Fears are increasing that next month's Pacifica Cup tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, may be disrupted by protestors demonstrating against Fiji's participation in the seven nation event.

A group which led the anti-apartheid demonstrations during the 1981 Springbok rugby union tour of New Zealand have hinted they may take similar action during the Pacifica Cup.

It stated this week that it would be targeting a sevens rugby union tournament in New Zealand in which the Fijian representative team is appearing.

The International Cricket Council's East Asia-Pacific Development Officer, Matthew Kennedy, said its preparations for the tournament remain unchanged despite the threats.

It is expected organisers of the Pacifica Cup will contact the protest group to gauge their intentions.

The New Zealand Government placed a ban on tours from Fijian representative sporting teams late last year following a coup which resulted in the overthrow of the Indian dominated Fijian Government.

The ban does not apply to tournaments staged by a sport's international governing body, therefore enabling the Fijian cricket and rugby teams to play in their respective events.

Newly appointed Fijian captain, Taniela Naulivou, said his team was unfazed by the controversy surrounding their team's participation.

"We're not worried - nothing has been said about it by the team."

Meanwhile, Naulivou's experience will be crucial in a side missing three key players due to 'commitment levels'.

Naulivou, an all-rounder, has represented Fiji in two ICC Trophy campaigns and a tour of Australia, as well as playing a season of league cricket in northern England while completing an engineering certificate.

"I started off in seconds with Woodhouse CC, and within two weeks I was in the firsts where I remained for six games until I finished the certificate," Naulivou recalled.

He said his Woodhouse team-mates were extremely generous with advice. "They helped a lot with my batting and fielding skills."

Naulivou said he has emphasised to his team-mates that the likely jump in class in facing either Papua-New Guinea or New Zealand Maoris in the finals would demand a curbing of the tendency for short but dynamic 'cameo' innings.

"I have asked the players to bat not less than the 50 overs."

While the Fijian squad may have seven debutantes, it has arguably the tournament's most experienced player in former New South Wales and Victorian Sheffield Shield all-rounder Neil Maxwell.

He is enthusiastic about the raw talent in the team. "They are natural athletes who do the hard things well," Maxwell said. "They have all the fundamentals and can score runs quickly."

Despite no longer playing first class cricket, Maxwell is a key member of the Balmain team which leads the Sydney first grade competition. He scored 48 yesterday in his team's second innings in its loss to Fairfield.

Fiji will compete in Pool A where it will face Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Tonga.

Whereas player 'commitment levels' have led to exclusions from the Fijian squad, the same quality has assured the Cook Islands' very attendance at the tournament.

The six Cook Islands residents in the national squad for the Pacifica Cup have combined to pay the $US5,000 team levy placed by the ICC (a huge sum by Cook Islands standards).

The residents will arrive in Auckland next Saturday to merge with the seven New Zealand based players in the Cook Islands squad.

The timing of the tournament has left Cook Islands captain, Lionel Browne, a little bemused.

"Things like this have a little too late for a guy like me," Browne said. "I have been playing the game for 35 years - it is a long time to wait for a tournament like this."

In the 1930s the tactics of the game were changed due to the brilliance of one player, Sir Donald Bradman, and Bodyline was born. In 1965 it took the talent of Lionel Browne to single-handedly change the format of Cook Islands cricket.

"In one day, they could get an entire match completed, and then when I started playing I scored 224 in one innings and they realised they could no longer finish a match in a day so they changed the format."

A further change of format has left Browne unimpressed.

"When we had unlimited time matches, you would face good bowling all day, but now with the 35 over limited overs matches we play, you can see off a good bowler after just five overs."

Browne said cricket did not enjoy the preeminence it once had in the Cook Islands for a number of reasons.

"Previously there was just rugby, tennis and cricket and that was all you played. Now there are a lot more sports you can play," Browne lamented.

"Also FIFA (soccer's world governing body) has been putting money into the game here and money is what talks so soccer is attracting the youngsters. Most of the cricketers now are older guys."

Browne said the fact he can still play first grade in the Cook Islands was an indictment of the standard.

"At my age (52) I can still hold my own and I don't think that's right - they should have left me behind long ago."

Like most teams competing in the Championships, Browne predicts the Cook Islands batsmen will have to temper their natural exhuberance and be prepared to bat out the 50 overs.

"The boys here are noted for dangerous cross-batting."

The Cook Islands are in Group B along with the New Zealand Maoris, Papua-New Guinea and Samoa.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd