5 Sep 2022

Sporting news in brief

1:23 pm on 5 September 2022

Warriors beat the Manuma, PNG player gutted at coach's dismissal, and China boost for Tonga table tennis

Fiji records another win over Samoa

The Fijian Warriors finished off the Fiji Rugby Invitational Series by beating Manuma Samoa 39-22 at the weekend.

Photo: Supplied

Captain Tetiva Ikanivere and Joseva Nasaroa scored twice, while Kini Vosailagi and Emmanuel Manu scored a try each for Fiji at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva.

The Warriors had beaten the Samoan side 60-10 the previous weekend.

Ikanivere says it was good to get the second win against a well-prepared Samoan side.

He says it has been a great learning curve for the young players and these two matches will help them personally in terms of enhancing their careers in rugby.

The Warriors and the Manuma provide opportunities for young and fringe international players.

Fire has gone out after dismissal of coach says PNG player

A top women's player in the Papua New Guinea football team says the dismissal of coach Nicole Demaine has killed their fire and motivation, just months before the crucial World Cup play-off.

Papua New Guinea won the Oceania Nations Cup to qualify for February's intercontinental play-off for a place in the Women's World Cup in mid-2023.

Demaine's contract finishes on November 1 and will not be renewed.

The Post Courier reports one of the star players Lucy Maino admits the change so close to the playoffs has affected morale.

Other players took to social media to say how much they improved under Demaine and how much she will be missed.

China's donation helps Tonga's table tennis players

Chinese yuan is helping Tonga send a team of four to the Oceania Championships in Australia.

The Tonga Table Tennis Federation is being supported by a $US3,700 donation from the Chinese Embassy.

The championship is being held in Melbourne this week.

All of the players took part in a joint China-Tonga training exchange programme before covid hit.

The Chargé d' Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, Ruan Dewen, said the "limited assistance" will help the team during their stay in Australia.

He said sport is good for health and table tennis is also good for the training of the mind.

Cooks cricketers vow to play to best of their abilities

The Cook Islands cricket squad believes it has a good chance of winning the East Asia Pacific Sub-Regional Qualifying Tournament in Vanuatu.

The national side will take on Fiji, Samoa and the hosts for the week-long tournament which begins on Friday.

Half of the team is based in Cook Islands and met up with the New Zealand-based contingent in Auckland before flying out to Port Vila.

It's the first time cricketer Gabe Raymond has gone overseas to play cricket, and he says they're going to go out hard and they can do well if they play to their abilities.

The tournament is part of T-20 Cricket World Cup qualifiers with the winners going to another qualifying tournament next year to play the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and another team to be decided.