The final morning in Rwanda got off to the usual curveball start. The key to my padlock, which was securing all my valuables (including passport), decided not to work. Luckily the IPRC (one of the main training grounds) is only a short stroll away. So after breakfast I went in search of tools in the groundsman shed to smash it open. Too bad for the lock, a hammer, stake and concrete block did the trick.
We then had an extremely humbling morning at the Rwanda Genocide Museum. It is heavy. It’s also hard to take that this was one of many genocides in our lifetime and the world still hasn’t learnt from previous mistakes. There are many examples of how CWB has helped orphans from the Rwanda genocide through cricket. Still to this day many of our coaches don’t talk about this time. It really is unimaginable what they went through. I would highly recommend visiting the Memorial any time you visit Rwanda. It’s important to understand their history and be reminded by the context of their culture.
After a quick samosa stop for lunch, we headed over the Gahanga Cricket Ground the national cricket stadium of Rwanda where the Kigali Women’s T20 Premier League was taking place.
It was a breath of fresh air to see that the women get priority of the stadium turf pitch over to the men. Logically this completely makes sense because the women’s national teams have been far more successful and have the most potential to rise further up the rankings.
The final match of the day saw a win for team ‘Charity’ off the second last ball of the innings. A real fight back from cluster of wickets saw them home. I was so impressed by the standard and in particular the game sense of both captains.
Before we knew it was time to head to the airport and say our goodbyes to Eddie our bus driver. What a legend, especially for him making himself available at a day’s notice. Nothing is ever a problem for Eddie ‘Sawwa Sawwa’ as they say.
On a personal note this has been an incredible trip for a number of reasons, including the people on the trip. The last minute pivot to Rwanda has meant that I have been able to to see two countries 10 years on. It has been amazing to see the ecosystem of cricket that CWB has built, particularly in Kigali where you can see cricket thriving. The same model is being used to set up new hubs in Gulu and Masindi in Uganda and I would love to go back see where this develops over the next couple of years,
The final touch was seeing my England cricket bag is still in use since it was donated in 2014!
Holly Colvin
