the villago champions are away at their sport.