The International Cricket Council is the world body for cricket.....Fiji became a member of ICC or as an associate member in 1965...when Fiji Cricket became a member of ICC it enabled them to partcipate in the ICC trophy tournament for the first time which was 1979 and they went on to play in every tournament until 2001...
Now one thing that we should know...just for the record...is that Fiji has already defeated the West Indies..how wonderful is that...ok..heres the story of how that came about..Fiji played its first test match against a test playing nation..in this case the West Indies...in 1956...and not only that...Fiji was playing in its home territory since the West Indies came here...the West Indies side featured one of the worlds great in the sport Garfield Sobers..despite that the Fiji side went on to notch up a victory by 28 runs despite being bowled out for 91...Fiji's victory that day was also due to a six wicket haul from John Gosling...
Fiji Cricket is currently racked 28th in the world..and is the second ranked non-test team in this region..the East-Asia Pacific region....
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Some famous Fijian cricket players
Since the introduction of the sport..it has featured a lot of famous and prominent names..some of which have been forgotten..while some are still around..well for this post..we will be looking in particular at two very standout players..both of which are unique...
One player in particular is IL Bula...now any one might think..you know..what's up with that..??..ok..the unique thing about this guy is that..i think..he has the longest name in the sport of cricket and probably all over the world..and it is even thought that he has the longest name for any first class cricketer..anyways moving on..IL Bula is a short form for Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau ......hows that for a long name...wow...!!!...and here i thought that i had a long name and my friends as well...but this..this is quite a mouthful when you say it...and this has got to be the longest name that i have come across in my 22 years of life...again..wow..!!!...OK enough about the name..Bula..let's just call him that..was part of the team that toured New Zealand in 1948 as a first class cricketer..and during that tour..Bula was the only Fijian player to score most runs and also score a century...quite an achievement for a guy with a long name...i guess we can say that its an addition to his uniqueness...
The other player that we will look at is none other than Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara...for people who are not familiar with Fijian politics..this guy was a statesman and probably one of the most influencial figures that Fiji has and i guess will never see...he was the first Prime Minister of Fiji when Fiji gained independence in 1970 and he later went on to become Fiji's first ever president..that is amazing...anyways Ratu Mara was part of the Fiji cricket touring team to New Zealand..think for the third time..in 1954...record has it that the team played 4 matches while on tour and lost all 4 matches...but at least i guess it was a learning experience for them as far as their development in the sport is concerned...
One player in particular is IL Bula...now any one might think..you know..what's up with that..??..ok..the unique thing about this guy is that..i think..he has the longest name in the sport of cricket and probably all over the world..and it is even thought that he has the longest name for any first class cricketer..anyways moving on..IL Bula is a short form for Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau ......hows that for a long name...wow...!!!...and here i thought that i had a long name and my friends as well...but this..this is quite a mouthful when you say it...and this has got to be the longest name that i have come across in my 22 years of life...again..wow..!!!...OK enough about the name..Bula..let's just call him that..was part of the team that toured New Zealand in 1948 as a first class cricketer..and during that tour..Bula was the only Fijian player to score most runs and also score a century...quite an achievement for a guy with a long name...i guess we can say that its an addition to his uniqueness...
The other player that we will look at is none other than Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara...for people who are not familiar with Fijian politics..this guy was a statesman and probably one of the most influencial figures that Fiji has and i guess will never see...he was the first Prime Minister of Fiji when Fiji gained independence in 1970 and he later went on to become Fiji's first ever president..that is amazing...anyways Ratu Mara was part of the Fiji cricket touring team to New Zealand..think for the third time..in 1954...record has it that the team played 4 matches while on tour and lost all 4 matches...but at least i guess it was a learning experience for them as far as their development in the sport is concerned...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The national cricket team in the 19th century.
The first Fiji cricket team as we have seen was formed in the 18th century...but it did not become an associate member of the world cricket body..the International Cricket Council until 1965...quite an achievement don't you think..??
But before it became an associate member of the ICC..Fiji continued to tour the Asia-Pacific region..following the success of its first tour to New Zealand in 1895...Fiji sent a team to tour the Land of the Long White Clouds again in 1948...but i think history has a tendency of repeating itself..the reason being just like the tour in 1895 where Fiji lost its first match against Auckland..the same happend on their first game against the same team Auckland by 168 runs...but...but..it wasn't the same on their second game as they won by only one wicket against Wellington...and than they eventually lost the game after that to Canterburry by 36 runs....their next game was against Otago which they lost by 46 runs...but the team ended of their 1948 tour with a wonderful revengeful win against Auckland by a 115 runs....
Although not a member of the ICC at this time...Fiji has definitely been showing signs that it can be a dedicated country to anything especially sports and in this case cricket....even looking at the space of time form when it was introduced to the time of the 1948 tour...i would definitely say that cricket in Fiji has definitely come a long way...
But before it became an associate member of the ICC..Fiji continued to tour the Asia-Pacific region..following the success of its first tour to New Zealand in 1895...Fiji sent a team to tour the Land of the Long White Clouds again in 1948...but i think history has a tendency of repeating itself..the reason being just like the tour in 1895 where Fiji lost its first match against Auckland..the same happend on their first game against the same team Auckland by 168 runs...but...but..it wasn't the same on their second game as they won by only one wicket against Wellington...and than they eventually lost the game after that to Canterburry by 36 runs....their next game was against Otago which they lost by 46 runs...but the team ended of their 1948 tour with a wonderful revengeful win against Auckland by a 115 runs....
Although not a member of the ICC at this time...Fiji has definitely been showing signs that it can be a dedicated country to anything especially sports and in this case cricket....even looking at the space of time form when it was introduced to the time of the 1948 tour...i would definitely say that cricket in Fiji has definitely come a long way...
The Fiji National Cricket Team
Even though the game was introduced in Fiji in 1874...21 years later Fiji was playing first class cricket...now that is quite an achievement..!!!...i guess the saying hardwork and dedication pays can be said in this case...it's like almost everyone involved in the rising of the sport in the 18th century pitched in to make the sport so successful 21 years later...well ain't that grand...anyways moving on...as far as playing first grade cricket was concerned...Fiji got its first overseas tour in 1895...they toured New Zealand in 1895 and the team was captained by John Udal whose great grandson by the name of Shaun would later play test cricket for England...
Nows here a bit of information about the New Zealand tour in 1895...
Fiji began its New Zealand tour with a two day match against Auckland which unfortunately Fiji lost both of the matches by two innings...
Fiji's second match was against Otago...and it was a low scoring second match reason being because rain intervened and unfortunately cricket cannot be played when the ground is wet or when rain is falling and the game was drawn..no winner no looser....but anyways..Fiji's third match was against Canterbury which Fiji lost not by a huge margin but by only 1 inning..and than the game against Wellington was a draw...Fiji getting ever closer to victory...
Fiji's last two matches was a success as the Fiji Cricket team defeated Hawkes Bay by an inning after a wonderful effort by one of Fiji's top player in the tour, John Collins scoring a century...and than Fiji went on to defeat Taranaki by two wickets..a wonderful ending to a wonderful New Zealand tour after the game being only 21 years old in Fiji...
Not only did the Fiji team toured only New Zealand but also Australia...the tour to Australia came in 1908...but unfortunately from the Australian tour..only one result is know from that tour....and that was a two day match against Queensland and the highlight of the game was a seven wicket haul for Pope Cakobau...of which no winner or looser was also known..on tour in Australia...Fiji played 26 matches against state, university and district sides between 11 December 1907 and 30 March 1908.
It can be seen that from its early and humble beginnings..the game of cricket in Fiji is starting to come off age...
Nows here a bit of information about the New Zealand tour in 1895...
Fiji began its New Zealand tour with a two day match against Auckland which unfortunately Fiji lost both of the matches by two innings...
Fiji's second match was against Otago...and it was a low scoring second match reason being because rain intervened and unfortunately cricket cannot be played when the ground is wet or when rain is falling and the game was drawn..no winner no looser....but anyways..Fiji's third match was against Canterbury which Fiji lost not by a huge margin but by only 1 inning..and than the game against Wellington was a draw...Fiji getting ever closer to victory...
Fiji's last two matches was a success as the Fiji Cricket team defeated Hawkes Bay by an inning after a wonderful effort by one of Fiji's top player in the tour, John Collins scoring a century...and than Fiji went on to defeat Taranaki by two wickets..a wonderful ending to a wonderful New Zealand tour after the game being only 21 years old in Fiji...
Not only did the Fiji team toured only New Zealand but also Australia...the tour to Australia came in 1908...but unfortunately from the Australian tour..only one result is know from that tour....and that was a two day match against Queensland and the highlight of the game was a seven wicket haul for Pope Cakobau...of which no winner or looser was also known..on tour in Australia...Fiji played 26 matches against state, university and district sides between 11 December 1907 and 30 March 1908.
It can be seen that from its early and humble beginnings..the game of cricket in Fiji is starting to come off age...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
When was the game introduced to the people of Fiji
Well to continue from where we left off......the Europeans arrived on our shores in 1874...and by 1878 the local people began playing the game...now one question that might arise..is whether they played the game cause they were forced to or simply because it was due to their curiosity and that they want to learn a new thing...???...well..too be frank i think its a combination of both...for starters they were colonized and with that new things came in...and probably due to that curiosity led them to the game of cricket...well that's what i think..how bout you..??..anywayz moving on....the first ever recorded game of cricket in Fiji was in January 1874.....it was round about this time that the Levuka Cricket Club was formed....straight after its formation an attempt to organize club games was made....however that attempt failed and the club did not get to play any game..."but" everything changed until February the same year...at round about this time the club got the chance to taste of international competition as a visiting navy ship from England by the name of HMS Pearl came to Fiji and thus a game between the Levuka Cricket Club and the visiting navy ship was organized....
The game was eventually played at the Vagadaci grounds in Levuka on the 21st of February 1874...the game was played at the ground despite the wicket being described as not the best and the other end of the pitch being described as very bumpy and the other being bad for longstops....despite the condition of the pitch the game went ahead as scheduled and....well...surprise surprise...!!!...the Levuka Cricket Club came out of the game victorious...this is despite the fact that the club was only formed at the beginning of that year...not bad for starters...really....!!!...in the memoir of the than Governor of Fiji by the name of Governor George William Des Vouex...who was a keen cricketer himself..he put down that the introduction of the game of cicket to the natives in Fiji was an achievement of his regime...and straight after that first and successful match the sport was than introduced to most parts of the Fiji Islands....since the first match between the Levuka Cricket Club and the visiting navy ship from England in the 1800's..the game of cricket in Fiji has grown to become a recognized sporting body in the Sports community of Fiji......
The game was eventually played at the Vagadaci grounds in Levuka on the 21st of February 1874...the game was played at the ground despite the wicket being described as not the best and the other end of the pitch being described as very bumpy and the other being bad for longstops....despite the condition of the pitch the game went ahead as scheduled and....well...surprise surprise...!!!...the Levuka Cricket Club came out of the game victorious...this is despite the fact that the club was only formed at the beginning of that year...not bad for starters...really....!!!...in the memoir of the than Governor of Fiji by the name of Governor George William Des Vouex...who was a keen cricketer himself..he put down that the introduction of the game of cicket to the natives in Fiji was an achievement of his regime...and straight after that first and successful match the sport was than introduced to most parts of the Fiji Islands....since the first match between the Levuka Cricket Club and the visiting navy ship from England in the 1800's..the game of cricket in Fiji has grown to become a recognized sporting body in the Sports community of Fiji......
Monday, May 4, 2009
History of Cricket in Fiji.
Before we go into details about this sport in Fiji, it is better that we take a walk down memory lane and try and look at the people who introduced this sport to the Fijian people and we will also try and look at the first people who played this sport, where it was played and the year that it was first played.
Although not a big fan of this sport, however i am really fascinated at how the game is played, the skills and the concentration that is needed in order to become a successful player in this sport. Not only that...it is a sport that not many but a few proudly play and follow..as far this sport is corncerned in Fiji..it is classed as a minor sport behind some of the major sports like rugby..soccer..netball..and the list goes on.....and i strongly believe that this should not be the case as it is a sport like any other sport and it should also receive the support that is given to the other sports...in other words equality is important...
But anyways, moving on, cricket in Fiji proudly traces its history back to 1874 when the European settlers arrived on our shores and with that they brought and introduced many new things to the people of Fiji, of which one of them was the sport of cricket.
Although not a big fan of this sport, however i am really fascinated at how the game is played, the skills and the concentration that is needed in order to become a successful player in this sport. Not only that...it is a sport that not many but a few proudly play and follow..as far this sport is corncerned in Fiji..it is classed as a minor sport behind some of the major sports like rugby..soccer..netball..and the list goes on.....and i strongly believe that this should not be the case as it is a sport like any other sport and it should also receive the support that is given to the other sports...in other words equality is important...
But anyways, moving on, cricket in Fiji proudly traces its history back to 1874 when the European settlers arrived on our shores and with that they brought and introduced many new things to the people of Fiji, of which one of them was the sport of cricket.
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