ICC coaching & assesments at RVSC - Day 3

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Probably my most disturbed night’s sleep on the whole trip so far. Got up at 7.45 for a shower, breakfast and check on Andy. He was up but not really looking much better. We tried hard to encourage a visit to the hospital.

RD and I set up the kit for today’s assessments and were ready for the candidates by 9.30am. The ICC Level One assessment requires a thorough knowledge and understanding of the coaching process and not that the candidates are capable of providing quality demonstrations. I am given Sydney, Francis, Frederick and David. They were very good and all gave a brilliant session. They even showed additional competence and expertise by putting faults into their practicals to help the others! After discussing with RD we went through the debriefs and I awarded them all a Level 1 Coach award. Not bad for 48 hours ago they had little knowledge nor experience of the game at all. Some of the other candidates got the Introductory Certificate.

Andy was up and about today with Simon and they did some shopping in town. They came back at lunchtime with quite a few “goodies” in their bags. We all ate lunch outside at RVSC and bade farewell to Rich Darwin as he had to return home earlier than the rest of us. He has been a great tutor and has helped to mould the group together very successfully. He will be missed during the rest of the trip.

Andy was still not fully fit and, at last, he agreed to go to hospital. Davis took him to a small dark, but clean, hospital where he was well cared for. He had to keep visiting the cashier to pay after every person had seen him or a test carried out. Within two hours he had been given the results of the blood-test - a bacterial infection for which he was prescribed some anti-biotics.

The teachers and CWB coaches played games and set up numerous practice drills for the afternoon session. I presented every coach with a Cricket Without Boundaries tee-shirt and they were, justly, very pleased. As is normal, they wanted to take the kit away with them and were somewhat “down” when we said it would be needed for us in schools and for the tournament on Friday.

A walk through town to the market brought us face-to-face with the traders haggling for business. Thousands of carved wooden animals, shields, masks and statuettes were accompanied by bone, wood and stone necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Everywhere you looked the traders had their “shops” (ground or boards about 4’ wide but 12’ long) totally covered with their wares. Each time you moved you had to look and talk (and buy) and show interest. Slow progress! I bought some bits and pieces before returning to the club at 6.15pm. We had a drink in the bar and discussed the day’s assessments and how limited their skill base is and what they will be able to do back at school. Plans for the week were set and then it was downstairs to ‘eat in’: curry, pizza, stew, spaghetti bolognaise and drinks for the 6 of us for 1,580/=.

Today has been hot with only a few clouds in the sky - NO RAIN!!!!!

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