Cricket is an optional sport at the quadrennial Pacific Games. It first appeared at the 1979 Games, with a men's tournament only seeing Papua New Guinea defeat New Hebrides (now Vanuatu) by 9 wickets in the final. Matches were played over 50 overs. The first women's tournament was held in 2015 in the Twenty20 format where Samoa won the inaugural women's title defeating Papua New Guinea in the final by 3 runs.
Since debutting in 1979, the sport was played intermittently at games in the 1980s and 1990s, depending on the facilities of the host nation. It was played continuously from 2003 to 2019, but was not included for the 2023 Pacific Games. Detailed records of the tournaments prior to 2003 have not been kept and little is known with certainty of the first three tournaments, beyond knowing what teams won the gold and silver medals at each Games.Encyclopedia of World Cricket by Roy Morgan, Sportsbooks Publishing, 2007
Men's tournament Results Year Host Gold medal match Bronze medal match Number of nations Ref Gold Result Silver Bronze Result Fourth place1979 DetailsSuva, FijiPapua New Guinea won by 9 wickets New Hebrides 71987 DetailsNouméa, New Caledonia 41991 DetailsPort Moresby, Papua New Guinea 6 2003 DetailsSuva, FijiPapua New Guinea won by 2 runs ScorecardCook Islands won by 85 runs Scorecard 6 of Fiji v Papua New Guinea, 9 August 2003 at tournament's official website2007 DetailsApia, SamoaRound-robinRound-robin 52011 DetailsNouméa, New CaledoniaRound-robinRound-robin 4Sporting Pulse, 2011.2015 DetailsPort Moresby, Papua New GuineaVanuatu won by 4 wickets ScorecardTonga won by 7 wickets Scorecard42019 DetailsApia, SamoaPapua New Guinea won by 32 runs ScorecardSamoa won by 157 runs Scorecard4
Women's tournament Results Year Host Gold medal match Bronze medal match Number of nations Ref Gold Result Silver Bronze Result Fourth place2015 DetailsPort Moresby, Papua New GuineaSamoa won by 3 runs ScorecardFiji won by 12 runs Scorecard62019 DetailsApia, SamoaSamoa won by 4 wickets ScorecardVanuatu won by 8 wickets Scorecard4
Performance by team Legend
– Gold – Silver – Bronze
GS – Group stage Q – Qualified — Hosts
Men's tournament Team Games Total 1979 1987 1991 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 — — — 3rd — — — — 1 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd — — 6 6th 4th 4–6th 6th 5th 4th 4th 4th 8 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd 1st 8 5th — — 4th 3rd — — 3rd 4 — — 4–6th — — — — — 1 4th — 3rd — 4th — 3rd — 3 7th — — — — — — — 1 2nd 3rd 4–6th 5th — 3rd 1st 2nd 7
Women's tournament Team Games Total 2015 2019 5th — 1 3rd 4th 2 6th — 1 2nd 2nd 21st 1st 2 4th 3rd 2
Medal table The all-time medal table for cricket at the Pacific Games, including the South Pacific Games, from 1979–present is collated in the table below.
Pacific Mini Games For the first time, Vanuatu included a men's cricket tournament in its successful bid for the 2017 Pacific Mini Games, to be held in Port Vila. The cricket facilities near Korman Stadium are planned to be renovated before the tournament. However, the effects of Cyclone Pam in 2015 have, according to some sources, cast doubt upon the country's ability to host the games.
Records
As detailed results have not been kept for the first three tournaments, it is not possible to present detailed records. What is known is that Papua New Guinea's total of 572/7 against New Caledonia is the highest team total in any international one-day match, along with the winning margin of 510 runs, and therefore also in the South Pacific Games.Papua New Guinea run riot by Andrew Nixon, 1 September 2007 at CricketEurope
See also Cricket in Oceania
Notes The number of teams at the tournaments has varied – there were seven teams in 1979, then four in 1987 and five in 1991. When the sport resumed at the 2003 games, six teams contested,2003 South Pacific Games cricket tournament official website but this number dropped to five in 2007 and four in 2011 and 2015 (for the men's tournament – the women's tournament had six teams).2007 South Pacific Games at CricketEurope
Samoa and Vanuatu competed as Western Samoa and the New Hebrides, respectively, at the 1979 games.1979 South Pacific Games at CricketArchive
1979: Pacific Islands Monthly reported Papua New Guinea defeating New Hebrides in the final to win gold, passing the required total of 53 with the loss of only one wicket. Fiji defeated Tonga in a much closer third place play-off to win bronze by two wickets, passing the formidable total set by Tonga of 183 for the loss of six wickets.
1979: Roy Morgan's Encyclopedia of World Cricket indicates that Western Samoa finished fifth at the 1979 South Pacific Games. They played New Caledonia in the fifth place play-off so New Caledonia are assumed to have finished sixth. Tuvalu finished seventh.
1987: Roy Morgan's Encyclopedia of World Cricket indicates that Papua New Guinea defeated Fiji in the final to decide the gold and silver medals. The other three teams taking part were New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The same book indicates that New Caledonia have never won an international match, so they are assumed to have finished fifth with either the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu winning the bronze or finishing fourth.
1991: Results presented here are based on sparse records. The official results from the SPG website list PNG, Fiji and Tonga as the gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively. Roy Morgan's Encyclopedia of World Cricket indicates that Papua New Guinea defeated Fiji in the final to decide the gold and silver medals. However it did not mention Tonga, and noted only two other teams in the tournament, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. The same book indicates that New Caledonia have never won an international match, which might lend weight to the assumption that Vanuatu won the bronze medal. For this article, however, the official results are preferred.
References