WESTERN SAMOA

Local players in Apia, the capital of Western Samoa, challenged European players to a two-match series involving both the versions of cricket played here: Samoan kirikiti, with four-foot bats and a flexible number of players, and the more familiar game. The scoring needed to be audited, but pride was salvaged by both sides in their own codes. “English cricket” here continued through another retrenched year; the senior competition has been reduced from 14 teams to a group of just 30–50 regulars. There are hopes of a revival, stimulated by Samoan men returning from Australasian cities, and the recent arrival of TV from New Zealand. The cost of equipment is a major constraint, and there is a desperate need for visiting teams. The game, however, has survived the ravages of “wild women” – the local name for cyclones. Last time the island was hit, the ground was used as a relief base and taken over by helicopters and roofing iron. Bob Barlow, Wisden 1996