DAY 11 – SWANSONG

Friday 8th March
The team assembled for their last hurrah in Lugazi- CWB style- a cricket festival of course! Arriving at the ground, Jonathon did a stoic job on the litter pick whilst Yolanda set up the official example rapid fire pitch. The rest of the team followed suit, Jim took his place in the score box ( entrance to the minibus) and the stage was set. Wait, first we had to establish if the herd of cows congregating on the ground were complying to the compulsory equal boy girl split!

Matches were won, teams cheered, and play only stopped for a brief moment to allow a tractor and trailer to cross the pitch.

On a serious note, it’s poignant to mention that today is International Women’s Day. And what better way to mark it than some of the great cricket we saw from the girls playing in the tournament today? In school dresses and bare feet, they showed true athleticism; with boundary catches, hits that sent the ball across the field and spot on accurate throwing to team mates.

The tournament ended with the winning team being presented with their medals, and the team that embodied ‘The Spirit of Cricket’ were presented with a bat to take back to their school.
We also distributed tennis balls to all schools who attended. Special thanks to Culford School for their generous tennis ball donation which allowed us to do this.

Now it was time for some goodbyes as the team left Lugazi to head to Entebbe for their last night before flying home. The coaches we met in Jinja came to join us in Lugazi but it was time to go our separate ways. We all taught each other so much; and learnt tenfold in return. The work they do in their communities through cricket is vital in keeping children in school and giving them future options, proving once again, cricket really is more than just a game here. It can make a huge difference to a child’s life. We met these guys as fellow coaches and cricket fans, but we leave as family.

Once the luggage went back through the minibus window, the team set off to Entebbe. What was meant to be ‘about an hour’ became closer to four and half, but through traffic jams, heavy rain and bumpy back roads we made it.

Some alternative accommodation to end the trip, tents by the river! I can hear the toads as I write this.

There are Worse Places!

The team gathered for the final debrief and said a tear filled ‘See you Later’ to Manni, the Ugandan Under 19 coach who has been with us for the last two weeks. The team then went round to share their highlights, which was nigh on impossible, as all agreed it was too hard to pin down.

Personally, it was watching a young boy who was visually being helped through a catching drill by his friend who simply said “he doesn’t see well, but I will help him”.

And now, we are sat by the water sharing memories of the trip and enjoying our last night together. 9 strangers who met up in Uganda and spread cricket to 7,500 children, 20 women and 60 coaches.

Joanna