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Saturday’s 21-2 win against a much spirited Tuvalu side gave Solomon Islands Natinoal Futsal team the right to the trophy of 2010 OFC Futsal Championship - a third time in row.
 

Solomon Islands captain Elliot Ragomo fired home 7 goals in the final game to unseat Micah Lea’alafa from the golden boot race and collecting another award- the player of the tornament- the Western province lad seemed to be finding just the right environment to add more awards to his list.
 
The Solomon Islands high commission office in Suva yesterday threw a party to thank the Kurukurus for the superb performance during the tournament. Attended by student leaders and prominent Solomon Islanders working and living in Suva, Fay Mose, the high commissioner's wife, gave a welcome speech“ I’ve travelled to Sigatoka when you boys played your first game and when people asked me where I’m from I got a lot of nicely worded statements from people about your stunning performance when I said I’m from Solomon Islands. This informal get together is our way of thanking you for making us proud,” said Mrs. Fay Mose during the lunch hosted by her for the futsal team at her residence.
 
When star player Jack Wetney was given the chance to speak, he thanked the Solomon Islands faithful sons and daughter in Suva whom their presence at Vodafone’s arena during their matches according to him, “boosted our moral.”
 
Elliot Ragomo went to the extent of revealing how trainning is usually done for them, “ Jerry (their trainner) is one of the people we usually got mad at. Keeping up with his style of trainning can sometimes be tiring. But little did we know that it is through such efforts that we are what we are today. Our coach and manager are have contributed a lot to our up bringing. Some of them are family people but they’re very committed to Kurukuru,” said an emotional Munda boy.
 
Coach Dickson Kadau, then told the gathering at the Commissioner’s residence that preparations for this year’s tournament was their best so far and it has seen a record fitness level of 18.. “ that’s the world cup level. When we went to Brazil for the world cup our highest fitness level was only nine but this year Micah got an 18 followed by some with 16 and so forth.”
 
He said he has a feeling that if they qualify for 2012 world cup, his team will be a different one, “ we lack size and strength in the last outing because some of them were only 16 and 17 then, but I hope my boys will keep up with the pressure if we qualify next year.”
 
On the note of futsal development, Mr. Kadavu revealed that the future looks bright. “ Futsal development in Solomon Islands is a work seperately looked after by Dural Sport- a Baptist church group from Australia. When they started in 2002, only 12 schools joinned but the following year the number increased to 113.
 
" Futsal has grown to a different level when it was first introduced by the Baptist group to the first lot of kids in the likes of Elliot and others. Eddie Omokirio me and another one have been with the kids then but it looks like I'm the only one left of the three now to rip what has be sown.
 
“ The new lot of young futsal players that are coming up now will surely outclass this group and don’t be surprised if we include some under 15s in our next squad because they’re too good.
 
" Our only problem now is a venue to play. Sometimes we just take the boys for practise on the netball courts outside. Dural sport will continue to support futsal in Solomon Islands which includes sending our futsal kids to Australia every year for competition but they want the government to provide a venue for futsal development."
 
Mr. Kadau said that last year's offer by Lybia for them to build a futsal stadium comes with the request that only Muammar al-Gaddafi's name, Lybia's political leader, be used to name the stadium which they will shoulder the total cost of building it. According to Mr. Kadau, SIFF hasn't said anything about the deal so far so things are pretty much kept in the dark.
 
The Kurukuru team arrives in Honiara today and it is expected that a large crowd of supporters will welcome them at Honiara International Airport.
 
Lifhaus gossips heard that the care taker Prime Minister rang and told the team that he will declare a 2 day public holiday to honour the win.