There’ll be no smatterings of applause from the bleachers on the boundary, no boring playing forward defensive shots. And there will be no “white flannelled fools” as Rudyard Kipling called cricketers.

Instead, brightly-coloured lavalavas will be mandatory tomorrow, April 11, in Matua for kilikiti – Pasifika cricket. “Kilikiti aho fiafia” – a cricket day of fun.

And if your brightly coloured lavalava comes adrift while chasing a quick run, if it falls off, and you cause embarrassment, the umpire could give you “out!”.

That’s the way with kilikiti – the likes of which hasn’t before been seen at Ferguson Park, a bastion of “white flannel” palagi cricket in this city.

Samoan AOG’s Peleti Lupematasila plays an aggressive hook shot with his pate, or kilikiti bat, before tomorrow’s Ferguson Park tournament. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Tomorrow, April 11, some of the Bay of Plenty’s 10,000-strong Pasifika community – lots of them they hope – will take over Ferguson Park for a six-team, day-long kilikiti tournament.

There will be no way that these games will peter out to a draw after three days like Western cricket –no shouldering your bat like palagi cricket.

Kilikiti is swashbuckling ‘swish, slash and swipe’ stuff. In some games, the local rules outlaw a defensive stroke. This is no place for building an innings.

High energy stuff

“Kilikiti is a fun game,” said tournament organiser Sela Vakasiuola Tu’uholoaki.

‘Fun’ is the go-to word when Polynesian people discuss their game. “I have watched palagi cricket and it’s a bit boring.” Just her opinion, she said, and offered in the nicest way as a comparison, not a criticism. “But kilikiti is full-on fun.” And Pasifika like to have fun.

So tomorrow expect frenzied, crazy, loud, high-energy stuff at Ferguson Park – running, yelling, whistling and a special brand of sledging, cricket’s trash talk. But Kilikiti is respectful, nothing personal or nasty.

Each team must field five women at all times of a game. Members of the Samoan AOG include Mella Brown, Emma Nielson, Tausili Vaa, Pauline Eneliko and Julie Nielson. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

“I will be wandering around making sure everyone plays nicely,” said no-nonsense Sameli Tongalea. She is managing director of AvaNiu Pasifika, a social enterprise on Cameron Rd that supports Polynesian families with health, social and education services. It seems one of those services include a kilikiti tournament. “No throwing the bat, no fighting, no tantrums,” she laughed.

In conventional cricket the teams would meet the umpire just before play for the coin toss – to decide who bats first.

A flexible feast

Sameli summoned the six kilikiti tournament captains about a month ago to lay down her expectations for the games. And for captains to agree on the rules of engagement.

Western cricket has its bible – the MCC Official Laws of Cricket. But kilikiti is a flexible feast. It can change game by game. For example, if there a lot of players, 30-plus in each team, they might do away with sixes and fours. No boundaries. The batsmen would have to keep running. It speeds the game up, and makes for more fun.

“We agreed there would be six teams of 20 players, including five women on the field all the time,” said fellow tournament organiser, Sameli’s son Chris Tongalea. “And a minimum of 15 to start.”

Often there’s no limit to team size – it depends on who turns up.

The first team batting sets the game up. It bats for 30 minutes, and if it makes 100 runs off 60 balls, the chasing team needs 101 off the same number of deliveries.

“Like any game,” said Sameli, “you are there to win, there is pride at stake, and the prize money is reasonable”. So the competitiveness ramps up when it gets to the business end.

The war club

Each delivery is bowled from alternate ends. Women must bowl to women batters. And there are wicketkeepers at either end. “The game rattles along,” said Chris. No pads nor protective gear. And it helps to be an all-rounder – to have the combined skills of a batter, bowler and fielder.

Unlike your standard 85cm-87.5cm Gray-Nicolls or Gunn and Moore cricket bat, the kilikiti bat, or pate, is much longer at about 1.3m – although they vary. It has a sennet-plaited handle and is triangular, modelled on a Samoan war club, with a rounded striking surface. The ball flies off it every which way.

: Some members of the Samoan AOG with their pate, or kilikiti bats. From left, Falefa Momoemausu, Peleti Lupematasila, Osana Faamanu, Saia Faalupega, Elisapeta Gisa, Saifoloi Faamanu and Lelilio Faalupega. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

The ball is made from wound strips of latex fibre from the Panama rubber tree and is much smaller than a cricket ball, but heavy and bouncy. More fun. And there will be no losers tomorrow, Sameli said.

Cultural showcase

“Players who don’t make the prize money will get a cultural gift. Last year it was tins of corned beef and green bananas, and everyone was happy.”

The tournament might be a cultural showcase, but there’s a greater cause – AvaNiu Pasifika wants to hand the tournament over to the community. “We set the ball rolling but now there’s an appetite for our people to learn event management, which would help grow our community. And make us visible.”

And a challenge has been laid down. “We would love an established Tauranga palagi cricket club to play us at Pasifika cricket. That would be wonderful.”

Get a taste for kilikiti tomorrow, April 11, at the tournament at Ferguson Park, Matua. Games will be played 9am to 5pm.