Rain frustrates tennis and cricket
Rain caused frustration for cricket and tennis players and supporters on day one of competition at Samoa 2019 XVI Pacific Games.
The weather dampened the impressive start when Vanuatu men’s cricket team bowled the less experienced New Caledonia team out for 23 runs.
Vanuatu quickly passed this total to finish the match, following a rain delay.
Papua New Guinea then commenced their innings chasing Samoa’s 84 runs.
After a brief period of play, rain forced the cancellation of most matches (Credit: Sue Rasmussen/Pacific Games News)
They struggled to complete the first round match due to persistent showers which meant the overs were reduced to 15.
Sean James top scored for Samoa, hitting 25 runs off 22 balls. Papua New Guinea won the round one men’s cricket match against Samoa after the Duckworth Lewis rule was applied.
Rain frustrated completion of Papua New Guinea’s innings, but their faster run rate in the overs played meant they were pronounced winners.
Men’s and women’s cricket matches were all cancelled in the afternoon due to persistent rain. All teams were frustrated after waiting for 2 hours in hope of play being possible.
Tennis players and spectators were even worse off at Apia Park Tennis Courts this morning, with no matches able to finish before rain stopped play.
Representatives from 15 countries are competing, but only a small amount of women's singles action in the team’s event could be squeezed in before persistent rain forced an end to the day's play.
Tennis will resume at 8am on Tuesday, weather permitting, while cricket enthusiasts will have to wait until 9.30am to see if play continues.
