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Whats in a name?


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In the early 1950s the Fijian cricket team toured New Zealand, including a player known as "Bula". However, his real surname was an amazing 50 letters long, if I remember correctly. Can you shed some more light on him? asked Paul Marshall from New Zealand Cricinfo's player page solemnly records that Mr Bula's full name was "Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau", which is 49 letters unless I got lost halfway through. It was probably very good news for the scorers that he didn't mind being abbreviated. Apparently his name means "returned alive from Nankula hospital at Lakemba island in the Lau group". Bula played nine matches now recognised as first-class, on two tours of New Zealand with the Fijians - in 1947-48 and 1953-54. He scored two centuries, one on each tour, against Canterbury both times. According to our records Bula is still alive at 85.
:eek::eek:http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/columns/content/current/story/293885.html
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Re: Whats in a name?

Cricinfo's player page solemnly records that Mr Bula's full name was "Ilikena Lasarusa Talebulamainavaleniveivakabulaimainakulalakebalau", which is 49 letters unless I got lost halfway through.
It is perhaps just right that cricket is a gentleman's game. Can you imagine a woman walking to "Bula" and having her breasts autographed.... :chin: xxx
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Re: Whats in a name?

he literal translation is "returned alive from Nankula hospital at Lakemba island in the Lau group".
All i can say is thank God he wasn't born in some place such as Warnakulasurya hospital at Vishakapatnam in the ChaldoAssyrian group. That would've been even worse.
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