It is towards the end of the month of August and it is also the end of the netball season for my kids and Hibiscus Festival here in Suva. As I have mentioned in my previous news report, this one will be based on Fiji's Inter-District Championship which was held on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. But before I move on to that, I would like to take the first opportunity to wish my baby brother, our number one news reporter from the Lalo Kalosipani, LUTOVIKO HIKO-'I-TAULANGA MANU JUNIOR, a very happy day on his 28th birthday.

First of all, this IDC was an opportunity for our baby daughter Tu'a'ofa to be the first member among our four kids to be away on camping for the competition. At first, she couldn't detach from me when we got to the camping site, but as she got mingled with her team mates, she finally felt at home and enjoyed being with her friends.

Tonga's team arrived last Saturday and stayed at Laucala secondary school which is opposite USP. Tonga's team had 2 under 12 and one each for the under 13 and 14 of the two grades.

On the morning of the first day of Fiji's Primary School's Inter-District Championship, we were early to the netball court thinking that the competition would start at 9 am. Since no team had been there at that time, we later found out that the games would start at 10am which for me sound so late. Close to ten, then three district teams arrived; Tonga's team, Nasinu and finally Suva's bus. It was almost ten o'clock, and no other team arrived, and then I found out, that this two days' competition will be among these three districts only, no other team. And this was the beginning of the most boring and tracking competition I have ever seen. Matches will be against these three districts only. Therefore, on the whole first day, they had two games against each other. Tu'a'ofa's infant team, under 9 lost their first game to Nasinu and won their second game so they played the final on the second day. Just like the competition on the first day,Tonga's under 14 captured the hearts and souls of everyone in the netball court; spectacular indeed was their performance. They thrashed Nasinu and Suva's teams easily, giving them a hard time to sleep on that night but dreaming of ways to counteract the smart skills of playing displayed by Tonga's under 14. With Tonga's two under 12 teams, they came to the netball court short by one player for their second team. They looked for an under 12 Tongan girl and UNFORTUNATELY they found one in Susitina.

As for the result of the competition, Tu'a'ofa's team won their final with Nasinu, under 10 was the only team won by Nasinu, under 11 was again won by Suva. These were the 3 grades competed only by Nasinu and Suva.

Tonga's under 12A and Suva played the final for the under 12. It was a very tight and well matched struggle between the two teams. However, Tonga's team failed to win the match only by one score. For the under 13 and 14, again, Tonga definitely showed Suva, that manioke has more energy than rice. So they took with them these two grades' trophy to Tonga today. Congratulations to the Tongan teams. It has been two weeks, these girls have been away from their classrooms, going on their first tour of New Zealand before coming here to Fiji.

Our family concluded this competition at home, with Soana's 11th birthday. Again, it was another chance for me to practise my baking for Soana's birthday cake, and she liked it very much. Since Sione 'Atuphuha's family is now only about 5 metres away from us, they joined us on this day with Sione blessing Soana's day.

That's all for now folks, stay safe, and farewell until next time.

'Ofa atu from us all here,

Analena and the Suva gang