Sports Review

Batted His Way

A Fiji Record

From Norman Baxter, in Suva CKET feats in Fiji seldom rate mention overseas, but a recent atting performance by Ilikena at Suva, is worthy of more a passing note in Wisden’s, the iter’s Bible. ying in a recent club match ok a little time to settle down e he started to sail in. ting with great abandon he i to amass a collection of ing sixes which, if they had een so spectacular, would have le monotonous. mes on the other four wickets Ibert Park came to a stand so that players could admire xhibition of mighty hitting. In re 173 minutes he amassed the total of 246, to establish a Fiji enty-two of his strokes cleared boundary for sixes. It was us he preferred to get the num out of his strokes, for he nly 10 fours. a’s club mate, Nacanieli iti, in a couple of subsequent :s, showed that Bula was not >nly one who could hit hard, and often. Against the RNZAF ade 74 in only 25 minutes, tak

mg 40 runs from one over.

Contemptuously advancing to the ball he hit six over the boundary and sandwiched one four among his mighty hits.

And to show he was not doing it the easy way he hit his sixes to the longest part of the field!

A few days previously he was in similar form in a Fijian-Indian match, much to the discomfort of a motorist who had parked in Vic toria Parade. Uluiviti hit one hard and low over the boundary, just about the spot where “Smithy’ brought the Southern Cross over Victoria Parade to Albert Park nearly 31 years ago.

There was a resounding clatter as the ball hit a car and rebounded into the field of play before any body had time to move. The un fortunate motorist drove off to seek a panel beater.

Another NZ Rugby

Tour For Fiji?

Following the success of the rugby tour by the Corinthians (NZ) of Fiji last October the progressive Nadi Rugby Union has ode n e d negotiations with the Centurions, also of We . llin^ or i; P n 0 ccme to Fiji in August and Sep teAnother New Zealand team from

the Rotorua area, hearing glowing reports of Fiji from the Corinthians, sought to make a visit in April, but this had to be turned down because cricket is still under way then.

Nadi does not intend to be selfish about its visitors, for it was an nounced it will ask other unions, which do not often have a chance of seeing overseas teams, to play against the Centurions, should the tour eventuate.

Only about 12 months old, the Nadi union has shown itself to be the most go-ahead in Fiji, and rugby followers are hoping that negotia tions with the Centurions will bring another bright rugby team to Fiji.

The Rotorua team will be asked if it could make a short tour later in the season.

Tonga Is Lave's

Future

rjIONGA’S 24-year-old heavy- X weight boxer Kitione Lave, who is now headed home after a chequered career in Britain, has big plans for making little Tonga the mecca of tourists.

Stopping over in Suva in February with his 20-year-old English wife and their daughter, Lave told how he hopes to build up a tourist resort in Tonga to make it “as famous as Hawaii”. “Every body has heard of our Queen”, he said, “but nobody knows where Tonga is”.

Lave, who went to Britain in 1955 with only £5/10/- in his pocket, now has plenty of money, plus interests in a gymnasium, a service station and a big hire car business.

Of his boxing career in Britain, he said, “I’ve had bad luck. After a good start everything went wrong. I was too rugged for the top-rated fighters so they kept me out of the money.

“I may resume fighting, but my long range ambition now is to do something for Tonga.”

Sudden Death For

A Sportsman

NEW CALEDONIA was shocked to wake up one morning in February and hear that football star Roland The was dead —shot through the chest and head at close range after being robbed, his body left in scrub by the side of a road on the outskirts of Noumea. Police soon picked up a young New Cale donian, charged him with the murder of The, who was a Viet Namese.

The footballer’s funeral was one of the biggest in Noumea for some time. He had a large personal following, and was a member of the New Caledonia team that recently met the New Zealanders.

[?]FISHERS MEET. Captain of the Auckland Underwater Fishing Club, Clive Reid (left) [?] New Caledonia in February, and naturally took time to compare notes with local spear [?]en. Here he is with Bob Daly, representing the New Caledonia Spear Fishing Club. Spear [?]is a growing sport in the Islands, where there are plenty of opportunities for under water work.

Photo: Fred Dunn.