The general consensus among our sweaty group was that this was the hottest day yet. The forecast for thunderstorms has not materialised and for the last few afternoons we have been faced with temperatures that have well and truly been ‘cracking the flags’.

Thankfully another morning trip to St Joseph’s Primary School was just what the doctor ordered. This school really is fantastic and the behaviour and happiness displayed by the kids is a credit to their tireless PE teacher Olivier.
Having visited there before, the team executed a slick operation and yet again we were unfazed by the arrival of 1,000 kids at break time. I think every child on the playground must have held a bat at some point and despite the heat the group were incerdibly positive after seeing so many gorgeous, smiling faces.

After a quick stop at Caribou’s tasty vegetarian buffet we proceeded to the Rwandan Oval to meet a group from one of the schools local to the national cricket ground.

It was slightly disappointing to see quite a small group of about 30 turn up but if there was ever a symbol of how far this country has come it was when I noticed something glinting on the dusty pitch only to reach down and pick up a spent bullet. Reminders like this of Kigali’s violent past are ten a penny in Rwanda and worth remembering when we coach a group who have never even seen a cricket bat or bowled a ball.

An evening searching for a bar with the Merseyside Derby awaits (especially important for avid Red Richie) and no doubt a few well earned pints of Mutzig. See you tomorrow.