Surojits999 at 08:57, 7 March 2026

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{{Short description|Form of cricket originating in Samoa}}
[[File:Bats used in the Samoan game of Kilikiti (Kirikiti).jpg|thumb|Kilikiti bats]]
'''Kilikiti''', also known as '''Samoan cricket''' or '''kirikiti''', is one of [[forms of cricket|several forms]] of the game of [[cricket]]. Originating in [[Samoa]] (English [[Missionary|missionaries]] introduced [[History of Test cricket (to 1883)|their game]] of cricket in the early 19th century), it spread throughout [[Polynesia]] and can now be found around the world in areas with strong Polynesian populations. The game is the [[national sport]] of Samoa<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-10/an-samoa27s-version-of-cricket2c-kilikiti2c-on-display-in-me/5380372?section=vic|title=Samoa's version of cricket, kilikiti, on display in Melbourne tournament|work=ABC News|date=10 April 2014 }}</ref> and is played in many other Pacific countries,<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|first=Tony |last=Squires|title = Testing time for tiny Tuvalu|date =1 April 2012|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4864748.stm|publisher= BBC News |access-date=31 October 2012}}</ref> including amongst the Pacific Islander diaspora in [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]].

==Etymology==
The term ''kilikiti'' is borrowed from [[Samoan language|Samoan]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/multicultural-education/eald/eald-bilingual-dictionary-samoan.pdf|title=English-Samoan Bilingual Dictionary|publisher=NSW Department of Education|page=15}}</ref> [[Tongan language|Tongan]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/multicultural-education/eald/eald-bilingual-dictionary-tongan.pdf|title=English-Tongan Bilingual Dictionary|publisher=NSW Department of Education|page=15}}</ref> and [[Tuvaluan language|Tuvaluan]]. ''Kilikiti'' is the Samoan and Tongan term for the sport of cricket and derived from English. The term in Samoan is sometimes spelt ''kirikiti'', which is also the [[Māori language|Māori]] name for the sport.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/2694 | title=Kirikiti - te Aka Māori Dictionary }}</ref>

==Form of the game==

===Equipment===
The ball is made of a very hard rubber wrapped in [[pandanus]]. Players are not protected by any padding or masks, and will often wear only a [[lava-lava]]. The [[sennit]]-wrapped wooden bat is modeled on the three-sided Samoan war club called the "lapalapa," which is based on the stalk of coconut fronds. Bats are shaped to individual players' liking and can be over a meter long. This is because the striking surface of the bat is angled (just as the "lapalapa" club and the coconut frond stalk), and the path of a hit ball is extremely hard to predict.<ref name="bbc"/>

===Rules===
The rules of kilikiti are flexible. Indeed, the majority of reports written in the game simply say that the rules can only be known by those playing.<ref name="bbc" />

====Similarities to cricket====
[[File:Jock Livingston c1942.jpg|thumb|upright|Australian cricketer [[Jock Livingston]] with a Kilikiti bat]]
There is a [[Batting (cricket)|batting]] team, a [[Fielding (cricket)|fielding]] team, and a [[Cricket pitch|pitch]] (sometimes of concrete). The bowl alternates between two [[Bowler (cricket)|bowlers]], one at each end of the pitch; accordingly, there are two [[wicket keeper]]s (this as opposed to the single wicket keeper in [[cricket]]).

====Major points on which kilikiti differs from cricket====
There is no limit to team size, and teams are made up of whoever turns up regardless of gender or age.<ref name="ieccn">{{cite news|title=Kirikiti - 37 for the loss of 19 wickets? |url=http://www.ieccjapan.com/newsletter/newsletter43.htm |work=India Engineers Cricket Club Newsletter |volume=43 |date=2004-09-02 |access-date=2005-09-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050225084716/http://ieccjapan.com/newsletter/newsletter43.htm |archive-date=2005-02-25 }}</ref> Tourist accounts mention that strangers are often welcomed. Players are typically [[all-rounder]]s.

A kilikiti game is a multi-day community event full of singing, dancing, and feasting. Entire villages will compete and everyone will be involved, whether as player, cook, or spectator. According to one source, the only universal rule is that the host team forfeits if it cannot provide enough food.<ref name="ieccn"/>

====Standardization====
The New Zealand Kilikiti Association (NZKA) is working to [[Standardization|standardize]] the rules of kilikiti. In 1999 the NZKA started a national [[tournament]], called the Supercific Kilikiti Tournament, and in 2001 it introduced the international World Cup Kilikiti Tournament. Games have been cut to a television-friendly 70 minutes (2 [[innings]], the first being 30 minutes long and the second bowling the same number of balls as the first). The NZKA has also added the scoring of [[Boundary (cricket)#Scoring runs|4s and 6s]].

==Kilikiti World Cup==
{{Main|Kilikiti World Cup}}

==By country==
===Australia===
Kilikiti is a growing sport in Australia, particularly among [[Samoan Australians]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/pacificbeat/kilikiticomp/101467426 | title=Brisbane kilikiti competition to celebrate traditional Samoan sport | website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=22 September 2022 }}</ref>

The [[Fetuilelagi Kilikiti Tournament]] is held annually in [[Brisbane]]. In 2022, 15 teams competed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/100054374568384/posts/thank-you-abc-sport-for-featuring-the-fetuilelagi-kilikiti-tournament-we-hosted-/638260771329736/|title=Thank you ABC... - Fetuilelagi Kilikiti Tournament - Brisbane|website=www.facebook.com|accessdate=27 March 2023}}</ref>

Tournaments have also been held in other cities, such as [[Melbourne]]<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-10/an-samoa27s-version-of-cricket2c-kilikiti2c-on-display-in-me/5380372?section=vic | title=Australian Samoans showcase their own version of cricket | newspaper=ABC News | date=10 April 2014 }}</ref> and [[Sydney]].

===New Zealand===
Kilikiti has become a popular sport across New Zealand. It is especially popular among [[Samoan New Zealanders]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/champions-of-the-pacific/audio/2018787548/how-kilikiti-is-helping-keep-the-samoan-culture-alive-in-nz | title=How kilikiti is helping keep the Samoan culture alive in NZ | website=[[Radio New Zealand]] | date=15 March 2021 }}</ref>

Tournaments have been held across the country, mostly in [[Auckland]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://collegesport.co.nz/sports/kilikiti/kilikiti-information/ | title=Kilikiti Information – College Sport Auckland }}</ref>

The Counties Manukau Kilikiti Association is the main league for the sport in New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cmkirikiti.org/ |title=CM Kirikiti |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129230228/https://cmkirikiti.org/ |archive-date=29 January 2023}}</ref>

===Samoa===
Kilikiti originated in Samoa and is popular nationwide.

===Other Pacific Islands===
Like in Samoa, the sport is also widespread in [[American Samoa]].

The sport has also been played in [[Fiji]], [[Niue]], [[Tokelau]], [[Tonga]] and [[Tuvalu]].

===Elsewhere===
The sport has also been played in countries such as the [[United States]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Tuvalu}}
*[[Cricket in Oceania]]
*[[Trobriand cricket]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Cricket, Kirikiti and Imperialism in Samoa, 1879–1939|first=Benjamin|last=Sacks|year=2019|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan Cham|doi=10.1007/978-3-030-27268-5}}

==External links==
*[http://www.sportsground.co.nz/kilikiti_nz_international/81350/ New Zealand Kilikiti Association]
*{{cite news|first1=Liza (text) |last1=Simon |first2=Tom (photography) |last2=Haar |title=South Seas Cricket: The staid British sport gets a Polynesian makeover |url=http://www.hanahou.com/cricket.htm |work=Hana Hou |access-date=2005-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050326081235/http://www.hanahou.com/cricket.htm |archive-date=2005-03-26 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite web|first=Iulia |last=Leilua |title=Supercific Kilikiti Tournament |url=http://www.eventpolynesia.com/events/samoa/archive/NZ3_page_supercifickilikiti02.htm |year=2005 |access-date=2005-09-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517225926/http://www.eventpolynesia.com/events/samoa/archive/NZ3_page_supercifickilikiti02.htm |archive-date=2006-05-17 }}
*{{cite web| title=Independent Samoa: Its Culture and Atmosphere| url=https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A2026982 | work=[[h2g2]] |publisher=[[BBC]] | access-date=2005-09-05}}
*{{cite web | title=Cricket – Pacific Style| url=http://channel.tepapa.govt.nz/gallery/cricket-pacific-style/ |publisher=[[Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa]] | access-date=2015-05-03}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0qhwN5iT68 2001 Kilikiti World Cup highlights] on YouTube

{{Forms of cricket}}

[[Category:Short form cricket]]
[[Category:Cricket in Samoa]]
[[Category:Sports originating in Samoa]]
[[Category:Sport in Tuvalu]]

Kilikiti - Revision history

Surojits999 at 08:57, 7 March 2026