Thursday 11th March

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Murigye from another hot day in Uganda. We all started the day in Fort Portal much as yesterday, heading to Nyakasuru School playing field in the morning where we greeted no less than 211 children and worked in our coaching pairs with groups of about 40 for just over two hours. One group literally arrived as a truck load of children while another walked for an hour and a half to get to us!
After a break back at our accommodation for lunch two of the group, Parry and Mark headed to another school to coach 44 children who were unable to get to us this morning while the rest of the crew returned to Nyakasuru for another group of 200 secondary school children. A lot of who where school girls and it was great to meet their sports teacher who himself is a cricket enthusiast and keen to kick off the sport at their school. Kilembe Senior Secondary School went to a lot of trouble to meet with us today, travelling 45 km by taxi bus after their school truck broke down and have now made arrangements with the assistance of John, our Uganda Cricket Association man, to stay overnight locally so they can see us again tomorrow.
Returning to our rooms we learnt, through Scott, that the management wanted to offer us a complimentary traditional Ugandan meal in appreciation of our work here and by way of an apology for a few problems we had had with our accommodation. Personally Clare and I have nothing to moan about with endless hot water and a television that works, so long as you want to watch the football, but then we have managed to do ok with our rooms this trip as the rest of the group will testify.
The whole Cricket Without Boundaries assembled in the bar/restaurant at 8 pm, including our Uganda Cricket Association colleagues John, William, Fred and Charles and driver Joseph. The meal was not only wonderful but we were treated to a musical extravaganza from a local musician dressed in an Australian Rugby Union jersey, which must have brought a tear to team leader Scotty’s eye. Complete with new guitar our entertainer gave us renditions of ‘If I Had A Hammer’, ‘I Love To Go A Wandering’ (which William joined in with to our delight) and a real crowd pleaser ‘Rivers of Babylon’. Coaching leader Rich was so overcome by the experience that he had trouble eating his dinner while Fred proved to us that black men really can dance! Perhaps the moment of the evening though was Tom watching the musician walking towards the door while strumming his guitar and was heard to say ‘keep going’. This was only topped when we were asked to partake in birthday celebrations for a local gentleman and Clare was asked to walk in the cake while we sung the usual birthday song while Scott (don’t ask why) walked in a roasted chicken on a large platter. He will never live this down.
Celebrations tonight could well be one of the trip’s highlights and we look forward to another full days coaching tomorrow followed by a return visit to the orphanage.
Jo Powell

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