One island, one village and one team is a bond that has carried the Komo cricket team from the Lau Group to the quarter-final stages of the Association Cup.
Located in the northern part of the Lau Group, Komo Island has only one village with 128 people and is likely to be the only team from the islands that is formed by one village.
Travelling by boat for two days and camping in Suva for three weeks is not a walk in the park for the team officials and players. However family is everything for the Komo cricket team as support pours into their camp during their stay in Suva.
Team manager Jitoko Vuli said they didn’t expect the hospitality they were given for the past few days.
“I know life in the city is hard especially during this COVID-19 crisis, so we came with only 12 players and some village elders to support us and a few mothers to cook our meals but what we’ve seen is beyond our expectations,” said Vuli.
“I thank the Komo youths in Suva for helping us with families and relatives coming in every night to visit us with food, groceries and other needs.
“The hospitality from the police officers in Raiwaqa makes us feel at home away from home and that is one factor that keeps motivating the boys on the field.”
Komo team selected the 12 best players to represent their island home in the competition and losing one or two could be a huge blow for them.
“Injury is our major concern because we don’t have reserves who could fill in for the injured players,” he said.
“We’ve had a few injuries but I’m glad the boys kept on fighting to reach the quarter-finals against Nadi.”
Unfortunately Komo bowed out of the semi-finals yesterday losing to Nadi.
The Jetsetters batted first and scored 310 runs in 50 overs while Komo managed 150 runs in 24 overs. They will feature in the plate semi-finals tomorrow.
