The Suva City Council may have breached Occupational Health and Safety standards by not providing safe and playable ground conditions.
Safety aspects of the pitch at Albert Park has been compromised and when we drive past we see that the grass is hardly cut, holes are hidden by these shin length long grass and small plastic rubbish and twin pop sticks are strewn across the ground, which makes the place vulnerable to Hepatitis B, etc.
Hopefully, with the New Year and commitment expressed already by our City Fathers, something will be done by them and the Councils grounds committee.
The Suva Cricket Association league first round played its last game at the weekend with the Army Cricket Club showing superiority against Willow Whispers. Army escaped with a six run win in the last over.
Army has won the title more than any other club since 1906 and its success has been based on solid batting and bowling.
The soldiers, under the appalling ground condition at Albert Park, have performed consistently against much-fancied oppositions like FEMMUS QVS, the young guns of Salvo, the dashing brigade of the Suva Water Supply team, the spiced-up Asian Expatriates with the Willow Whispers and their traditional rivals, Moce.
The Army team has grown from strength to strength with performances by strike bowlers Kitione Tavo and Jone Seuvou and batsmen Kida Jiko.
A highlight of the round was seeing clubs showing initiative to turn up with coloured tops and white longs. While on uniforms one thing that should be mentioned here is that some clubs are still flouting tradition and disrespectful to the sport by not playing in their white longs or even the same coloured longs.
Some ill-mannered players put a slap in the face to this respectable game by rocking up and playing Cricket in different coloured shorts. I feel that W.G. Grace is really turning in his grave and for that matter ironically these players have shown shortcomings in their performances this first round.
