Magazine Section

When Cricket Came To Samoa, The

Players Re-Wrote The Rules

William B. Churchward, an Englishman, acted as British Consul in Samoa, based in Apia, for four years from 1881. This was an interesting time, in the Samoan Islands, because politically they were in turmoil, and the time had not arrived when the islands were divided into both American and Ger man spheres of influence. English, German and American viewed each other’s ambitions with sus picion in Churchward’s time, as he made clear in a book he published in 1887, called My Consulate in Samoa. But there were plenty of lighter moments, as on the occasion that Churchward and one of his colleagues introduced cricket to the Samoan islands, and found they had started something that was almost too big for them. . . .

For the first two years of my stay in Samoa, neither I nor any of the few British residents could ever persuade one single Samoan to join in our cricket, although their congeners, the Tongan residents in the group, were always ready for a game. In Tonga the game was adopted so strongly, to the neglect of all domestic pursuits, that a law had to be passed to prevent their playing for more than one day a week.

All at once the village of Apia was seized with a most frantic desire to fathom the mysteries of the game, and to become proficient in its practice; owing, it appeared, to some discussion the Samoan inhabitants had had with some Tongans who had twitted them on the subject of their ignorance of so grand an amusement.

A deputation attended on the Judge, a Britisher, and myself, requesting us to instruct them in the strict ‘Fa’a Peritania’—British manner—of playing cricket, for that was the version they wanted to learn, and not the ‘Fa’a Tonga’—Tongan—one.

They explained that as it was a British sport, we as British were likely to know more about it than the Tongans, and they thought that we could teach them in such a way that they might be able to beat those boasting fellows. We accordingly took them in hand, and soon succeeded in in stilling the initial idea into their heads.

For a time all went on very smoothly, but the quiet and serious English style did not suit them long.

One by one, innovations of their own and Tongan manufacture crept into the game, until soon nothing remained of cricket but the practice of one man bowling a ball to another man trying

to hit it. All the rest of the proceedings were purely of their own manufacture.

However, this Samoan cricket found great favour all round, giving as it did in its improved form the excuse, always welcome, and never rejected, for feasting and parade, so dear to all Samoans. Soon all the neighbouring towns were playing, and cricket at last becoming quite an epidemic.

It not only took possession of the island of its origin, Upolu, but crossed the straits on both sides, spread all over Tutuila and Savaii, until the whole group was infected with it. Age, sex and dignity alike fell under its influence, until at last there was not a village in which it was not vigorously practised to such a degree as to seriously interfere with domestic affairs.

German anger

The Germans were loud in their condemnation of cricket, seeing in it, quite irrespective of prob able reduced supply of native produce for them to deal in, an inclination to favour things British, which it always was their studied practice to con demn and underrate, to the glorification of their own importance.

Although they could not effect a cure in the provinces, they did succeed in putting such re strictions on the game in the municipality of Apia, that in the most popular play-places it was ren dered impossible to carry it on. It was restricted on account of its danger, one ball having gone

near to a woman in the course of over a year’s play.

I don’t mean for one moment to say that these lunatics did not carry their frenzy to a somewhat hurtful extreme, but I am sure that the only damage done was to themselves; for I maintain that if they had never thought of cricket they would not have made an ounce more copra than they did.

I also know that a very large amount of money must have passed into the hands of the store keepers for cricket material and dresses, a dif ferent style of which they had new for nearly every match.

The processions on match-days are fearful and wonderful to behold. Headed by their Faamasinos, or judges, as they term their umpires, to the dulcet strains of the penny whistle and drum, banners flaunting gaily on the breeze, dressed up in the latest novelty specially designed for the purpose —most likely gone tick for at their pet store— bewreathed and begarlanded to an outrageous extent, the players in single file march through the town in swaggering military order.

Full uniform

Each one is armed with his bat, shouldering it as though it were a war-club, and, at the word of command from their officers, goes through an entire special manual exercise whilst en route to the field. These officers are generally dressed in full naval uniform, with swords and cocked-hats complete, and are continuously running up and down the ranks, keeping their men in place and showing them off to the fullest extent in their power.

Following them close up will be the non effective brigade, consisting of the women and children belonging to the doughty cricketers, also in gala dress, and carrying with them large quanti ties of eatables and drinkables for the refreshment of their relations about to do battle for the credit of the village they belong to.

It was the invariable practice of the Apia men on turning out for a match to halt in front of my Consulate, and drawn up in line receive word of command, ‘Salute the British Consul!’ Whereupon the whole line would perform a studied exercise with their bats and arms, equivalent in significa tion. I suppose, to the ‘present’, whilst the band, with the colours in front of them, performed a duet for my benefit. They would then form up again in single file, and move off to their game.

This again roused the jealous suspicions of the

Germans; for this compliment was never extended to anyone else but the Municipal Magistrate—who was a Britisher—and the one to whom they chiefly owed whatever they knew about cricket.

Their antics in the field beggar description.

Each club would have a distinct method of ex pressing its joy at the dismissal of an adversary from the wickets. Some of them, of a most elaborate nature, must have taken much careful drilling in private to ensure such perfect perform ance in public.

200_ to bat

The conventional number of eleven players is thoroughly put on one side. It is nothing unusual to see thirty or forty opposed to one another, and I have known them to play as many as two hundred odd a side!

The fact is that these matches are of one town against another, in which all insist upon taking a hand. These huge meetings, as may be readily imagined, last a week or more, junketing going on the whole time, and generally wind up with a big feast.

Once, during a time of political trouble, cricket assumed a political importance, by the aid of which the Samoans hoped to tide over a dan gerous time until their expected relief arrived in the shape of British annexation, to put them out of their misery.

They had officially written to England offering their country, and then, to avoid all further compli cations, they determined to start a cricket match of such stupendous proportions that it would last until they got an answer from home; during which time they considered that, being engaged in playing, they had a valid excuse for not taking notice of any business that might unpleasantly crop up.

In fact, the entire Government was playing cricket, and could not be disturbed.

I don’t know whether that game was ever finished or not. Anyhow, I don’t think it had any particular effect upon the usual run of politics; but I do know that their letter to England never was answered.

Shortly after this incident the Germans were very much down upon the natives, finding fault with everything they did, and continually informing them that their insignificant little group was in sulting the great German Empire; and they eventu ally forbade the King, under dire penalties, to play “the game called cricket” at his seat of govern ment.