CWB Kenya 2010

Day 15 (Sat) - END OF PROJECT REPORT - It seems hard to accept that it was only two weeks ago that seven cricket coaches and a doctor set out from Heathrow on this project. In those two weeks so much has been achieved. We have visited a wide variety of places and met large numbers of children and adults, all keen to further their interest in the game. Wherever we have been, we have been warmly welcomed and always made to feel special. Our role has been to encourage and develop cricket coaching in the areas we have visitied and, at the same,time, promote an awareness of Aids and HIV. The ease with which this could be done surprised us all as so many of the children clung on to our every word. At the ... read more

Day 14 (Friday) - The final showdown!!! Today was the greatest cricket tournament Rift Valley Cricket Club has ever seen!!! Children of all ages, travelling from long distances made the journey, as CWB organised a kwik/continuous cricket competition. The competition compromised of eight teams, most of which we had coached throughout the week, in a league format with a final to close procedures. The teams had a variety of personalities, including a 25 year old graduate (Phillip "Yakubu"), and a 6'8 giant. For those who are unfamiliar with the kwik cricket format...teams had to score as many runs in a ten minute period by running to 'scoring cones' either side of the wicket once they had hit the ball. Officiating the games of the tournament were Moley, Griff, Kimbo and Myself (Mike was in charge of ... read more

Kenya Day 12 - Finally, I have been allowed back on the blog. While the computer obsessed editor seems to have been adding things into others blogs with a fair dosing of creative license, a few more truths need to be told. The day started unlike the previous 5 for me, with my room mate the mystery man, announcing that his stomach issues were a thing of the past. He had indeed remembered to close the 2 doors on his way to the toilet facilities so this was much improvement on previous days. I made my way to breakfast, where I had to double check that the sound of the running hose didn't mean I was back in my room. We were all thoroughly delighted that there was now the option of scrambled egg with the ... read more

Day 10 (Monday - Bank Holiday) - Left RVSC and headed for the Menegai High School approx 5 minutes drive away - Davis our driver seems to like hitting the speed bumps at a good speed rather than slowing down! We were told to expect 200 kids but when we arrived we were greeted by approx 50 kids which at first was disappointing but still very worthwhile and was great fun for all! The coaches paired up as follows: - Tom (Moley) and Andy (Griff the talker) Neil (Mystery Man/cheat) and Mick (the Aussie) Mike (CWB Project Leader and Headmaster) and Richard (Doc Kimber from The Fugitive) We were given our groups and had 2 and a half hours to put them through their paces - fielding, batting and bowling ready for a final competition at ... read more

Day 9 (Sunday) - CWB Team Kenya woke this morning anticipating the opportunity to leave Nairobi behind them and head for the hills. Naturally it was no surprise to find the rain had poured down for most of the night and that sleep had been a precious commodity! A tired and not entirely well team waved goodbye to the Jupiter Guest Resort, but not before bidding farewell to Claire, who flew back to England later that evening. It was sad to see her go (especially for Neil - ED). She had brought much to the team, not least her rapidly developed interest in Premiership football and Tusker beer. It hadn't taken long for her to be become one of the first to the bar and to stay up to watch the end of the matches - ... read more

Day 8 (Saturday) - Today was to be our last full day in Nairobi - for a few of us, that was not a bad thing!! We split into 2 groups for the morning, Claire, Mike and Tom venturing off to the "slums" to work with some of the street children, whilst Rich, Rich, Mick, Neil and Andy went back to Karuara Forest School (where we had ventured on the Monday). Both sessions were truly positive, the feedback from the street children session was tremendous, and inspiring to see the morale those kids actually have considering their circumstances. At the school, and again considering what these kids have, we were all very moved by them once again. Tom, Mike and Claire rejoined the group at the school after they had finished, as we handed out some ... read more

Day 6 (Thursday) - Unfortunately, bad weather led to our morning coaching session at Karura Forest to be cancelled. The afternoon coaching session provided us coaches with a firm test of our skills, as a result of the earlier onslaught of rain. The playing field of the school was more of a swamp then a cricket field. This meant we had to improvise; coaching cricket in a corridor and a petite assembly hall was definitely a first. Although the number of pupils were relatively low, in comparison to our previous session, we were able to deliver are effective session considering the bleak weather. We reinforced our HIV/AID awareness message in an enjoyable manner. Furthermore, the children were engaging throughout the three hours and managed cultivate plenty of white teeth. I am amazed to see Kenyan children ... read more