Samoans bring colorful version of cricket to Anchorage

Look up "kilikiti" on Wikipedia, and see this description of Samoa's national sport:

"The rules of kilikiti are flexible. Indeed, the majority of reports written on the game simply say that the rules can only be known by those playing."

Check out kilikiti at Davis Park on Saturdays this summer, and spectators will easily pick up on some of the unwritten, yet traditional, rules of what is commonly called Samoan cricket.

It's sports, part food fest, part "Hokey-Pokey" and part multigenerational gathering. The game itself is based on British cricket, which was introduced to the Samoan Islands more than a century ago either by visiting missionaries or military members, according to varying reports.

"It's our favorite game," said Lucy Hansen, president of the Polynesian Association of Alaska. "Cricket is the most important game in our culture."

Hansen said Samoan cricket was first played in Anchorage at the 2006 Flag Day celebration. This summer, it's being played by seven men's teams and four women's team that make up the United Samoan Organization cricket league.

Luma Ati, a 34-year-old who grew up in the islands and moved to California in 2011 and to Anchorage in 2013, said she was thrilled when she learned about the new league.

"I was very excited. Yay, finally!" she said. "It brings back memories of when you were in the Islands. I think this will bring all the Samoan people together as one community."

The Samoan population in Anchorage numbers about 8,000, Hansen said, and cricket is something that can be played by all its members — young or old, big or small, experienced or novice.

As many as six games are played on most Saturdays, which makes for a very long day. Although the Samoan version of the game isn't nearly as long as the British version – which typically last three to five days – a kilikiti match at Davis Park usually lasts 90 minutes.

Game day begins with breakfast and often a blessing – many of the teams are sponsored by churches. The first game starts at 8 a.m. and the last one ends at 8 p.m. or later.

"We eat, the kids are playing. It's a good time to meet with friends and family," Ati said.

Because the day lasts so long, there's usually more than one meal. On a recent Saturday, MOP Methodist Church players dined on a post-game meal of fried chicken, fried plantains, white rice and sapa sui, also called chop suey.

"The best part of the game," Amani Naea said as he dug into a styrofoam container loaded with food.

Naea, 45, said baseball is his main sport but he plays cricket because it gives him something else to do in the summer. And, as is the case with many of the players, he plays because it reminds him of his heritage.

"My dad used to play," he said. "It was like a village thing."

While food is abundant, no alcohol is allowed at Samoan cricket games. Viane Lauvale, who came to Anchorage from Samoa in 2005, said the game offers a way to have fun, hang out with friends and family, connect with the culture — and steer clear of trouble.

"We meet together and get to know each other, so that's a good thing for the Samoan people," Lauvale said. "We can get away from the problems and stuff, so this is a good thing. All the kids can play together."

Anchorage's version of Samoan cricket involves two teams of 20 players apiece. Instead of wearing the crisp, white suits seen in British cricket, players wear lavalava, Samoa's traditional and often colorful wrap-around skirts.

The field is enormous – one game takes up the entire playing field at Davis Park, a space that can accommodate two rugby games at once. In the middle is the pitch, a long runway-like strip of wood with a post, or wicket, at each end. At one end is the pitcher, who throws the ball to a batter at the other end, who tries to make contact with a three-sided bat, also colorful.

After that the rules get, well, flexible. Also a little confounding.

There is no out-of-bounds, but there are cones set up far from the pitch in all four directions. Points are scored if a batted ball travels beyond the invisible lines connecting the cones – 2 points in the air, 1 point on the ground. Outs are made if the ball is caught in the air, or if a pitched ball hits the wicket behind the batter.

Teams that have already played or are waiting on games at Davis Park gather under tent canopies to visit while keeping one eye on the little kids running around, and another on the action on the field.

On a sideline is a table where an announcer sits with a microphone, calling the action in Samoan.

To the uninitiated, the bursts of action on the field don't match the constant play-by-play. This is a slow-paced sport.

All 20 members of a defensive team are on the field at once, but it's possible that some of them will never touch the ball. That's where a version of the "Hokey-Pokey" comes in.

Each defensive team has a player whose job it is to keep the rest of the team alert and engaged. He wears a whistle around his neck, and ideally he's a bit of a comedian.

When the opposing team makes an out, he claps and blows the whistle in a distinctive cadence and then does a little dance or series of movements – whatever he feels like at the time. The rest of the players must mimic whatever he does. Then play resumes with a new batter.

"The one with the whistle, you've got to pay attention to and do whatever that person does," said Leiura Utaga. "If you roll in the grass, they have to roll in the grass."

A good batter can spend an eternity at the plate, because he keeps hitting till he makes an out. On a recent Saturday, Isaiah Leofa had an at-bat worth 10 points for MOP Methodist Church. His personal record, he said, is 43 points.

Leofa, who recently moved to Anchorage from California, said he started playing Samoan cricket when he was 10 years old and still living in Samoa.

Now 49, he helped start the new league — in part so he could keep playing the game he loves, and in part to give people a fun, safe place to spend the weekend.

"It helps them stay away from the streets and all the things going on in this world," he said.

"… Old folks love to come and watch the games, because they used to play it. We want to try to pass it on to the youths, so they can continue these traditions."