Monday: Nanyuki & Dol Dol – Gareth

As we drove into central Kenya from Nakuru to Nanyuki the terrain changed noticeably. While the West and the highlands near Nairobi are relatively lush, the central district is much more arid. The road becomes a dust track and the houses change from rudimentary metal constructions into straw huts.

We are entering virgin territory for cricket in Nanyuki. In Nakuru the game is known, if only mainly in private schools and exclusive clubs for the wealthy, and our mission is to spread the message to the normal schools with less equipment and facilities. Whereas in Nanyuki the game barely has a footprint at present, for example there is no Cricket Development Officer provided by Cricket Kenya. In Nanyuki the cricket torch has mainly been carried by Aliya, a South African volunteer who has been helping teach the game in schools in the district. The first time CWB visited Nanyuki was 6 months ago, so this is our second trip.

With the arid climate many of the school sports fields are dust tracks, often with football posts fashioned from branches. As soon as we start the warm-up exercises the dust rises, getting in our eyes, throat and mouth. Despite the heat and adverse climate the children are incredibly enthusiastic. I find 5 minutes exercise in the sun and I am sweating, the locals seem fresh after an hour and hardly ever seem to break sweat. Their enthusiasm is an inspiration, especially towards the end of the day when we are starting to flag with fatigue.

One important aspect to remember is that many of the children in Nanyuki schools have never seen cricket before. So we must ensure our sessions are simplified and inclusive for all. We are focusing less on the basics of batting and bowling and more on fun catching games and continuous cricket to make sure that they all have fun, whilst hopefully getting a taste for the game that will attract them back for more.

On Monday we travelled even further north to Dol Dol, so good that they named it twice. The landscape is incredibly arid, apart from a few cacti and shrub land you could almost be on the surface of Mars with the parched red earth and rocks. This barren land is home to some of the Maasi tribes, and judging by the speed and ferocity that some of the children can throw a ball their skill in throwing spears definitely comes in handy for cricket.

I had hoped that the Kenyan national team would help with our mission of promoting cricket, but in their opening game of the World Cup yesterday they were emphatically beaten by New Zealand. Judging by what I have seen in Nakuru and Nanyuki Kenya needs a lot of support and assistance to develop a system where players come from all the society, not just the privileged elite. With a much greater pool of players, drawn from the youth all over the country allied with their rich resources in natural talent success on the field will surely follow.