An early start for our last day in Lugazi saw the whole CWB team at the Mehta stadium at 8.30, ready for the start of the day’s festivities, which we had been assured would start at 9am sharp (African time!). After an hour of freeform games and coaching, the nearest school finally heard the PA at around 9.30, and after they all jogged over the road in their royal blue uniforms, the tournament could start.
We had been asked to preside over the finals of the district competitions for U11 & U13, girls and boys, by the Uganda Cricket development board, highly competitive fixtures – emphasised by the opposing teachers standing on either side of the CWB umpire in one of the matches! The 64 children competing were loudly cheered on by over 100 of their classmates, making the atmosphere just as raucous as the previous 2 days.
A further 21 children were tested for HIV, taking the total over the 3 days to 157 tests, only 1 of which was positive, with counselling and treatment already started when we left today. Really gratifying was the U13 girls from Lugazi West spontaneously breaking into a chant of “ A,B,C,..,C,W,B,…”, when they triumphed in their match.
After an extended prize giving ceremony, with speeches from the CEO of Mehta, our hosts, Cricket Uganda, and TASO (the AIDS support Organisation of the Government), Mark “Kofi Annan” Campbell managed the to solve the problem of 2 trophies for 4 winning teams with some creative use of the CWB bag of goodies, we all jumped on the bus for our journey to Kasese.
A journey that had been advertised at 7 hrs turned into a 9hr marathon drive through some of the most beautiful countryside that most of the team had ever seen. Energised by some well- chosen tunes from the cool kids Tom and Bethan in the back of the bus, the journey passed in good spirits throughout, the sun setting ahead of us over the Rwenzori mountains ahead of us a particular highlight. Arriving late in the evening, the hotel perched high on the hill promises spectacular views when we wake in the morning to start the Kasese section of our journey.
Richard Armes