Barefooted Solomon

islanders Won Soccer Fans' Hearts

Although the French terri tories and Fiji dominated Games soccer, the barefoot Solomon Islanders won the popularity

poll.

THE Solomon Islanders never wear boots at home and refused to wear them in Fiji, even though team officials had spent £7O of their meagre funds on boots for them soon after arriving in Fiji.

The Solomon Islanders practised in them for a time, and then announced they were “no good”.

Team officials implored them in vain to wear them in their first match against the booted New Hebrides team because the ground was muddy and spikes were needed for grip.

When the New Hebrideans took to the field the Solomon Islanders were terrified of their boots, and virtually stood off while the New Hebrides quickly scored two goals to nil.

"No Fight Now"

Then a Solomon Islander was well and truly trodden on by some opposition boots, and discovering to his surprise that it didn’t hurt much, he shouted to his mates, “No matter long boots. Me feller no fright now!”—and the game was on!

The result: Solomons 6, New Hebrides 3, with the crowd cheering themselves hoarse for the barefoot wonders.

New Caledonia started the series as favourites, with French Polynesia next.

Certainly with their Continental style and superb goalkeepers they showed themselves to be the finest South Pacific exponents.

By the luck of the draw the two French teams had to fight out the semi-finals, New Caledonia won 2 to 1 after extra time was allowed to separate them.

Afterwards, the French Polynesian goalkeeper publicly wept at the pity of it all, as well he might.

The Fiji team, which fought out the final with New Caledonia, was dominated by Lautoka players who had picked up a lot of style recently from a visiting German team.

New Caledonia won.

He Started It All : Dr.

A. H. Sahu Kahn, a Fiji-born Indian resident of Fiji, was the man mainly responsible for get ting the South Pacific Games started At the South Pacific Conference in Rabaul in 1959, he suggested that an inter-territory sports tournament held every few years would overcome insularity in the Pacific. The Rabaul con ference unanimously accepted Dr.

Sahu Khans proposal, and plans for the Suva Games were drawn up at a conference of Islands sporting officials in Noumea in 1961. Dr. Sahu Khan was among the official guests in Suva.